So Long Farewell!

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu
So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye

That among other songs in German and to do with saying Goodbye are flying around my head today. So today I leave Köln and I am genuinely sad. Köln has become my home, it is just fabulous. The people, my friends, everyone I have met has been wonderful.

So I leave from the HauptBahnhof at 15:25 on my 1st leg of my journey to Amsterdam. There will be four legs. I'll have a notebook with me, se expect to see random musings posted some time next week from the trip.

Im looking forward to seeing my parents today, I havent seen them for 5 months so it will be great to see them. I am also looking forward to seeing all my friends and Cork CSD! I mean Pride! I have definately gone native so will drive people crazy at home with my German mannerisms!!!

So again thank you to everyone I have met in Köln for making my stay so wonderful! Remember this blog is not over yet! I may no longer be an Au Pair, but I shall be learning German with a view to moving back here! My Mother didn't sound too impressed with that idea but anyway!

So Tschüs for now, the fun of job hunting gets into full swing also next week!!
Steve

Less then two weeks left

So less then two weeks left and I nearly committed murder during the week! The boys were really acting up on Tuesday and Wednesday, but they have calmed now. We were fighting like Cats and Dogs. Me being stubborn though did not give in! As thursday was a Bank Holiday they had a sports thing so that allowed them cool off away from me as I stayed at home. So all is well!

I didnt go out for Tanz in den Mai as I bought my ticket for Amsterdam. I dont get how I can travel to Amsterdam from Cologne for 40€ yet in Ireland its 70€ for Cork to Dublin. I dont understand it at all!

Im getting that mixed feeling about going home. I am looking forward to seeing all my friends there at home but I will miss my friends here. The one thing thats helping is I get to see Amsterdam on the way home. We are going to Anne Franks house, so that will be well worth it!

Having leaving drinks on Friday, will post details when I have decided what Im doing!

100th Post: 42 days to go!

Well this is my 100th post! :D Wooo! But today I have also realised I have 42 days left in Köln before I depart for Amsterdam to meet my Parents and fly home! I will be sad leaving in Köln as it has become my Home since January and it feels like a home now. I actually know my way around Köln better then some of my friends who have been here since last year!

I will miss all my friends here, the Crazy Ukrianians I met at Karnival, the usual crowd in corner and of course the TT Crowd, who have been a great support!

At the same time I will be glad to be going home to meet all my friends again, go to my old haunts (yes I know it was only four months since I was there!) and just enjoy beening back in Cork with friends and family.

This post is not a reflection on my time here in Köln but that will be coming before I leave, probably in the last week or so! Anyway, just wanted to get that off my chest!

Tschüss!
Steve

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Mama!

I know you rang me to try and head me off on this one but too late! :P

I know its a big birthday for you, dont worry I'm not going to say the age, suffice to say in ends in 0!

I hope you have a great day today and at the Party on Saturday! I want to see lots of pics!

Tschüss!
Steve

PS thanks to Claire for sorting out the present and card while im in Germany! Your a star!

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Papa!

Happy Birthday Dad!

This is my first time being away from home for my parents birthdays. They are 3 days apart so this week will be hard and expect a similar post for the Cork Mammy!

Dad, I hope you have a great day!

Love and miss you!

Tschüss!
Steve

Mothers Day Post: The Cork Mammy, I miss her

I know I'm early but here is a post praising that wonderful person who is my Mammy. She has technically cancelled Mothers Day as its a BIG birthday soon but more on that next week! She'll kill me for calling her "Mammy", but it is a for a competition!

My Mammy is a true Cork Mammy, not only does she mother me but she will mother any of my friends that visit by feeding them! Shes is fabulous. She is even managing to Mammy me when I am over 1,000KM away. Only a Cork Mammy can do that.

She sends me packages regualarly with the Pheonix in it or books to keep me in reading materials. She rings when she can, though it costs a fortune.

To sum her up in one word is impossible!

She is: kind, accepting, funny (she regularly sends me dirty jokes by email and text), loving, patient (though I do test it to the max) among many other adjectives that have fled from my mind.

I will never forget her reaction when I came out to her. But she is so accepting now of me, any friends I bring home (whether I am linked romantically to them or not! and she will always ask that! :P) and where I go.

My Cork Mammy, is an inspiration to me. It is because of her I love reading, music, history and languages. To say she is 'hip' is an understatement, she is completely 'with it'! I suppose it helps having two kids who will include her in everything, even at times when we think she is nosey!

My Cork Mammy lends me clothes when I am doing drag for Macra Na Feirme!

All in all, I dont know where I would be without my Cork Mammy.

Happy Mother's Day Mum! I miss you!

xxxx
Steve

Touristy things and whats happening this weekend

Hallo!!! My german is improving slightly this week as I have started to make friends with a few of the Mothers on the School run and one of them only speaks german!!! So it must improve! The subjects I will be covering today are (I feel like a newsreporter or teacher writing that!): My Tourist Day, This Weekend, Packages from Home, Shopping (Again!), Photos (Finally) and an Update on life with the Boys. Sounds interesting (and long!) eh? Lets get to it then!

My Tourist Day

Yesterday after dropping the Kids to schoola nd waiting for a bit I wander off into Köln to do a bit of tourist things, sucj as going to the Dom and buying small presents and things (My mother collects spoons, you know the ones!) I basically wondered around the side streets and I found some interesting places which I counldnt read the signs! I found what looked liked a building built over ruins, it was strange see the pic below


This Weekend

For a change I have a plan for this weekend! Tonight I am doing the usual and going to ExCorner to meet friends, but on saturday I have found the Köln equivilant to Freakscene!! (See Post) I am all excited and one of the girls from TT is coming with me! Yay!!

Packages from Home

Have I told ye how much I love (and miss) my mother? Well yesterday and unexpected package arrived for me. I recognised the writing straight off as being my mothers and I thought she had sent over post from home. I opened it up and there was a copy of The Pheonix in it! I love you Mum!!!!


Shopping (Again)
So while on my tourist day I started wondering in and out shops not buying much till I came to H&M. They had their final reductions on a lot of stuff and I picked up a nice hat and bracelet for a 1€ each! Alos went to the English Shop (Again) for those who are wondering this is what I normally buy in the English Shop

* The Gaurdain
* Mi Wadi (Blackcurrant)
* Dubliner Cheese
* Pop Tarts (Chocloate)
* Cadburys Instant Hot Chocolate (Not low fat, sorry Claire!)
* Cadburys Chocolate (Dairy Milk or buttons!)

Lol, a short list I know, might treat myself to a Hershey's bar in the future. I live on those when I was in the US.

Photos (Finally!)

So I finally got around to putting some photos up on Facebook!
Album 1
Album 2

Enjoy and leave comments! (On the photos and the blogs!)

Update on life with the Boys

So the boys have fully realised the amount of German I know and have taken to use it as a Secret language around me. They are not allowed to this this! The rule in the house if you are talking around or about me it has to be in English! Otherwise things are going well. The boys for the most part do what they are told and have taken to singing the songs I have thought them! yay! I am really enjoying working with the boys and though they fight (alot) I get on with them both, though the regular cry is "Its not Fair...!" Every parent knows that. The kids ahve taken to watching TV everynight now that they are back to school and we normally watch Jim Knopf and Pur+, nice programs which I might blog on later.

Karneval nearly sorted and an update!

Yesterday I went shopping with friends from Toytown Germany (TT in future) we had great fun shopping for costumes and getting bits and pieces.

Costume Shopping
So Saturday started off really early (and me majorly hungover) and we set out for a Karneval store on the outskirts of Köln (Near Ikea). It was huge!!!!! Never had I seen so many costumes. We were there for ages, it would take a good 1/2 an hour to walk around the store! I got loads of ideas for costumes! The boys got their costumes. One will be Robin Hood the other a Medieval Knight

That afternoon I went shopping with my TT friends and I got my costume. Im going as..... A Sailor! Woo! That costume was resonable prive being 30€ (I've taken to writing prices the German way!) In another store I tried on a Pirate costume, it was fantatsic but cost 121,95€!!!!! So I got a good deal!

English Shop
After that we went for a walk around for bits and pieces for costumes and just a general shop and had lunch (Burger King, I have loads of vouchers!!) Then we went to the English shop, which really should be called the American, English and Irish Shop! You name it from those country's they have it! :D So I picked up a few bits and pieces and am happy now! They also have a cool video library there which i will join next week I'd say!

Homesick no more
Despite a MSN converstion that nearly had me homesick again, I am over it and have devised the Stephen Spillane Cure For Homesickness. It consists of the following, 1 sweet cake of your choosing, 1 tube of pringles, 1 funny DVD (Ice Age 2 in my case) and relax while the kids are at school! Of course there is a surprise ingredient which is lovely phonecall from home! (Thanks Mum!!)

Karneval
So Karneval is getting nearer yay! It starts on the 31. Jan and Im all excited! I see more and more people dressed up! (I know i promised a Pic but i never have my cam with me!) I have figured out where I am watching the parade with TT friends on Rosenmontag and may be going out on the Saturday to Wolkenburg (TT LINK) for the Paprika Ball! It should be great fun!

Thats it for now I think!
Tscheuss!
Steve
xxx