She decided to up and move after her
So she hunkered down and started making plans.
And so her big adventure begins in May. 2011.
...
2010 was a year of lessons. One of those lessons I learned was to follow my heart. No matter how crazy or outlandish its desires seemed to be. After a bout of heartbreak, a few months of relentless wanderlust & not landing what I thought to be my "dream internship" (& a whole lot of saving) I took a solo ten day trip to Scotland to sort things out, explore new horizons, literally.
During my trip I stumbled upon an old, abandoned dream of mine. Au pairing in Germany.
I had dabbled in the idea in high school, but chickened out & buried the idea deep in the hidden corners of my heart.
"You should au pair!" a dear friend of mine suggested one day in a hamburger stand in downtown Glasgow.
It clicked. I had to.
I loved journalism, but it felt a bit like something I needed to think about a bit more before changing my entire life path.
And in a haze it all started falling together. I signed up on an au pair site that same night after getting back from the burger stand, and even woke up to a few emails with offers the next morning.
The original plan was to au pair in my then newest love, the UK, for the summer.
But it wasn't long until I was wooed by a family in Germany. "Come to Germany!" they begged. "We'll pay you more to stay for six months!" they cried. "You can attend our university!" they concluded.
And though I was a bit hesitant, I agreed. I enrolled, bought a ticket & flew to them in May. By the end of May I had found my real german family & thank goodness for that. (read all about it here.)
As I write it is already November & I've just begun university.
Early in the mornings I ride the train to University & in the afternoons I au pair.
Though at times I miss home heaps...
Though at times it's been a bit rough...
I love it here.
And have truly found a second place to call home.
And I know, when the next six months have come & gone, it's going to be terribly difficult to say goodbye.
but as for now,
I couldn't be happier.