Time Flies...

So I since I arrived in San Diego I haven't really posted anything and I apologize. I have been so incredibly busy. I completely underestimated everything I would need for this trip, and I think it's safe to say I'm a little overwhelmed... I have no idea what I should bring, what I need, and what I should just leave behind. My room is covered in "maybe" piles of clothes and "this-stuff-is-for-sure-coming-with-me" piles. And on top of all that I need to find my birth certificate and all that important paperwork that I'll need.

But I haven't been just worrying about my trip to Germany since I came back. I've had an amazing time just seeing old friend and spending time with them. I've been trying to get into shape so there have been many hiking trips. Here's just a few pictures from those trips:

The rock in the top picture is called Potato Chip Rock (at least we call it that) and it is at the top of Mt. Woodson in Poway, CA. I highly recommend it, probably the coolest rock you will ever see and the view is amazing. The two people in the bottom picture are my friends Erin and Casey, any hike with them is crazy fun (cra-cra as Casey says).

I also participated in the Color Me Rad 5k race with a few friend and, let me tell you, it was one of the funnest races I have done in my life! So you run a 5k and you get colored corn starch thrown at you while you're running. So at the beginning of the race your clothes are nice and clean and white, and by the end they are colored! And at the end of the race you get a color packet and everybody throws theirs in the air at the same time for a color explosion! Other than not being able to breath in the cornstarch filled air at the end of the race, it was amazing and totally worth it.

Before I have to leave I want to give a shout out to my amazing family, the Pedersens, who have supported me through all my hardships and I am so incredibly blessed to be able to call them my family.

And to my wonderful mom who has done the same and so much more.

Until next time! 

Cakes, Fireworks, and Chalk

So much has happened in the last few weeks, I'll try to keep the recap short. As of right now I've been staying at my aunt and uncle's house for the past four weeks and it has been a blast! Not only am I spending my summer with one of the most amazing families I have a priviledge of knowing, but I'm in Utah (where fireworks are legal!). Fireworks have been going almost every night, and let me tell you, for a California native who hasn't been anywhere outside of California in July... it is awesome. One of my cousins bought fireworks and I got to light one :) it was pretty exciting.

We also celebrated two birthdays this month. Rachel who turned 16 (yay! you made it to driving age Rach!) and Sarah who turned 9. Two of my cousins and I made an amazing cake, fit for the gods. It took a 8 hours, and I have to admit I did get bored halfway through, but the end result was not only delectable but also gorgeous. Pretty good for some amateur bakers right? 

My month in Utah came and went so quickly. Right now I'm sitting at the airport and wondering how in the world this month went by so fast. We had many fun nights filled with night games, movies, late night snack runs, and video games (I can play xbox games now... it's pretty fun. My favorite is Nazi Zombies... I see why people get addicted now ;). One of my favorite nights was when we went to the park and drew with glow in the dark chalk. The pictures don't do it justice, it really glows. By far the coolest toy thing I have ever seen. We drew on the side of a shed and it looked so cool. The neighbor kids who came with us were freaking out because they thought we'd get arrested for vandalism... it was pretty funny. 

On the left is Caitlyn, my running buddy and roomie. She is probably so glad I left because now she has the biggest room in the house all to herself. Kneeling down next to Cate is me, then comes Sarah. And then Daniel. I am sad I didn't get a picture of everybody this trip, I guess it'll have to wait until Christmas.

Along with buying warm winter clothes, jeans, and boots so that I don't die freeze in Germany, I am going to do the Color Me Rad 5k race. So pretty much you go in white to this race, then get a bunch of colored corn starch thrown on you so you're covered in... colors! It looks like so much fun and I am so freaking excited to do it. I am so ready and excited to see what my last month in the States is going to be like.

The Contract

What have I signed up for exactly? Well, the contract is fairly easy to understand. I will be a temporary family member for the most part. I think this will definitely be more of a cultural experience. I will get pretty much the whole third floor of their house (which includes a bedroom and a desk area!), free food, a monthly bus card, and an all expense paid language course! I will also be paid around 300 euros a month, so its not a bad deal eh?

As far as work is considered, my contract says that I will be working about 6 hours a day, that I will have 4 evenings off, and one day every week. I'll be taking care of the girls (duh!), taking them to school and their activities, doing any fun things we come up with, and a bit of light house work. My host family has a housekeeper who will be doing all the cooking, thank the lord because I am absolutely hopeless at creating a decent meal... Die Frau (the Mrs. in German) informed me that they travel during every school vacation which means (drum roll please!)... I will have that whole time to myself! She told me I could gladly stay at the house during that time, but I think I will do a bit traveling myself. I definitely want to see Berlin in the next year, maybe I'll go visit my grandparents who live about 3 hours away via train. My host family is also paying for a Christmas flight home to San Diego! How amazing is that?!

So as far as I'm concerned, I think this is a pretty good deal. Now I know I won't be rich or anything but this next year is not about making money. My host family seems very nice and I think we will get along well. They send me an email every few days which makes me want to get there even faster! Overall, I am very satisfied with my contract.

Adventures of an Au Pair in Germany

I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to have this blog and share my experiences. In less than two months my life will completely change. I will be getting on a plane, and after a 12 hour flight, will be on German soil. I will stay with my cousin and her adorable one-and-a-half year old, and after two days I will be beginning my job as an au pair for an amazing family with two girls.

I was very surprised to see how easily everything fell into place. My Mom's side of the family is mostly German, so I went to visit my family in May of this year. Before I left I was enrolled at Weber State University and was planning on starting my pre-requisites for the nursing program. I was completely set on going to college, I'd even started writing a list of all the things I needed to buy for my dorm and began stressing on how in the world to pay for it all. It's funny how so much can change in a short while.

I'd always been interested in living out of the country for a while. With my family being German, my amazing Mom taught me German, so Germany was a logical place to go to during college. During a family dinner, we somehow got onto the subject of au pairs (my cousins had one when they were little and absolutely loved her) and I was very intrigued. I hadn't really heard of au pairs before so I looked them up online and became instantly interested. I signed up with an au pair agency and made my profile that night. I was very surprised how quickly I found my host family. Within a week of contacting me I took a train to Stuttgart and met them. The family is fun loving and amazing. The parents have two girls, an 11 year old (Antonia) and a 13 year old (Celina). I only got to meet Antonia on this trip, but I could instantly tell that I liked her. We clicked immediately and the visit was a success. I met their current au pair, Erika, who is from Hungary.


Erika and I took Antonia to a flute lesson and then we got to talk alone. She is amazing and very talented, not to mention very honest (which I love in people). We ate cake and talked about everything possible, from the family to our likes and dislikes. The end to my visit came too soon. Before I left, the mother showed me around Stuttgart and we signed my contract. So as of September 7, 2012 I will be in Germany for a full year. What a commitment! I usually feel awful making any type of commitment but this felt so right.


So here I am, beginning my blog and awaiting my plane and all my experiences. I know not all days will be fun, there will be days where I won't want to get up out of bed in the morning or deal with the children when they aren't listening, but I know I will have fun and that the good times will far out number the bad. Immersing myself in the culture will be absolutely amazing, I love Germany as it is and I cannot wait to spend more than a couple weeks there. From what I have looked up, Stuttgart has many events and festivals that I can't wait to take part of!


I made this blog to share my experiences and to keep a log of what I do while I'm there (I'm terrible at keeping a diary, maybe this will be different). I hope to not only learn about Germany on this journey, but also about myself and I can't wait to begin. I know this year will not leave me unchanged. September cannot come fast enough!