New Plans

Oct 9, 2014 | Before The Great Journey, Thoughts, Updates

An experienced globetrotter once told me: ‘Plans exist to be thrown away.’

Well, I haven’t thrown my travel plans away. But I well rearranged them…
The family I skyped with has called off. They weren’t sure if I was fit for the role. For any role you can prepare, so even 3 boys wouldn’t have been THAT much of a problem for me. But considering that I haven’t put the label ‘dream family’ on them, it might be better this way.
Just now the hopes to find a family in time are reduced to the little sources that haven’t given notice yet.

Therefore my new plan. The Au Pair thing is always about the Working Holiday Visa. That is valid for exactly one year and you can use it only once in your life (in New Zealand). So..without a host family it makes no sense getting one…
But what if you were to activate that visa when you are already in New Zealand? It is for traveling AND working after all. As a regulat tourist from Germany you don’t need any special visa at all. You can stay for 3 months. Just like that. And once you find your family, you can activate the Working Holiday Visa then.
And that is my plan.

I can go to New Zealand in December just like as planned (dreamed of). Independent of whether I have found a family by then or not… I can enjoy the country as a free and simple backpacker for three months and look for a family on the way.
And it is so much easier to talk to a family being in the place rather than sitting on the other side of the world. 🙂
I don’t know what is waiting for me, but I know that it is going to be wonderful! And soon I will be able to begin with concrete plans.

The last weekend I visited the South once more, only this time as a ‘farewell’… There I got to take this picture, which should serve as decoration of this post.

Skype Date

Sep 29, 2014 | Before The Great Journey, Updates

Just like many other blogs of this kind I would like to publish a mandatory post. And it’s the one about the first Skype date.

On that saturday morning I set my alarm early, stood up, prepared myself and sat down in front of the computer.
Ability to speak english: Check
Webcam: Check
Microphon: Check
Backgroud: Check
Online: Check

After a short wait I received the call. When the ‘Hi, how are you?’s were spoken we exchanged some questions.
And with the ability to speak english it was rather strange. In fact it doesn’t measure in soliloquy or in converstations with Germans speaking english with you, but it does measure in skyping with ‘real’ english speaking people. Plus when you consider how important this talk is, you quickly begin to stutter…

Nervertheless, I got to know a little more about the family who lives out in the country on the North Island and even got to see the 3 boys, who were rather shy in the beginning.
They’re 6, 8 and 12 years old.
Well, in that age the entertainment demand might be a little more advanced than with toddlers. Otherwise the family is solidly fit for Au Pairs. They have hosted many happy Au Pairs in the past, provide a car for you and know almost anything about being an Au Pair.

In terms of of me choosing a family it means now that this is my only choice. All other contacts and sources either declined or didn’t respond…

No I have 2 weeks of time to give the family an answer and I will think about it well and get in touch with their current Au Pair and talk with my agency.

Because it is about finding a fitting match and not to accept the first family that comes along…

I’ll keep you updated, cause soon it all might take off rapidly when the host family is chosen.

They respond!

Sep 4, 2014 | Before The Great Journey, Updates

5am.
The alarm goes off, my body gets up and stumbles through the room towards the mobile. Alarm’s shut, notification feed: email.

You have one new messages!

Now it’s time. Many mornings ran just the same scheme I described. No I am in contact with 2 familes, from which one lives in the country and the other one in a tightly packed suburb of Auckland.

There hasn’t been more than information exchange via text yet, but even that doesn’t have to mean much…
In the end you always have to remember that it isn’t going to be a nice visit, but a year of living and sharing a time of each others life together…
That should be thought through thoroughly.

So it takes shape more and more and the dream is coming closer to be fulfilled…

 

Besides, today I attended the last part of the baby care course.
A very interesting course, which taught me next to heaps of information some lesson about the value of kids. You are sitting there with going-to-be parents after all.

Now I know how to change nappies, bath, care for and how not to care for babies and so on. Very educating in every sense…

So it might happen that in the future some Au Pair-relevant news pop up here… 🙂

Contemplation about Profit and Loss

Aug 15, 2014 | Before The Great Journey, Updates

For 19 years we shared a room together, for 20 years of childhood we enjoyed the best parents in the world, we have always been the best and worst brother for each other…

…and suddenly that happens:

Yeah, my dear Mister Brother married.
For me as a tradition-focused and nostaligic person this should be a medium-mighty breakdown. But it isn’t. (Not yet?)

Cause I don’t understand it. He doesn’t live here anymore, at home, but rather in his own home. There is no ‘his room’ anymore. Only two people will answer for the ‘Good Night!’ now, one person less will tell me to turn it down please.
We will visit him, will eat ‘at his’, will maybe hold nephews and nieces tight to our hearts one day…

He always was a constant in my life. Just the best brother. 🙂 But now the great change happens and I don’t get it!

At least I know something: His lovely wife (which I didn’t yet mention here) is just wonderful! He will agree surely und all of us have locked her in our hearts already long ago.

One person more says mum and dad, our small family has gained one more member and not least we had the chance to get to know another extraordinary family.

Visit at the Zoo

Aug 4, 2014 | Before The Great Journey, Photos, Trips

I know I’ve been quiet for some time now… Sometimes there’s just not enough big things going on that are worth writing about. The search for a family is progressing slowly, you have to have much patience for Kiwis are somewhat spontaneous.

But lately I’ve been to the zoo once again.
The origin of this traditional venture lies when Granny’s and Granddad’s grandchildren #1 and #2 (I am No. 2 btw 😀 ) were about 5-7 years old and needn’t nappies anymore…
Every other year this is a great day. How should it be different, at the zoo? 🙂
With years passing, more and more grandchildren joined and eventually their parents as well. And that’s quite necessary to keep that crowd contained. A family trip is a solid concept for visiting the zoo…

This time I took my camera and would like to share some impressions with you:

The saying ‘eyes bigger than stomach’ not only fits us humans. 🙂

Donkeys might just be the saddest animals in any zoo…

Attention ladies: Only giraffes have eyelashes more beautiful! ;D

Some people are justifiably called bears. (In a positive sense of course. 🙂 )

The Flamingoes are the first animals you see at the entrance. Have always been for 15 years. You don’t expect anything else. But when you think closely about those animals: When sleeping one of the everlasting stilts disappears somewhere inside their bodies; they have considerably huge beaks; they are pinkish to red in color; they have loong, extremely flexible, cuddly-fluffy necks…
But that’s all perfectly normal, they’re just flamingoes…