Leaving Germany was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, after a horribly long journey I finally made it to Auckland. Karen and the kids, Caitlin and Nicolas, were there ready to greet me with a hug. We drove from Auckland to the house which is just outside of Hamilton. The drive took about 2.5 hours and I was slipping in and out of sleep the whole way. By the time we arrived it was 10:30pm, I introduced myself to Matt we brought my things inside, had a quick tour and then I went directly to bed.
My first day was simple, it rained almost all day, apparently the first time in weeks. I played games with the kids, but spent a lot of time looking out the windows into the amazing backyard. We have 3 cats, chickens, pigs and sheep. A large vegetable garden, and a ton of fruit trees. Matt brought in Nectarines for me to eat fresh off the tree, it was awesome. The trees I can remember, peaches, grapes, cherries, nectarines, but I know there is more because Karen listed off about ten kinds. All the produce they eat is from the land and all there eggs are fresh.
The house is beautiful, my room is very cozy and equipped with an attached bathroom. The kids are really cute, but shy, Im having trouble talking to Nicolas as he was really upset when the last au pair left and is quite guarded. It is really strange not having little kids in the house, but refreshing knowing that if I look away there is no two year old who will paint the carpet or get into the cupboards.
Karen the kids and I went for a drive in Hamilton to see the main areas and to see where the kids school is etc.
So far everything is going great, I am still dealing with jet lag, Im sitting in bed right now as I woke up at 5 and cant go back to bed. Today Karen Nicolas and I are going to the beach for a week, Matt will join us on the weekend, and Caitlin will join us in the middle of the week as she is going to another beach with a friend. I haven't taken many photos yet because of the rain but I'm sure I will have tons after my week away, until then =)
Sounds like you are going to have a great time there. How old are the children that you will be caring for? I am so jealous of the weather you are experiencing there, as it has been extremely cold here. Thursday it was minus 43 with the wind chill. Can not wait to see your pictures!!
ReplyDeleteNicole