Days since last round up: 6
Estimated fluency: 90% if it’s to do with children or around the house, 80% in day to day interactions, as low as 50% if it starts to get technical
Major achievements: kids on time to school/nursery three mornings out of three, including tears only on one day
Best find: The Lost Weekend cafe and co-working space (in case you haven’t been keeping up with my story, this place is utterly amazing - more on this later)
Reading: Die Brücke vom Goldenen Horn by Emine Sevgi Özdamar
Weather: cool in the mornings and evenings but hot hot during the day
This week started on Wednesday, with the return to nursery and daycare after three weeks off (school doesn’t officially start until next Tuesday but Kindergarten and holiday daycare are open again). The older girl was a bit upset because she was missing her grandparents, and an unfortunately timed telephone call for the mum just before we were about to leave led to a bit of chaos and tears, but it was quickly sorted and both girls eventually left on time, leaving me free to head into the area of town just near the university, Maxvorstadt, which I think I’ve mentioned in a previous post as having generally good vibes. I wanted to check out a cafe which I’ve walked past a few times but only really clocked last week when we were strolling through, and having looked it up online things were promising: it’s a coffee shop and bookstore, with a vegan cafe and co-working space, as well as an events venue. They’re open early and late, including weekends, and the location is ideal, just off the main street leading from Schwabing into the Altstadt.
I wasn’t disappointed when I got there, and can’t believe I haven’t found it sooner: the space is very aesthetic and has good vibes for working; food and drinks are simple but good, reasonably priced, filling and sustainable, and to top it off there’s an impressive choice of background music. The perfect place to slowly start a bit of background reading for my extended essay, and ideally located to meet for a lunch or brunch date in one Maxvorstadt’s array of edgy establishments, such as Lo Studente (more in favourite finds) where I met Anna for lunch on Wednesday.
Looking after the girls in the afternoon/evenings has generally been low-stress; now that the weather is starting to get nice again it’s really easy for them to play outside, and we spent most evenings this week at the various Spielplätze nearby. After a discussion with Mum, Dad and older girl about a plan for the mornings which would avoid Wednesday’s chaos, things ran very smoothly, and generally me and the parents are getting used to each other, and learning to adapt to each other’s needs and routines.
What was left of the week confirmed my initial impressions of Lost Weekend as an absolute find and a great spot to spend my free time during the day, and after finally retrieving a book parcel mistakenly sent to Oxford then left at a neighbours while we were away, the perfect location to start Die Brücke von Goldenen Horn. This was alongside the weather getting better and better, which meant evenings spent at the park with the girls. The older one’s friend knocked on for her a few times, and they then met other school friends at the park, adding a new dimension to the authentic au pair experience, in the form of playground conversation with other mums, in between playing with the younger one when the older girls were off on their bikes somewhere. We didn’t chat about anything in particular but the conversation flowed really well and made me feel much more confident about my German level than I sometimes do in pressured situations with the kids or quick exchanges with the parents, because the atmosphere was super relaxed and the time long enough to really get into the conversation.
The Friday morning school run was a dream, all done with two minutes to spare, and an afternoon sitting on the steps of the Glypothek on Königsplatz completed the ideal late summer vibes, which continued into the weekend with another long stint at the park with both girls and Helena’s school friend on Saturday. It’s always a bit more relaxed when another adult is there and I find playing outside with the girls much easier than trying to entertain them indoors. Schwabing is very well equipped with nice playparks and even prettier in the sun.
My time off at the weekend was mostly on Sunday, and was modern art themed, featuring a trip to Pinakothek der Moderne, as well as the Museum Brandhorst, both of which offer €1 entry on a Sunday. I can’t say I understood much of what was going on, but it was very cool to see some Warhol pieces in the Brandhorst, and walking round art galleries can be quite a relaxing experience, as long as you don’t worry too much about the significance of everything. I found the Pinakothek a bit more baffling and bizarre, but the Brandhorst was a very manageable size and really quite interesting. Their location just next to each other in the Maxvorstadt made for an ideal afternoon out, with time for another lunch date with another friend from uni.
This week has been one of settling back in, with a few new elements, and realising what my favourite places in Munich are. Things are likely to change again with the return to school, and there are still lots of elements to navigate living alongside a family I’ve only known for two months, but I feel more at home in the city than ever, have some good plans for the next few months, and am getting into a good rhythm with the family.