18th & Last Month USA!

1,5 year in the USA already. No words...

My Au Pair adventure has come to an end. 1,5 year I've been able to meet the most wonderful people in the world, the best family I could've wished for, the most beautiful places on earth and I've become so much more mature. I don't know how to describe this wonderful experience and how thankful I am for this. Thanks to all of you for always helping and supporting me! Without this, I would have never become the person I am right now! Now it's time to make my dream trip. A 5 week trip to the places I've always wanted to go to. I am so excited to make my dreams come true and I can't wait to share my stories! For my trip, I'll make a separate blog with information about the things I am doing and some helpful tips. The link to this blog is the following: Travel Month 2021 (liekestraveladventures.blogspot.com

Feel free to check it out and ask me any questions! Hope you like it and it will help you with your future trips!

17th Month

(February 1st- 7th) OMG! Can't believe I'll have my last full work week this week! And then hopefully I can make my dream trip starting February 18th! I am so excited and I can't wait! But I also don't totally feel ready for it yet. Hope everything will work out! This week we left to the Poconos for 3 nights (Tue-Fri) and we went to a ski resort called 'Camelback Mountain'. This was a very nice resort and we stayed in our own little house. We went here so the girls could go skiing and practice more and my host mom also likes skiing. I also booked my first ski lesson and I was so excited for this! I really liked it but it was a little hard sometimes and of course I fell several times! But it was a very nice experience and it was definitely on my bucket list to try it! On Thursday I had a very bad day unfortunately. I felt like everything that could go wrong did... I dropped the kids and my host mom at the ski location and on my way back I got in a little accident.. The last mountain I had to go up before getting back to our rental house, there was a snow truck. I saw it so I slowed down already. But apparently he didn't see me and bumped in to my host mom's beautiful Audi Q7.. Jeez what a hell... Luckily it could've been way worse but I felt so lost for a second. I called my host mom and luckily the guy came back to apologize and he turned out to be the manager so we went to the main office and shared information. Everything is fine now and I hope the car can be fixed soon! Friday I started the day fresh and I jumped in the snow in my bathing suit! This was sow fun!! On the weekend I called a few friends and my family and I started packing some stuff for my travel month. I also met with my friend Hendry a few times which was nice! 

Snow much fun!!

This week (February 8th - 14th) was my last full work week! OMG! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I was very emotional this week and luckily the girls behaved pretty well. I totally don't feel ready to go yet... I mean, I am so excited for my big trip, but I am so sad to leave my second home behind.. I love the girls so much! They're like my little sisters! I don't know what to do without them! It'll be so quiet without them! we went to the playgrounds with their friends again this week and we watched some movies together. I babysitted at the neighbors a lot this week and I was very busy packing stuff. The girls felt sad too.. On Saturday their mom had a very nice surprise for them. Something they had been asking for for many years... They got A PUPPY! OMG! He is sooooo cute! I can't believe they actually got him! I always thought my host mom doesn't like pets... And then she got Rusty. I really like his name! It totally matches his color! I am sure the girls are gonna love him! WE did a sleep over again on Saturday and that was so much fun! And on Valentine's Day I made a special breakfast for them! Later I babysitted at the neighbors and I called with my friends in the Netherlands and we played a game. Each of us got a private message from one of my friends with a challenge and this was so much fun! I loved it! Can't wait to see them again soon!

Welcome to the family Rusty!!!

This week (February 15th - 21st) I had my last work days! UNBELIEVABLE! WOW! Monday we had a very nice Mexican dinner all together and it was delicious! The girls didn't have school cause it was President's day so we went to the Franklin Institute which was  nice and then we had lunch together at Marathon. On Wednesday I had my last workday! Can't believe it! Literally my last work day! OMG! It felt so crazy! I made a nice breakfast for the girls and they loved it! After school we watched the movie Shrek with pizza's! YUMMY! On Thursday it was time for the big trip! I was so excited ut so sad at the same time! Leaving my second home but following my dreams... How can I deal with this? The answer is: NOT! I'll facetime the girls as much as I can! It's so different and quiet without them! OMG! So this is the last update for my Au Pair adventure in the USA (from September 2019- February 2021). I hope you liked reading about my experience and I would love to share more and answer any questions! This is an adventure that will always be in my heart and was definitely the best decision of my life so far! Also- As my big trip is starting, I’ll create a new blog after or during my travel month if possible! Would love to share all my adventures on a new blog! I’ll keep you updated! And thanks so much for reading my blog!!!

16th month

 This week (January 4th - 10th) it was a very tough week with the kids unfortunately. I got crazy and I was so busy planning stuff for my travel month again... Luckily the parents helped me out too and I was able to be off at 5/6 every day. On Thursday I was off early because I had to get ready for my weekend trip to Miami!! I was sooooo excited to go here! I know it is definitely not the best idea because of covid, but it was y last chance to go there and also because my friend Mariame and I wanted to go here together but it never worked out earlier and she has her flight back home on January 11th. I left to the airport at 3:30 AM because my flight left at 6:30 AM. Unfortunately the bus didn't come so I walked to center city in the dark which was a little scary... I still ended up in the bus that finally took me to the airport.  I always have trouble getting at the airport since covid.. It is so stressful... At 9 I arrived in Fort Lauderdale and there I had trouble again to figure out how to get to Miami.. Luckily it all worked out and all the buses in Miami are free because of covid. Of course it takes longer, but I didn't really care as my friend wouldn't arrive at the airport before 12 because she was flying from New York. I went to Downtown and to Bayside which was really nice. I tried some empanadas and I loved them! Then I met with my friend at our AirBnb. When we unpacked our stuff we took the bus to the Wynwood Walls and then we went to Little Havana. This was a very cute town with a Cuban history. We had dinner at a really nice Cuban restaurant and I loved the food! I never had Cuban food before but it's great! A girl I am going to travel with in my travel month joined us because she lives close from there. It was very nice to meet her in person (we met on facebook in Au Pair groups). Saturday was the best and most beautiful part of our trip. We went on a bus tour to Key West. We left very early in the morning and we got there at 11:00 AM. It is such a beautiful Island! We had lunch at a nice bar with live music and we walked around and took nice pictures. Then we walked to the beach which was amazing! We even got to see a wedding there! On Sunday we went to Everglades and we did an airboat tour which was very cool. We saw a big alligator which came very close! After this we tried tacos with alligator bites... OMG! It literally just tastes like chicken! I never thought I was gonna try it but my friend really wanted to try it... I did it though!! It doesn't taste bad, but it's definitely not something I would like to eat again. Then we went to South Beach and the weather was great and then we had to go back to the airport... What an amazing trip again! But unfortunately I had to say goodbye to a very nice friend! It was a little hard... I gave her a mug with pictures on it and she loved it! It was not a good bye though! It was a 'see you soon'!

Left my heart in Miami 'Bitch'!

This week (Jan 11th - 17th) was a very, very tough week with the kids. I was literally 'done' with it. I couldn't handle it anymore. The youngest one freaked out literally every single day, cried for 2 hours whereas the oldest one does great for school and tries to pay attention. It makes me so sad that all my energy actually goes to the youngest girl because the oldest one deserves definitely as much attention as her sister! I took her on a walk and bought her a donut to make her a little happy. But it also makes me sad how sad the youngest one is every day about doing schoolwork. They are both such sweet girls and I love them with all my heart! But these small things make everyone's day worse at home. There are more frustrations and everyone gets tired of dealing with it. I really appreciate the help my hostparents offer me though! Without them I wouldn't have been able to handle it these past weeks... But, now something very exciting: I booked my trip to HAWAII!!! So now, Alaska, Vegas & the national parks, Seattle & Portland AND HAWAII are booked for my travel month!!! The only missing part is California and maybe Texas. But omg! I am so excited!! And something else I would like to share is: MY FLIGHT BACK HOME IS BOOKED!!! I received a message from my agency (whereas you usually get this only 3 weeks before departure) that my flight back home will be on the 27th of March! I am so excited to see all my friends and family again, but at the same time I am very emotional and sad to leave my second home here.. My second family, and all the other amazing people I've met and the places I've been to... I don't know how it will be to be back home. I am not the same Lieke who left to the US on September 3rd 2019... On Friday the girls were done with school early and we went ice skating at Penn's Landing which was fun! I haven't gone ice skating in years! But luckily I only fell 2 times! I loved to do it together with the girls! On Saturday I met with two other Dutch girls (Aaliyah and Renee) and Renee was also from Limburg (South of the Netherlands) which was really funny. On Sunday I went to King of Prussia Mall to get some winter gear for Alaska!.

Ice skating with my host family at Penn's Landing!

This week (Jan 18th - 24th) was a nice week finally! The kids both behaved pretty well and especially the youngest one did a really good job this week with her school work! I am literally so proud of her!! Even though it was very cold outside, we still had fun at the playgrounds and the youngest one got to play with her friend as usually. Unfortunately the oldest one never sees her friends at the playgrounds anymore or whenever she sees them, they are leaving 5 mins later. I feel so sad for her! I always bring games so we can do something at least and I play with her which she likes, but of course it is different than playing with friends...

On Friday the girls finally hat the night they've always asked me about- a girls night with sleepover! We all slept at my host dad's apartment in the living room with mattresses on the ground! It was so much fun! We watched the movie 'Annie' together and we made popcorn and danced on the mattresses which was so fun! I went to bed the same time as the because I was so tired! The youngest one said I had to sleep in the middle and then she fell asleep with her arm over me which was so cute! Unfortunately the oldest one kept me awake till 11:30 PM, but then she also fell asleep. The next morning I made pancakes with sprinkles for them and then I went to the gym. Later I met with a girl from my cluster and we walked for a bit. On Sunday I went for a long run and called my grandma and then I met with Hendry. I hadn't seen him since November last year which is crazy! It was very nice to see him again finally! Can't believe the last weeks as an Au Pair are here... Don't want to think about going home too much yet cause it will be so hard.. The kids are sad about it already since a few weeks / months... Also everything is lock down at home so nothing I could do there now.. Hope it will change by the time I am home! 

Girlsnight!!

This week was a long exhausting week again with the kids. The youngest one had a lot of therapist meetings this week (all for different things) but she liked it luckily because she got to play with her toys and that's basically all she wants! I got a little crazy of her attitude again unfortunately and the girls fought quite a lot this week... We still had fun though! We played all together sometimes and we met with their friends! On Friday I organized a little girlsnight for the oldest one and her friends and her sister ended up joining too for a bit which she didn't like of course.. I did their hair and they got some face masks and we had spaghetti for dinner (their favorite!). On Saturday I had to work and I took the kids to their dad's because I organized a craft project for them with 2 of their friends in the loungeroom and we made flower headbands. Then we watched the movie 'Charlie & the Chocolate Factory' and that was fun too! Later I watched 'The Adams Family' with the girls and we had a sleepover in my room which they loved! It was fun! I was totally exhausted on Saturday when their mom came back from her little trip... 

What a weekend!

15th Month

 This week (Nov 30th till Dec 6) I was really busy. My hostparents were very busy with work and the kids were pretty tough this week so I had quite a lot of stress and I was really tired after work. We were celebrating the Dutch holiday called ' Sinterklaas' or 'Sint Nicolaas', so the girls could put their shoe and at night time a few times this week and then Santa Clause but we celebrate this holiday from the second week of November till December 6th. Something typical we eat with this holiday are small cookies that are called 'pepernoten' and they taste a little bit like gingerbread. So this week I baked pepernoten with the girls which was very nice! I got a package from my parents last week for Sinterklaas and they also had a few gifts for the kids and my hostparents! Tonight we opened the presents together and they were very nice! So sweet that my parents did this for me and the rest! I miss them and my sister so much! Wish I could be with them for the holidays! It's so different here without my own family! Not that it's not nice! In contrary! But I just prefer to be with my own family during this time of the year and especially with this pandemic... This whole weekend I had a weekend course for my 3 credits of my extension period as an Au Pair. Al Au Pairs need to do courses to earn credits as part of our J-1 visa status. I preferred to do a weekend class again (same as last year for my photography and child development course), because then it's only one (very intensive) weekend and then I'm done. But unfortunately with this 'Discover the US virtually' course, there were and are so many assignments we have to do! But some are fun at least! And I also got to meet many nice new people who even contacted me after a class! So nice! On Saturday after my class I went out for a walk and I met with my friend Aaliyah to admire the Christmas Village in Philly which was beautiful!

Happy Sint Nicolas!!

This week (Dec 7th-13th) was a very busy and stressful week again. It was cold outside and the girls were busy with their schoolwork. We still had fun and we went to the playground a couple of times which was nice. Unfortunately there were not many friends they could play with, probably because of the cold weather. We played tac with some other kids and we did a lot of  movie nights this week. I finished my assignments for my weekend course from last week on Tuesday and I already received the credits for it on Wednesday! Also I booked my first trip for 2021 to Miami with my friend Mariame and I am really excited for this as it will be our last trip together as she will go home on January 11th. This weekend I was really busy planning my travel month which starts the first of March officially but I am gonna be off from February 19th because I am planning to join my friends to go to Alaska first. This is possible because I still have one week of vacation left then and because my host family is flexible which is really nice! I'm so happy my host family confirmed this weekend that I am allowed to go to Alaska! I've always wanted to go there!! On Saturday unfortunately my host mom got a phone call from her hairdresser she went to this Monday that she was tested positive for Covid-19.... This really sucks because that means my host mom might have been exposed even though they both wore masks of course... My host mom 'isolated' herself in her room immediately after she heard this and I took the kids outside for a few hours and then their dad took it over from me as it was my 'day off' actually as it was Saturday... I really hope none of us has Covid, but no one has symptoms yet at least and it has been a week already that my hostmom might have been exposed.. she'll get a test on Monday or Tuesday next week.. Hopefully it'll be fine as we're planning to go to the grandparents again next Sunday...

Love this view every morning!! #Morning run

This week (Dec 14 - 20th), was a very busy week. And I experienced the first snow in the US! It was amazing! I loved it! I could'nt even remember the last time I saw snow in my life! It felt so great! The kids loved it too! We had hot chocolate of course and we made a snowman. We also had a snowball fight which was fun. Unfortunately on Wednesday it was one of the worst days I had ever had with the kids... The youngest one really did not want to do school and she got kicked out of the meeting 3 times on one day because she behaved so bad. Even though she was muted, the teacher still saw her hitting me and freaking out. I started to cry and I didn't know what to do. Luckily my hostmom helped me out and in the afternoon when we went to Rittenhouse square, my hostdad came over which was nice. I took the oldest one to the playground  because I felt so bad for her as she had to deal with all of this. They both had a great time the rest of the day! On Friday I met a new Dutch Au Pair, named Romy, at City Hall and it was very nice! But so cold!! On Saturday I went for a run, (very carefully because there was still snow and ice!) and then I cleaned the house and called with my parents. Later I met with Mariame and Aaliyah and we walked around Christmas Village. On Sunday we left to Harpers Ferry all together (my host parents and the kids) and we celebrated the grandma's birthday. We organized a surprise party for her and she loved it!

Lovely Surprise party for the grandma!

This week (Dec 21st - 27th) the girls finally had the last schooldays of this year! They had school from Monday till Wednesday and they did a lot of fun Christmas activities which was nice. On Thursday we were baking cookies all day long and then we celebrated Christmas Eve with the whole family which was very nice and we had cheese fondue for dinner! I actually never had that before but I really loved it!! We played games afterwards and then we went to bed. Of course the girls were very excited because the next morning there would be lots of presents under the Christmas Tree! Even though they know Santa is not 'real', they still act like they do and they love Christmas and getting all the presents of course! They woke up at 6:00 AM on Christmas, and they had to wait for everyone else to be there to open the presents and of course that caused a lot of drama, especially for the youngest one... When everyone got together, we had a nice breakfast while the girls started opening some presents. The rest of the family did 'Secret Santa', but because I already bought presents for everyone, I didn't join with that. I bought some personalized gifts for my host family and luckily they liked them! I got very nice and sweet presents too! So sweet!! Later that day I called with my family and some friends and then for dinner we had a delicious curry with shrimp! I loved it! We also had some apple cake which one of my hostmom's sister made and that was so delicious!! On Saturday I called with another friend and my parents for a bit and we went for a little walk in the afternoon. Later we watched 'Home Alone' all together with some pizza and salad which was nice! On Sunday it was time to say good bye unfortunately. It was hard for me this time, as I knew I would probably not see everyone together again before I leave. I might not even see anyone other than my host parents and the girls. I thanked everyone for making me feel home. This family is wonderful and I wish I could spend more time with them... But I'll definitely come back!!!

The most wonderful time of the year, with the most wonderful people!

This week (December 28th - January 3rd) was finally the last week of the year! On Monday we went to the playground with some of their friends which was fun.  I was off a little more this week which was great so I had some time to figure out some more things for my travel month. My hostmom was in New York this week till Thursday and the girls stayed at my host dad so I also had some more time for myself. For New Year's Eve I didn't do anything special as my friend canceled last minute and I booked a bus to New York for Friday very early in the morning so I slept at my hostdad's as he was in New York already and then I just spent the night there. I went to bed early and woke up to see the fire works which was nice. Unfortunately I couldn't fall back asleep and then my alarm went of at 5:00 AM... I slept in the bus luckily and I arrived in New York at 7:40. I walked around Rockefeller Center, Hudson Yard and Central Park and then I met with a Dutch friend, Jessie, and we went to the Dumbo, Brooklyn Bridge and we took the ferry along the Statue of Liberty which was fun. Then we had dinner at a nice restaurant with outdoor seating in small glass houses. It was a great day! On Saturday I ran half a Marathon and I went to some stores and then I had to watch the girls for a few hours. On Sunday I did a workout in the morning and I went for a walk and then I just relaxed at home.

Happy New Year!!

14th month

This week (November 2nd - 8th) I came back from an amazing trip to Colorado on Monday morning, It was really exhausting cause I had an overnight flight and I arrived at 6:30 and started working at 8:30. But I made it through the day and I even did a workout in the evening. I had a nice week with the kids. A few ups and downs as always, but it was quite good! I took them to the playgrounds a lot because the weather was great and I organized a girlsnight for them and their friends on Friday at one of their friend's houses. I did their make up and hair, painted their nails and I baked cookies for them. The parents ordered pizza for the kids and we had Thai food which was delicious. Later at night we made s'mores at a campfire which was really nice! On Saturday I went out for a run in the morning and then I went to soccer with my hostfamily as a surprise for the girls. They kept asking me when I was gonna watch them play so I finally did this and they loved it! Unfortunately the youngest one fell from the monkey bars at the playground there and she had a little head ache... She's all fine now though luckily! After that I met with my friend Jasmine and we walked around the city because many people were goin crazy because Biden probably won the elections. Many people were singing and being crazy which was amazing to see. Then Hendry joined us and we went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant which is called 'Alice'. The food was really good! On Sunday I called with my family and friends and then I went hiking with Jasmine at Ridley Creek State park which was amazing! We had a picnic there and the hike was very nice! Especially with all the beautiful trees with all their colors!!

I love Fall!!

This week (November 9th-15th) it was getting so cold in Philly... Brrr it's so freezing that it's even too cold to sit still outside for one hour. At least it was sunny and only 2 days it was raining a bit so I still took the girls to the playground. Luckily we didn't go to gymnastics this week as one of the crew members was tested positive for covid! Also Jana didn't go to KO12 as one of the kids in another class was tested positive for Covid too... So the kids were both home all week which was pretty hard sometimes. I had quite a lot of stress to help them both at the same time. To reduce this stress a bit I worked out a lot again. On Saturday I went out for a run (I ran half a marathon again!) and later I did the same route with the bike. After that I met my Dutch friend Aaliyah and we walked for a bit and then we sat at Rittenhouse. After that I went out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant with another friend in Fishtown which was nice! I think this will be my last time going out for dinner in for a while as I think some new restrictions will be announced tommorow... I assume restaurants will be closed soon again and also the gyms etc... So I'm gonna buy some stuff this weekend before everything closes!

On Sunday I went out for lunch with Aaliyah and Jasmine and then I went to Longwood 

Gardens which was very beautiful!! I loved it!

Spontaneous ideas are the best!

This week (November 16th - 22nd) was a long week again. The girls were both at home all week so I had to figure out my way to deal with this sometimes. It was a tough week again with the yougnest one and during week I didn't meet anyone and I couldn't go to the gym because we would go to the grandparents in Harpers Ferry this weekend and we had to be very careful because of Covid... On Thursday I did a test myself because I ordered a kit for free together with my hostmom. On Friday the kids had to do a test and this was a big disaster... The youngest one totally freaked out... But luckily they did it and we are all 'negative' so we couOn Friday night I went to Franklin Square with Aaliyah and Elias which was really nice brecause of the beautiful Christmas decorations! We set around the campfire which was awesome! On Saturday I ran half a Marathon again and then I biked to Wissahickon with Myra and we went for a little hike there. We also took some nice pictures. So Saturday I basically worked out for 4 hours... Woops...

On Sunday we left to Harpers Ferry! I am so excited for Thanksgiving next Thursday and I am so Happy to be there again for a week!!

Hiking with Myra!

This week (November 23rd - 29th) we spend the whole week in Harpers Ferry. It was really nice and I was sad when i had to leave again on Sunday... On Wednesday one of my hostmom's sisters came too with her baby and husband. Then Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving and the other sister and her boyfriend came and we were cooking all day long! It was a great day though! With lots of delicious foods! We had mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes with pecans, salmon, green beans, mac& cheese and last but not least: the turkey of course! On Friday we bought the christmas tree for the grandparents and we went to a cute brewery for dinner which was really nice! On Saturday I first went out for a run and I ran half a marathon again. And then we went for a nice hike all together and then we played games. We also watched some movies this week with the whole family which was so nice! I really love this family and I am so glad to experience these holidays again with them! Can't wait to go back there for Christmas! On Sunday I met with a good Dutch friend Sharon, who was on a little road trip and had her last stop in Harpers Ferry. It was so nice to see her again after one year! We met at the photography course I did in New Jersey / New York last year but we didn't have the possibility to meet each other after that because of covid. So it was great to walk and talk for a bit!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

13th month

 This week (Sep 28 - Oct 4th) I was working all day again and I helped the youngest one with school. It was pretty tough this week as she didn't really listen well, but I was so happy when it was Friday! Luckily I also met with some friends this week after work. I called with some friends, called my family and my grandma because she just moved to a care center. I'm very happy for her because she really looked forward to move there, but I'm also really sad that I'll never see the house the way it was again. I used to clean her house every week and I loved it because every time I was there it felt like my grandpa was also there. But my wonderful sister made a really nice and cute video of her house! I cried the whole time I was watching tho! This weekend I met two new Au Pairs from Colombia and we had a picnic along the river which was really nice! On Saturday morning I ran 22,5 km again and I was proud I did it again! On Sunday I met with Carolina, one of the Colombian girls and we went to French Creek State Park which was really beautiful! I loved it! It was a nice weekend! Sad it's over already...

Hiking trip at French Creek Park with Calorina!

This week (October 5 -11th) was a busy week with the kids again. I think everything was a little too much for me this week. I sometimes did a work out 2 times a day to reduce my stress. It didn't help a lot but at least I felt a little better after I worked out. The youngest one was pretty tough again this week. Also I was a little disappointed when my host mom told me she is not comfortable with me going on the National Park road trip I had in my mind (Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and Colorado). And I'm not allowed to join my friend Linda on her trip to Texas to visit one of our friends because Thanksgiving is 2 weeks after that and then my host mom always goes to her parents and she thinks it's too risky then with Covid... Totally understandable though! But I was just sad because I really looked forward to go on a bigger trip again... Hopefully my host family allows me to go to Colorado, but we'll see. This week I met a lot with Hendry and we went to the pool at my host dad's apartment building. I also used the gym there this week which was nice. On Saturday I called with some friends in the Netherlands which was really nice and then I went shopping a bit with Hendry. Later we celebrated my friend Mariame's 25th birthday (which actually was on Sunday) by going out for dinner and she bought a banana cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory which was delicious! On Sunday we finally went to New York again which was amazing! I love this city! We walked around Central Park, Hudson Yard, Brooklyn Bridge and Dumbo! It was great!!

New York is always a good idea!

This week (October 12th - 18th) was a week as usual. I was home with the youngest one all day and on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the oldest one was also home. Usually she goes to KO12 (little 'school') on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, but this week she had test on Thursday so we decided it would be better for her to stay home for that. So I was really busy with helping both of them this week. I had a lot of stress and I worked out twice a day to try to reduce this stress. I really love working out and it is my 'clear my mind' moment. But my host family thought something was wrong with me or so... They know I work out every day, but now they noticed too that I worked out a lot and I didn't eat as much as usual. But I was just stressed so that's why I also wasn't that hungry. I still tried to eat as normal but sometimes I really couldn't eat much. I met with my friend Myra a few times which was really nice and on Friday I went to a little backyard 'party' at Franco's house which was awesome. We had nice music and we danced a bit with some other Au Pairs. On Saturday I ran 21,3 km again and this was awesome with the great fall weather (sunshine and fresh air!) And then later I brought some clothes to a second hand shop because I wanted to get rid of a lot of clothes I never wore. I called with some friends and then at night I went to King of Prussia again and this time we cooked an amazing Italian dinner all together (pizza and risotto). I met great new Au Pairs and it was so much fun! I was sooo happy my host family allowed me to sleep at Franco's house in his guestroom with another Italian Au Pair, because we would go hiking the next day and we wanted to leave early in the morning. So today (Sunday) we went hiking at the Bushkill Falls and Delaware Water Gap National Park area. It was amazing!! I loved the view!

Enjoying life in the nature!

This week (October 19-25th) I didnt really do anything special. It was a really tough week with the youngest one and I couldn't handle it anymmore. I worked out a lot to reduce the stress a bit, and I wasn't really hungry. I called with a few friends and I tried to figure out how to rent a car for my trip to Colorado next week with Linda. Luckily there's another girl who is going to join us and she's 27 so she can rent the car which is way cheaper. We don't have to pay $40 extra per day for young driver fees then! I'm really excited to go to Colorado and visit beautiful parks! This Friday I went to the Poconos for one night with my friends Jasmine and Hendry. Jasmine's friend has parents who have a house there and he stayed there since the 'lockdown'. It is a really beautiful area and I loved it! Even though it was only for a really short time, I enjoyed every second! We made a campfire and we did a boat tour at night time which was really nice. In the morning I went out for a run in this beautiful nature and I loved it! It was quite a run with all those hills but I enjoyed it! On Saturday I met with Linda and some other girls because she was finally back in Philly and this was her 'goodbye-party' because she will be in her travel month next week and after that she'll only come back to get her stuff and then go home. Luckily I'll still see her next week in Colorado! On Sunday I worked on my laptop and I went to a few shops and I relaxed a bit.

Poconos for one night was amazing!

This week (October 26th - November 1st) passed quickly! I was really excited for my trip to Colorado for this weekend, but I was also really stressed as I was the only one who really wanted to book the hotel and the car last weekend. So I ended up just booking everything and luckily the girls were ok with that. The kids were pretty tough this week so I was so glad I was off on Friday! On Thursday night my weekend trip started. The flight to Denver was not crowded at all! I had a whole row in the plane for myself! So chill! When I arrived I met the girl who was joining Linda and me on our trip. Her name is Gregoria and she lives in Chicago as an Au Pair. I met her in a Facebook group. Her friend was gonna join us too but then on Saturday and Sunday. On Friday we drove through the Rocky Mountain (not the main mountains because of the wild fires), Flatirons, Chautaqua Park, Lost Gulch Lookout and we went to a place called ' Nederland' which means 'The Netherlands' in Dutch. This was such a cute little town and I loved it!! And I drove through the mountains for the first time in my life! I loved it!! We stayed in an AirBnb and the owners invited us to go out for dinner with them at a nice restaurant in Denver. It was really nice! On Saturday we invited them to join us to go to the Red Rocks, Garden of Gods and a few other parks around Colorado Springs. We went hiking together which was beautiful! On Sunday I went out for breakfast with Linda because this would be the last day we would see each other for a longer time. I can't believe she's going home soon after her travel month. I am gonna miss her sooo much! But I wish her all the best back in Germany! After that we went to Denver all together to go go the Contempary Art museum. Then we dropped Linda at the train station because she had a flight to Utah and we drove to Idaho Springs. This is literally one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in my life! The town where we spend most of our time was called Georgetown. It is so beautiful here! We also went to the Hot Springs there and that was amazing! So sad I had to leave already... 

I already miss Coloraddo and it's beautiful Mountains...

12th month

 HAPPY 12 MONTHS!! OMG! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! I am already here for 1 year!???This week (August 31st - Sep 6th) The girls started with school again! On Wednesday they had there first online school day! The girls both did a really great job even though it was hard sometimes to keep paying attention to a screen... Luckily they are able to go to a small 'school', called Kids On 12 (KO12) 3 times per week from 8 till 3. On Thursday they had the first day of KO12 and they really enjoyed this! When I picked them up at 3 they were sad because they didn't even want to go yet! For me it was great to have some time off and next week I'll have the same on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. But on Monday it is Larbor Day so then I am off. On Wednesday evening I celebrated my One year USA a little bit with my friend Maryam. We bought cookies at Insomnia cookies (Philly's best cookies) and we went out for a walk which was great! On Saturday I left to King of Prussia (Pennsylvania)n very early in the morning(5:30 AM!) to meet my friends and go to Ocean City (Maryland) for the weekend! I was soooo excited for this and I had such a great time! I never expected it to be this much fun! the boys rented jetski's and this was awesome! We had dinner together, went to the beach, had a lot of fun and threw a party at the beach on Sunday night to celebrate my one year USA! We made a bonfire and made s'mores! And on Monday i came back in the afternoon and my hostfamily had a very nice surprise dinner for my one year anniversary! I almost had to cry when I saw this! The girls made drawings for me, there was a big 1 balloon, and we had crowns! It was a very nice little party! I really appreciate it!

HAPPY ONE YEAR USA!!!

This week (Sep 7th - 13th) I was really busy with the kids again! Luckily they went to KO12 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday again so I had some time off which  I used to go to the gym, do the groceries and call some friends and my family. On Wednesday and Friday I was the 'teacher' and it actually went pretty well this week! Even the youngest one did a really great job! I was so excited when my friend Linda asked me if I still wanted to go to the Niagara Falls with her and tow other girls because they decided last minute to still go there! Of course I said YES and I immediately confirmed with my hostfamily if this was ok for them. Luckily they were fine with it so I left on Friday night at 10:30 PM! The first plan was to leave on Saturday really early in the morning, but then we would not use this day to see the falls so we decided to leave on Friday. My friend Marilia (from Brazil) was the driver and I am still so impressed she drove all the way there without many stops! We only had a few 10 min stops for gas! I am so proud of her!! At 6:30 AM we arrived at the wonderful Niagara Falls with the sunrise! It was AMAZING! No words for this view! Even though it was so freezing outside and we didn't bring any warm clothes, it was definitely worth the whole drive! We did the boat tour (Maid of the Mist) and the walking tour (Cave of the Winds) and they were both so amazing!!! After we did these tours we dropped our stuff at the hotel (5 mins from the Falls!!) and then we drove to Buffalo to try the famous Buffalo Chicken at the Anchor bar. It was really yummy! After this we went back to the Niagara Falls to see them by night and this was so beautiful!! Then we went back to the hotel and went to sleep because we were awake for about 40 hours already! We all slept within one minute and on Sunday we went to Watkins Glen State Park (that was on our way back to Philly) and this was also really beautiful! Even though it was raining all day, we really enjoyed our hike!

Dreaming at the Niagara Falls!

This week (September 14th - 20th) I was home with the youngest one all day and I helped her with her zoom meetings. The oldest one went to KO12 and on Wednesday and Friday they were both home. These two days are the hardest days because then they need help at the same time and there's a lot of frustration because of that. Luckily I was able to meet with some friends during the week at night and this calmed me down a bit. On Friday I had a little goodbye party from my friend Bernelee from South-Africa which was really nice and on Saturday I had a picnic with my friend Myra and after that I went to the pool with Hendry. Then I had dinner at a restaurant with my hostmom and the kids which was nice and on Sunday I went to Marsh Creek park (a nice nature park in PA) with Franco. After that we watched the Eagles game at Cira Green which was nice, even though they lost... And then I went to Fashion District with Myra to buy some warmer clothes because it's getting colder here unfortunately...

Hello Pumpkin Season!

This week (Sep 21 - 27th) I was really busy again with the kids. It was really tough with the youngest one this week, because she really didn't pay attention at her teacher when she had her zoom meetings. The teacher even had to remove her 2 times because of her behavior... I sometimes really didn't know what to do, but it is good to learn how to deal with this. On Wednesday my hostmom went to Delaware to visit one of her friends for a couple of days and the kids were at their dad's, so when I was done working, I was home alone. So I asked my hostmom if it would be ok if some friends would come over to chill on the rooftop and luckily she was fine with that. I ended up only hanging out with my friend Hendry once, because the rest was working or couldn't join and some were traveling. But it was nice! On Friday I went to Penn's Landing (The river side with a fair) with my friends Jasmine, Hendry, Marilia, Alejandra and I met another girl (I forgot her name). It was really nice and when the fair closed at 11:00 PM  (because of Covid-19) we went to the river and danced on some music which was so fun! I came back home at 2:00 AM and when I woke up, my friend Franco texted me that he and his friend Jenny (a German Au Pair) could pick me up in 15 mins if I wanted to join them on a trip to Minnewaska State Park in NY and the beach this weekend. I was totally in shock because it was 8:45 and I just woke up, didn't pack anything and was so NOT prepared because I thought they didn't go there anymore. But I made it! In 15 mins I was totally ready to go! And it was AMAZING!! This park was soooo great! It was beautiful! We did an 8 mile hike and it was gorgeous. At night we stayed at Franco's uncle's house in Colonia (NY) because they weren't home, and on Sunday we went to the beach where we met with some other friends. I am so happy I met Jenny! She's so nice and I love her enthusiasm and the way she is! Hope to make more trips with her!

Amazing place with amazing people!

11th month

(August 3rd-9th)

HAPPY 11 MONTHS USA!!! YAAY! 

This week we had a lot of activities going on. Elin had summer camp but Jana still not because everything was full. She did have some tennis and gymnastics lessons so at least she had something. And this weekend I went to the windy city: CHICAGO!!! With my friends Aaliyah (Dutch Au Pair) and Maryam (Italian Au Pair) we left on Friday! OMG! I LOVED IT!! I literally enjoyed every single second of this trip from the beginning till the end. Even though it didn't start well because one of my friends missed her flight, we had an amazing time! Luckily she just took the next flight and got this for free because she had the excuse that the plane was too full and she didn't feel comfortable with that because of Covid-19! How genius! On Friday I went to the Wrigley Field stadium with Maryam when Aaliyah was not there yet. We went to The world's biggest Starbucks, walked along the river and took some great pics and when Aaliyah arrived we changed and took a shower to get ready to go out and take some nice pictures in Millennium Park. At our hotel we met another Au Pair from Germany and we asked her to join us for dinner. We had dinner at the Navy Pier (Deep Dish -> pizza) which was delicious! On Saturday we went to the Buckingham fountain, Water Tower Place, Chicago Theater, James M. Nederlander theater, Riverwalk and some other nice places around the city. In the evening we had a sunset boat tour and this was the most beautiful boat tour I've ever made in my life! No words for this! I enjoyed every second of the 2,5 hour trip! We got one hour extra for free because of high thigh and we loved this because that's why we saw Chicago by night too! On Sunday we went to the Sky deck (at the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower) which

was also really really awesome! Unfortunately we only had 60 seconds to take pictures in the glass cubes.. But we stayed at the other part of the deck for 1 hour! I can't have enough of the great view of Chicago! Everything looks great! I am in love with this city and it's definitely my favorite city in the USA so far!

Chicago, I love you! Hope to see you soon again!

This week (August 11th - 17th) the girls both had camp again so I had some free time which was nice! I worked out and called with my family and friends and I cleaned quite a lot around the house or prepared dinner already so I didn't really relax when I was free but that's just how I am I think. I can never really 'relax'.. On Tuesday I met with Hendry and Bereket and we played some games which was fun. I am so sad Bereket is leaving in two weeks already... Can't believe how many people are leaving... It's so sad.. It makes me want to go home too sometimes to be honest... On Friday I went out for a walk with Maryam and on Saturday I had lunch with her and Aaliyah (the girls I went to Chicago with) and this was great. After lunch we went to the Fashion District (shopping mall) and we went to some shops and I bought one jumpsuit which was $54 first and I got it for $16! So happy with it;)  In the evening I went to a bar outside with Hendry (outside they don't check my ID!) and he bought a margarita for me and this was really good! We also played card games which was fun! On Sunday I had a virtual cluster meeting and I practiced some Spanish (as I usually do every day now since a few months).

This lunch was delicious!!

This week (August 18th - 23rd) the girls had the last week of camp. When they had camp, I did the laundry, cleaned the house a bit and i washed the sheets. I also called with some friends and family which was nice. I took the girls to the playground a few times where they could meet with some friends and play together. The weather was great this week too so that was nice! On Tuesday I met with some friends in Fishtown at a café / bar and we went to a great fair at Penn's Landing (the river park). On Thursday I met with a girl I met in Chicago and we went out for a long walk and got some ice cream on our way. On Friday we went out for dinner together in Fishtown at a place called ' Chue. It is a really nice ramen restaurant and we tried a lot of great things! After that we went out for a walk and we drove to the other river on the other side of center city. On Saturday I had a goodbye party from Bereket and this was really really nice! We danced a lot on Spanish music, had some nice drinks and snacks and we just enjoyed being all together for probably the last time. I am sad so many friends are leaving, especially all my closest friends and my Dutch friends... But I'm also so happy I made some new friends too! On Sunday we drove down to the grandparents in Harpers Ferry again for a few days. We'll probably stay until Wednesday! I am happy to go there again as I love running around in the beautiful nature there! My hostmom's sister's and their husbands are also coming over! So nice!

I had an amazing party and we drove down to Harpers Ferry!

This week we were still in Harpers Ferry until Wednesday. We celebrated Jana's early birthday party for the family with cake and a taco night which was great and we went out for some hikes. I went out for a run a few times in the great nature and we just spent time with the family. I saw baby Jack for the first time (the baby of  my hostmom's sister) and he is soooo cute! On Thursday the girls had a birthday party from Matthew ( Bereket's hostkid) and Hendry and I were also invited. It was a nice party and after that we spent time on my rooftop which was great. I can't believe this is the last night we will be all together (Hendry, Bereket and me) because Bereket went home today... On Saturday I went out for lunch with Linda and a new German Au Pair named Mira. It was really nice and we went to Fashion District to do some shopping and then I biked to the river with Linda and we chilled at Cira Green (the rooftop at the river) which was nice. On Sunday I went out for a run in the morning and quickly stopped by at Bereket's to say Goodbye... It felt so weird to say goodbye to such a nice friend... But for me it was definitely not a goodbye! It was more like a 'see you soon'!! After that we celebrated Jana's 8th birthday with a brunch and then we went to a climbing park with two of her friends. What should have been a great adventure, turned into a huge disaster when she bumped into a tree... She used one of the obstacles as a zip line but you couldn't do that... No protection around the tree so she bumped her head and body totally into it... Poor thing... She went to the hospital and everything turned out to be fine but her party got totally messed up.. I feel soooo sorry for her... I ended up having a movienight with her sister...

Harpers Ferry & Jana's 8th Birthday Party!

10th month

This week (July 6th till July 12th) it was the first week of summer camp for the girls. I practiced driving my hostmom's car together with her and it felt like I used to drive every day again so that's good! My host parents decided it would be best if I get my US driver's license because I am actually officially not allowed to drive with my Dutch or international driver's license anymore. First I was a little sad because I really hated doing my practical and theory exam in the Netherlands because there they are really strict about it, but I decided just to give it a try in a few weeks or so and try to calm down and just do it. I like driving and I would love to drive more and now it's summer break my host parents really need me to drive the girls to more things which is great! Next week I can finally drive alone so that's nice! This week I met with Hendry a few times at my hostdad's apartment building because the pool and rooftop are opened. It's actually only opened for residents but for some reason they think Hendry lives there so now they 'know' his face and he can just go in there, (So funny)! On Thursday night I did a picnic dinner with some friends again which was great and I called with my sister and my best friend which was really nice! I also heard from my hostmom that she is gonna take me and the girls to New England, in Maine from July 18th till July 25th! I am sooo excited for this! I can't wait to go there! And I am so lucky I am still traveling a lot with my hostfamily during this pandemic! I am very thankful for that! During the weekend I just hang out with friends, we went out for a walk, had some ice cream and we chilled at the river. On Sunday I went to Wissahickon by bike which took me 40 mins but it was amazing! I really love this park because it is beautiful and just the fact that it is pure nature makes me so happy and calm. I also called with my family on Sunday which was nice.

#Me, swinging life away!

This week (July 13th - 19th) was the second week of summer camp for the girls. I had to drive them by myself this week which was great! Unfortunately there was a lot of traffic tho… Every day when I had to pick up the girls in the afternoon there was soo much traffic that it could even take me an hour to get there, (instead of 35 minutes..) But anyways, I like to drive and it is so much easier in an automatic car! I also had a little more free time when the girls had summer cmap, so I went to the pool a lot again and I chilled on the rooftop with Hendry. On Thursday night I hung out with some friends and on Friday too. On Saturday we left to New England, Maine, with my hostmom and the girls. We had a short stop in Stamford, Connecticut, to have some lunch and to meet my hostmom's friend there and then we drove all the way to Wells, (beach area in Maine). Our stay here is so wonderful! It is so nice and we even have our own golf cart! There's a gym, pool, clubhouse (18+) and the beach is pretty close (5 mins drive). So I am excited to stay here for a week! Also something really exciting happened today because my hostmom's sister got her baby! It is a really cute little boy, named Jack! I am so happy for them!

Vacation in Maine!

This week juli 20th - 26th I was in Maine the whole week! I had an amazing time and I did a lot of fun things! I went on a sailboat for the first time and I went on a real lobster boat! We went to the beach every day which was awesome and the weather was great! On Wednesday I went to Boston which was also really nice! I walked 23 kilometers but it was definitely worth it! I went to the Boston Common, Botanic Garden, Tea Party ships, Freedom Trail, Monument and Mike's Pastry shop. I tried lobster and it was better than I thought! My hostmom even ordered a whole lobster and she could choose the lobster she wanted! I had never really seen that in real life before so it was pretty exciting for me! I had such a great time in Maine and I hope to go back there ever again! On Friday it was my dad's birthday and my family went to Vlissingen as a surprise for him! Unfortunately my sister and I couldn't give him the present I bought in Nashville (a cap from Coopers-> famous tv show) because we didn't go to the Netherlands anymore. On Suday I called my family again and I heard my cousin is pregnant! I am soooo excited and happy for them!! I can't wait!! I also called two of my dutch friends and one of them was turning 20 today so I wished her a happy birthday! Miss them all so much!!!

 I had such a great time in Maine and Boston! I'm in love with Boston!

This week (July 27th till August 2nd), the girls had summer camp again. Or at leas they were supposed to have summercamp. They both went to tenniscamp on Monday and Jana really liked it, but Elin did not. So my hostparents immediately tried to find something else for Elin. They ended up with the same camp the girls went to last year and Elin really loves it there. So on Tuesday Jana went to tenniscamp and Elin to Pre K camp. On Wednesday Jana couldn't go to summercamp anymore. We told her this was because someone got the virus in her group, but it actually was because there were shootings on that place on Tuesday night... And the area where her tenniscamp was, was West Philly which is not the nicest area but her camp seemed to be fine.. But the rest of the week I did a lot of fun things with Jana and took the girls swimming after Elin's camp so she still had a great week! I had to say goodbye to three good friends unfortunately... Two of them are going to extend with another family in another state and one girl went back to Poland. I'm sad so many people are leaving..
This weekend I made lunch with Alexandra (a Brazilian Au Pair who's gonna move to a new family next week). I made bananabread and she made yummy risotto! Linda also joined us and I rode the electric scooter of my hostmom to Alexandra's house (30 mins!) It was the first time I used this scooter and my hostmom never used it either but it's so fun!! I loved it! I also met my Local Coordinator for a little bit because I passed the place where she was having lunch with her family. Right before I left, Bereket also came over to say hi. I also called with some friends and family this weekend which was great!

Enjoying my time back in Philly

9th month

Week 10 of the quarantine already! I finally got to see some friends this week! But of course still with 6 feet apart and we wore face masks of course. I just really needed to see and talk with someone in real life because I wasn't really able to do this for 10 weeks! Not because my host parents didn't let me, but more for my own safety and the safety for my host family. And I also know they won't be happy if I would just meet with a lot of friends on a Saturday night, so I just didn't do that. This week was a week as 'usual' with the girls and we did some picnics again and we made their homework and went outside a lot. On Friday it was really warm outside 86 F! (30 C) The girls and I had so much fun washing the car together and we had a water fight. Later my host dad came over and we went on a dinner picnic which was great! On Saturday I called with some friends, and it was one of my friend's birthday and I sent her a card a few weeks ago which arrived last week and she told me she was very happy with it! Later in the afternoon we departed to Harpers Ferry again, but now for a really exciting reason: WE ARE GOING TO DRIVE TO FLORIDA! And the grandparents are joining! Also because we are staying in the house of my host mom's grandparents who died last year, it is nice that they are joining us. On Saturday we drove for about 8 hours and we will have a stop in Chattanooga, (TN) over the night. We stayed in an amazing Air Bnb with a hot tub!!! I am so excited for the rest of our trip!! I really can't wait to see Pensacola and the beach there and I need a trip like this! Even though I still have to work and make homework with the girls, it feels a bit like 'vacation' I think. 

                                                                First stop: Chattanooga 

This week (May 18th -24th) was really nice! I am so happy to be in Florida! Such a beautiful place is Pensacola! The house where we are staying is great. The pool is awesome, beaches are gorgeous, the weather is also great and the nature is beautiful! I wish we could stay here longer! Even though everybody is working, and the girls have schoolwork, it still feels a bit like 'vacation' because of the environment here. But the girls are being quite tough since the last few weeks and they are frustrated a lot. So this happens with me too and that's why I miss my family and friends a lot. Luckily we went to the beach two times this week which was great and this always makes me feel better. I love the sea! We also did some picnics with the girls and I went out for some nice runs! On Sunday I did a canoe trip with the grandfather and Jana. It was quite an adventure because it was like we were in a jungle and we had to bend all the time for branches sticking out. And then.... The boat overturned.... Luckily the water was low and we could stand in the water but it was a real adventure! I loved it, even though I ended up with lots of scratches on my legs and arms and some bugs in my hair. I love it here!

Enjoying our time in Pensacola, Florida!

This week (May 25- 31st) was our second week in Florida. It was a beautiful week and we did so many great things here! Of course we went to the beach a few times, we went out for dinner and we swam a lot! But we also made an amazing boat trip with a rented boat! It was so nice! Luckily it wasn't too warm that day and it was a bit cloudy, because otherwise I am sure everyone would have had a sunburn... I also went out for a run a lot and I went to a tope climbing park with Jana which was great! On Sunday it was our last beach day and we made a great sand castle with grandpa and the girls! I had such a great time here in Pensacola, and I am so glad they all invited me to go on this trip with them! I loved it! I loved everything! Even the wild roosters that woke me up in the morning! It was great! Thanks to my wonderful and lovely host family! 

Really one of the most wonderful moments in the USA!

This week I can happily say that I am already here for 9 months now! I am proud of myself that I made it this far because of everything that is going on in the world about the virus. I didn't see my friends from here in 10 weeks. Not really because I wasn't allowed, but mostly to keep social distance and protect myself and especially my host family. And it was really hard to not see anyone. I got really frustrated and felt sad and lonely a lot, but I made it! Thanks to my family and my friends back home for always supporting me! And thanks to my host family for understanding my different feelings about being here and respecting me! I really don't want to go home yet! I love the girls too much to go already! They always really feel like my little sisters and sometimes even like my own kids. I have had many different 'jobs' in the past months, but I don't regret that I didn't go home when all of this 'shit' started. I would've regret it when I would have gone home. Then I wouldn't have gone to Florida for almost 3 weeks! On Tuesday we drove back and we had a stop in Knoxville, Tennessee. Then on Wednesday we finished the rest of our trip ( 6 hours) to the grandparents' house in Harpers Ferry where we stayed for one night. On Thursday we drove back to Philly. Here are many protests because of what happened to George Floyd. I was a little scared to be back, but it turns out to be ok here now. There also was a tornado warning a few days ago here in Philly. Luckily there wasn't a real tornado, but a lot of things were ruined by the heavy wind... But we'll see if the weather is going to be fine now. On Friday I met with Hendry and Bereket and we just walked outside and talked. On Saturday I met with Linda in University City (West Philly) and we did a picnic and a foto shoot which was really great!

The last pictures of our wonderful trip in Florida!

This week (June 8th- 14th) it was the last 'school week' for the girls! I am soooo proud of them! They nailed it! Despite of the virus, not seeing friends, not be able to go to school, and all the other activities... They did it! And they definitely deserved to have a little party because of that! And so we did on Friday! I made a special lunch for the girls with a waffle in the shape of an owl with ice cream and fruit on top. And I made 'official' diplomas for the girls! They really loved it! I also called with some of my friends from the Netherlands and this was really really great! I really needed them because I was completely lost... I have been stressing so much about what I should do after my Au Pair year. My host family already offered me several times to stay and my plan was to go home and study or work abroad, but because of the virus, that's a little hard now. On Tuesday when I went on a walk with my host dad he told me again that he and my host mom would love me to stay longer. They even offered me several things when I would extend... But I don't know if I can handle not seeing my friends and family much longer... I miss them soooo damn much! And when I see all those pictures of them being together i feel really lonely sometimes, even though I can also hang out with some friends here now. That's why I really liked to call with my friends on Friday. They told me I should just follow my heart and make a list with pros and cons of going home or extending. So I did. Then I called my family and they helped me with my decision, because for them it was already clear. Everything that was going on in my mind still made the decision really really hard... But now, I am very, very excited and happy to say, that I am going to be a US-citizen for 6 more months after my first year (so from today about 9 more months!) I am really excited to go traveling again in a few months!! In the weekend I met with some friends and we had a picnic and we biked to Fishtown which was great!

Fishtown with Linda and Annalena!

This week (June 15th- 21st) it was the first week of 'Summer break'. We went to playgrounds, had a lot of picnics, we baked and we played games and did arts and crafts. The girls were very excited when I told them I am going to extend for 6 months as their Au Pair after my first year is over in the beginning of September! I feel like the girls are happier now it is Summer break, because they don't have stress for school, they can play with friends outside and we can just do everything without caring about what time it is. But because they don't have school, it also means they are spending even more time playing 'together' and the oldest girl doesn't always like this. She likes to be alone sometimes, but the youngest one always wants to play with her. For that reason, they are fighting a little more which is kind of hard for me... But I always try to calm them down and play with both of them. It really helps that one of the parents sometimes do something fun with one of the girls and then I take the other one somewhere. It is good for everyone to be alone sometimes. In the middle of this week I called my grandma to tell here she wouldn't see me until next year in March... Of course she was very sad about that but luckily she said I should follow my heart and that she would always support me, no matter what. I also told my friends and family and I think they all support my choice and they are proud of me that I made this choice. This makes me feel better! I was so scared that most people would think this is a really bad decision. Of course my host family is really happy with the decision because they really wanted me to stay! Also in Philly everything is getting better with Covid-19. Next week Philly is supposed to go to 'green' (now we are still in yellow) which means everything will open up! I really hope this is going to work and I hope I am able to travel soon again! On Friday I had a really nice birthday party from my dear friend Linda (my first party since Covid-19!). Even though we wore masks and we had to be careful, we still had a really great time and we had some great cocktails and pizza! On Sunday the girls left to the beach (New Jersey) with my host dad, his girlfriend and her daughter. I will be off until next Thursday!

The party was great!!

This week (June 22- 28th) I had 4 days of because the girls were in New Jersey at the beach with my hostdad, his girlfriend and her family. I stayed at my hostdad's apartment and this was nice because I could use some time alone. Even though I couldn't do that much and my friends still had to work, I really enjoyed the great weather and chilled on the amazing rooftop a lot! On Wednesday two of my Dutch friends went back home and this was sad for me to realize. They are such amazing girls and even though I didn't see them that much, I know how much fun I always had with them! Later that day I had an amazing picnic with 4 of my friends and we ordered Thai food which was great! The sunset was really pretty where we had our picnic! We were on a public rooftop close to the river. On Thursday the girls came back and we had lunch all together at a restaurant we used to go to a lot before the 'corona time'. Things are finally going to open up slowly! On Friday it was a kind of 'weird' day for me because it would have been my grandfather's 79th birthday... But he passed away 2,5 years ago so it was a weird day for my family and I. On Saturday I went to some shops with Mariame, Alexandra and this was nice! In the evening I met with Hendry, Linda and Laura and some Au Pairs I hadn't met before and it was really great! On Sunday I went to the beach with my hostmom and the kids and after that I had a dinner picnic with some other friends at a nice rooftop which was great!

I had a great weekend!!

This week (June 29th - July 5th) I can happily say that I've been in the USA since 10 Months!! I went to the Poconos with my host mom and the girls from Wednesday till Friday and this was really great. We had a really nice stay in a house with a hot tub! The Poconos is a really nice nature area / river and our stay was close to Tobyhannah lake. Unfortunately there were snakes in this lake so I didn't go swimming there! But luckily there also was a pool! It was really nice to just be out of Philly for a few days again! On Saturday it was 4th of July and this is Independence Day for those who not know what this means. It used to be a great party with lots of fireworks, but because of Covid-19 most of these parties were canceled. Except at circa green, so that's where I went with a couple of friends. We ordered Indian food which was really nice and they played nice music at the rooftop! Later we went to the river and played some games and we watched the fireworks. It was still a nice day! On Sunday I went on a picnic with two other girls and in the evening we met with some friends and we walked along the river which was nice! I called with my parents and with some friends and I discussed the schedule for next week with my host mom because the girls are going to go to summer camp the next coming 2 weeks... I am happy to have some more time for myself but I don't know what I am going to do exactly yet... But I'll definitely cal with more friends!

HAPPY 10 MONTHS!! 8 Months left to go!!