Days since last round up: 8
Estimated fluency: 65% (feeling good this week)
Major achievements: on time to kindergarten everyday except one
Reading: Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie
Weather: Summer sunshine
There’s not much to report from the last seven days here in Munich, although it’s been busy in a different way to last week. We started with the parents recovering from being a bit under the weather over the weekend, and for the kids too there were some very Monday-ish vibes. Getting the younger one to nursery is still a bit of a struggle, because when her mum is working from home she can’t understand why I should have to get her ready instead of her mum. Things got easier towards the end of the week when we tried getting her ready at the same time as her sister, so that she can wave her off to school before she goes to kindergarten. Geh weg and Du sollst weg gehen are still the sentences I hear most regularly, but the picking up routine has been going a lot more smoothly (a new tactic of bringing biscuits along is working a treat) and it’s all balanced by cute moments, like playing ‘Einkaufen’, or her and her friend making me ice cream and chocolate cake from their kitchen in the sandpit. The best moment of the week was this afternoon when I was heading out to the gym once I was done for the day, and she followed me three times down the stairs, refusing to let me go, which seemed ironic given how many times she’s told me to do just that this week, and I think the irony made it all the cuter. Definitely a good sign - although I’m withholding judgment until we’ve seen how Monday morning goes.
During the day this week, I worked remotely on Oxford’s UNIQ programme, usually a residental hosted at various colleges, but online this year. As a student ambassador, we support high achieving students from low income and first generation backgrounds throughout a programme of academic and social sessions to show them that Oxford isn’t out of their reach. Doing it digitally was a very different experience from the in person role I had this time last year, but by the end of the week it had proved equally rewarding. Not only do the academic sessions remind me why I chose Oxford and how much I love German, but the progress the students make over the week really makes you feel like you’ve had an impact. I had to finish the UNIQ day early to be in time for picking the kids up, but even then the routine didn’t leave much time for anything else. Kids, UNIQ, kids, sleep. And repeat. Definitely worth it, but I’m looking forward to my free time next week. I’ve had the chance to cook a bit for the family, fajitas on Friday night being a highlight, but otherwise didn’t get the chance during the week to sample any of Munich’s culinary gems.
While I’m still getting into the swing of things with the kids, and they’re still getting used to me, I feel quite settled in with the parents. The dad is really interested in English and German, and one evening he sat down with me for about half an hour going through the degrees of formality of German email sign-offs and their English equivalents. The mum is grateful for a helping hand with washing and cooking, although there are still times when I’m not exactly sure if I’m working or just being there as part of the family. Free time and ‘work’ time tend to blur a little, and I’m definitely still figuring out the exact relationship between family and au pair, work and family life, my time and together time. This is probably the only drawback of au pairing: for me, it’s the perfect way to travel and experience life first-hand in a foreign country, with a ready-made community and home, and no stressful accommodation issues or pricey living costs, but what you don’t get (to the same extent as an internship or placement) is the opportunity to close the door behind you and switch off in your own space after a tough day.
After a pretty tightly timetabled week, a more relaxed weekend was welcome. We’d agreed that I’d have my free time late afternoon/early evening on Saturday, but even until 4pm the day was very relaxed, with time for a lie in and getting into Salman Rushdie’s Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Nights. In the evening I decided to make the most of my first real Saturday night, and headed to Münchner Freiheit, a hub in the centre of Schwabing just a little outside of the old town, and about 5-10 mins by tram from the apartment. Despite shops closing catholically early at 8pm even on a Saturday, restaurants and bars were buzzing, and even just walking along and people-watching was a great way to soak up the atmosphere - listening to chinking glasses and chatter in the mild weather, it started to feel like a holiday. A favourite find was My Indigo, a quality fast-food place right next to the Müncher Freiheit tram stop. Not traditionally German, but some great vegan options and hefty portion sizes for the price.
Sunday was similarly relaxed, with a bit more excitement as the older girl put together the party bags for her birthday next week, and later on I was free (once the younger one let me go!) to meet up with the wonderful Tom Lyne (my college brother), who’s also in Munich doing an internship. The first properly sunny day for a while, the weather was perfect for a stroll along the Isar River before some food at the vegetarian restaurant Prinz Myschkin. First impressions were that this would be featuring in my favourite finds, and I’d definitely like to give it a second go, but the cute exterior and managing to bag a table outside were a little outweighed by the slow service and brusque staff who were a little too ready to speak in English when they thought we hadn’t understood. Oddly enough we’d just been talking about how relatively uncommon we’d both found this typically frustrating response to English learners to be in Munich. The food was tasty but not cheap, and sadly came a little close to the stereotype of vegan food being just vegetables. I wouldn’t rule it out just yet though - I’m hoping the lunch menu proves more impressive.
A walk back to Marienplatz, and then from the University to Münchner Freiheit (to avoid the U-bahn road works disaster that had been my journey into town) just as it was getting beautifully balmy reminded me what a cool and pretty city Munich is, at least from what I’ve seen so far, and while these first two and a half weeks might have had their ups and downs, it’s exciting to think that I get to build a life here, in German, for the rest of the year.