September 30, 2019

Alright!  So, new blog post.  I didn't write last week because I started working the actual au pair job and wanted to get into the swing of things first.  I'll talk about my job as au pair first and what exactly I do for anyone curious, and then I'll talk about the different activities we did on the weekends.

I started two Mondays ago, on the 16th.  My job as this family's au pair is to pick the kids up from school during lunch and at the end of the day, and take them to their various activities during the week.  School in Luxembourg is pretty amazing actually.  Preschoolers go to school just like elementary students.  The buildings are all split up, with the gym and music lessons located in different buildings.  You can access the classrooms in the preschool building from the outside as well as the inside: each room has their own outside access door, and that's where you drop the kids off every day.  On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the kids get a two hour lunch break.  I pick them up from school, feed them lunch, then take them back to school while also walking the dogs.  I pick them back up at the end of the day.  On Mondays and Wednesdays, one of the kids has swimming in Luxembourg City, so I've been working on driving them there and back.  On Wednesdays, the other kiddo has athletics at the stadium.  On Tuesdays, one kid has a music lesson, and the other has dance class.  Finally, on Thursday, there is another music lesson.  I have the weekends off starting Friday afternoon, though I've been staying with the family and exploring locally.

Last weekend, I went to the library by myself.  I found a new author that I love, Kate Morton.  I borrowed three more of her books this week!  The next day I went back to the city with another au pair from Austria.  We went to a cat cafe, Chalon de Thé.  I was CHOSEN by the best kitty there with the greenest eyes.  After the cafe, we went to a market in the square that was selling antiques.  After getting back that day, I drove the van for the first time.  There's a picture of it below.  As you can see it's huge.  It also has a manual transmission.  We were gone for about an hour, and in that time, I only hit three curbs and killed the car ten times.  BUT I didn't hit anyone or another vehicle, so I'll count it as a victory.  The next day, we went to a restaurant for lunch called Maybe Not Bob's.  It was an American restaurant that gave you sooo much food.  For a flat price, you could get a hot meal, like pancakes or a burger with fries, but first, you could go to the buffet and have an appetizer of another meal.  There was a salad bar, pastries, and small breakfast items.  I ate so much and it was so good!

 The next week was just as busy, though I was starting to get the hang of it.  On Wednesday, I drove in the city with the van, and though I was very nervous, we made it out in one piece.  On Friday, I went back to the library where I borrowed four new books.  Later that night, the family and I went to a party held by one of their friends.  On Saturday, I went to IKEA for the first time ever.  It was crazy!  I love home stores and it was like a maze of pre-made rooms.  It was lovely.  The closest IKEA was in Belgium, though it's only twenty minutes away.  I love how close everything is here!  We ended the day by going to Dunkin' Donuts because I LOVE donuts, obviously.  On Sunday, we went to market held at the train station in a rotunda.  There were several booths there, all selling local and handmade goods.  My favorite booth was a lady selling yarn.  She was spinning yarn at the table, and of course I had to talk to her.  She also had an American accent, so we talked about where we were from.  She grew up in Vermont and Indiana, and lived for a time in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, so she knew where Billings was!  Her father was Luxembourgish, which is how she ended up here.  She gave me some information on knitting groups around the city, and more markets coming up, so I can't wait to find more places to buy  yarn!

In my last post, I talked about the architecture of the buildings and how they are all different.  On my walks to school, I took pictures of the houses to show you guys!

Alright, I think that's all I have for now.  I start my French classes this week, so I'll talk about that on Sunday!  Thanks for reading:)