Adventures of a snowy kind…

Wow with this being my 28^th post from the USA I realize you are either sick of reading my long posts, or are so entwined in my American adventure you eagerly await the next one…I’m hoping it is the latter!

No, I do not wear these when I am typing my blog...but they're cute!

My last post left you in a spin after a wonderful California vacation and a visit from the cop…Now I will start with my American winter adventures…

Tamara and I at Bayshore Mall, WI

‘Tis the season to be jolly, to skate and sled and of course ski! I have attempted all three of these in the course of one month! I love, love, love ice skating! It is really fun, although the first 5 minutes brought back memories of skating in Durban ice rink as a little child…and falling over a lot! (Thanks Dad, haha) After a few supportive words from my friends I went out and really started to enjoy myself, I may not be the best, but I have fun while doing! 

Rieke, Nadine, Lauris and I skating at the Pettit center

There is an indoor rink, and an outdoor rink (downtown) I have to say I definitely prefer the outdoor rink though…I think being outside skating while snowflakes are falling is just so magical! (You can see I’m not from a snowy country!) 

Skating outside at Red Arrow, downtown Milwaukee, WI

We also went skating (as in roller blading and rollerskating in an indoor rink, which had funky music and disco lights!) I felt like a superstar! There were some kids (okay teenagers) that were dancing around and break dancing on skates, I was a little intimidated! Considering the fact that I was just happy I never killed myself dancing around while moving around on what I consider to be "death on wheels" no my big goal in life, but props to them! I wish going to post a pic of us actually skating, but thought this one was better because you can see all the girls from the different countries...can you guess without looking?

Germany, Germany, Germany, France, SA
Colombia,  SA, Brazil, Germany and SA (yes, we are ALWAYS outnumbered by Germans :)

The sledding was relatively tame as we only had a baby hill to sled down… although when you get 10 au pairs together it’s never tame! Amanda (my host mom) made a comment that she would love to see us all out together, as we all speak different languages, constantly look like 5 year olds trying everything for the first time…and of course there is the incessant picture taking!

Tamara, Nadine and I ... yes, we went down on the hill like that :)

This brings us to skiing… so Fernanda, Yardley and I went out on the Saturday fully intending to go skiing at 10 the next morning. Well, after getting home at 3 we decided an extra hour of sleep was worth losing an hour of skiing for. We met two nice guys out that night, they asked us if we wanted to join them for some coffee sometime on Sunday, we told them if they wanted they could join us in our first skiing experience, as we had no time for coffee. They decided (not sure if they heard the part where we said we have never skied before) to join us. We all arrived at Crystal Ridge at 11 the next morning; I must tell you for those who have never skied before, getting ready to ski is just as complicated as actually skiing! 

Marco, Ross, Yardy, Fernanda and I getting ready to ski...

There are certain layers you have to put on to keep warm, special ski boots you have to wear, poles you have to find and of course your skis! The next step is trying to attach your skis to the ski boots you are wearing (which bear in mind look like moon boots!) You do this by putting the toe of the boot into the front slot then pushing down really hard with your heel (as if you’re trying to kick start a motorbike) This idiot could not do it…then one of the clever guys figured out it was the wrong size…light bulb moment. (It also made me wonder how long we would have been trying to get it right, if the guys weren’t there to help!) 

Okay now I'm just playing around..

Pretty much the only thing I remember about the ski session was “PIZZA WEDGE” (which is apparently how you stop…yeah right!) But after practicing on the bunny hill, Fernanda and I advanced to the big hill (green circle I think it’s called, the next one is a blue square, then a black diamond…if I’m not mistaken) Which had a ski lift, it was really exciting! I managed to not fall going down the hill at all, but the funny thing about skiing is you can fall anywhere! So there were 4 of us just standing around chatting and all of a sudden, 3 of our skis ended up entwined and I ended up on the floor! So the one guy instead of rushing to help us all, asks for a camera and starts taking pictures…Thanks for the memories!

Ski Stack...

My first ski experience *recorded*

Moving on and meeting up with my host family…

On the 3^rd of Feb I caught a bus to Naples (Florida) where I met up with my host family. We spend about 8 days in Naples, which is a relaxed little coastal town. It is very quiet (there are lots of old people there) so it was a stark contrast to Miami! Anyway this part of the vacation was very relaxing and I really enjoyed it, unfortunately it wasn’t as warm as everyone told me Florida would be, but considering there was still snow on the ground in Milwaukee and I was able to wear only one layer of clothing at any given time…I can’t exactly complain.

AJ the 'mermaid'

Another first for me was watching the Super bowl. I felt very American for a moment, then I realized not only did I have no idea what was going on, how the Super bowl worked...or even who was playing. After a few annoying questions I figured out the Colts (Indianapolis) played the Saints (New Orleans) and lost 17-31. You are supposed to drink beer, eat wings and watch football...well I tried. Although I'm not sure I make a very good American.

Beer, Wings and Football. Am I doing it right?

We then made a pretty uneventful road trip (back) to Disney; the only things of mentionable worth are…my host mom almost getting peed on while trying to change Braden’s diaper in a moving vehicle, oh and Annabel almost puking on me…ewwww!

Finn and Braden ready to travel

Dave and Amanda had a medical conference at Disney, so I worked most of the time I was there, but it was still fun because we stayed in a different hotel than we did the first time I was there. The Contemporary is the only hotel that the monorail runs through, so it was really fun to watch. We also eat at T-Rex again, which was fun and the kids enjoyed it.

Finn and I in Disney

Valentine’s Day was not the romantic, flowers and frills day it’s supposed to be, and instead it was spent on an airport flying back to Milwaukee, then waiting at the airport for 2 hours while the airport connection service tried to find a taxi big enough to take us all home. We never drive to the airport as the bigger of the two cars that we have can fit exactly two host parents, a three year old, a set of twins, an au pair and a double stroller, while this is perfect for day trips it leaves no space for luggage! Finally arriving home at 8pm, I was so ready for my bed!

Just hanging out with Mickey

Bienvenue à Miami…

That afternoon we (being Alba from Columbia and Leslie from Mexico) headed towards Orlando airport, of course our flight was delayed! After a 2 hour wait for our plane, it was announced that it had a arrived but there was no (what’s that thing that connects the plane to the airport terminal?) well whatever it’s called, we didn’t have one so we had to run across the tarmac (in the rain) to our plane. Not noticing the size of the plane until I got on board, I started to laugh. There were 19 seats, which means three at the back, then one on each side of the aisle, NO bathroom and NO airhostess. It was a tiny plane! Everyone got out their cameras and phones and started taking pictures, no one could quiet believe this ‘toy’ plane would get us to Miami safely, and I have to say, it was a bumpy ride!

Remembering that I am 5'3" this doesn't seem so big huh?

Safely in Miami we made our way to South Beach Hostel, which was very close to the beach but not so close to downtown Miami. South Beach has quite a lot of bars and clubs lining the main street. We went out for drinks both night and even danced it up a little in some of the clubs.  We even went to the Dolphin Mall, which is a huge outlet mall...which means we shopped and shopped...and shopped a little more of course!

Leslie, Alba and I going out in Miami

On the last day I walked around South Beach by myself because Alba and Leslie had early flights to catch. It’s okay though, I’m so used to being solo amigo by now.

Miami South Beach, FL

The last few hours of Disney...for now...

The last full day was spent visiting Hollywood Studios, a ride to mention here ‘Tower of Terror’ which is basically a whole bunch of people strapped into seats in a make-shift elevator … which falls 13 stories, again and again and again! But wow, what a thrill!

The Tower of Terror

We managed to catch the 'Beauty and the Beast' show too, which for any girl that has dreamed of being a princess is a real treat. Belle was beautiful and sang like an angel. And of course she ended the finale wearing the iconic yellow dress inspired by the fairytale.

Belle and her prince

I got to catch the Idols finale too, which was pretty fun to see. I'm not totally sure how it works but I guess everyday the have a mini version of the popular tv show and choose a new winner each day. It was fun to sit in the seats and imagine what the atmosphere of an actual Idols finale would feel like.

The 'Idols' set

That night there was a firework and water show titled Fantasmic, it was a really pretty show! Unfortunately Florida had decided to not stick to its nickname of “the Sunshine State” and it has actually been pretty cold at night, so I ran around trying on various kitschy Disney inspired jerseys until I settled on a bomber jacket that managed to keep me warm enough for the show.

A small part of the Fantasmic show

Being our last night Karolin and I decided to do what we had been threatening to do the whole trip...swim in the hotel pool. Never mind the fact that, as previously mentioned, it was pretty cold in wonderful place called Florida. We did a pretty quick swim I must say, but at least we have pictures to prove we did it...plus we never died of hypothermia which is definitely a bonus!

Midnight swim

Monday was our last day at Disney but as we only had a half day some of the girls and I headed to Disney Quest which is an interact theme park. My favourite ride was one where you create your own rollercoaster on a computer …then ride your own rollercoaster! Kind of scary, but really fun!

Disney Time… with roller coaster rides

The Friday morning was the first full day of our Disney trip which started at Animal Kingdom; I’m not going to go through each ride we went on…so all you need to know is we had an amazing time! I also discovered that apparently I pull really funny faces while on roller coasters.

Yip, thats me in the yellow and green shirt

We watched the Lion King show which was really good. We were seated in the Elephant section which really doesn't mean anything, but I thought I should add that. We also watched a Finding Nemo show, and since it's one of my favourite kids movie I was really excited to see the show. I thought it was well done and took the opportunity to take as many pictures as possible.

Finding Nemo, Nemo's tank

Next we headed to Epcot, which was totally awesome! One ride that I have to mention is ‘Soaring’ where you are sitting in the ride that ‘flies’ you over California, you feel like you are in a hand glider…it was so much fun! Later that night we headed to the countries of Epcot, where we watched a laser/firework show that was done over the water, in front of Asia, spectacular! After that we headed towards ‘Norway’ where we took a scenic tour on a little boat…it was very cute! We also went shopping at the different "countries" I brought a super cute top from 'America'. It was really lovely to see what each different country has to offer. I was a little disappointed that there was nothing that remotely resembled South African cuisine.

Shopping at Epcot

On Saturday we went to Magic Kingdom and all things fairytale inspired. There were lots of fun rides, a street parade and of course a show titled ‘dreams come true’ and in true Disney style it had us all believing in the magical power of dreams!

Ah, Disney magic

One of the rides we went on was a "Safari" type of ride, there were 4 other South Africans in the 'jeep' with me. We spent probably about 50% of the tour debating weather the animals we saw were real or not. I'm still not convinced. In fact I know the elephants were NOT real, the other animals...I'm not so sure.

The fake Disney elephants

We later watched the electrical parade, which was a festival of lights that had me thinking about the load shedding in SA…and how this would truly mess with the magic of Disney…but of course no load shedding here! Although some of the carts did run out of battery power near the end and had to be towed!

Cinderella and her Prince

*Hi-lighted words are explained in the glossary page

Feeling like a kid...and acting like one too...

Okay, so the next part of my adventure is VERY exciting and will make you feel either like a kid…or a very old adult! Monique and I joined 50 other au pairs in the quest for eternal youth and made our way to Never land a.k.a Disney World!

Monique, Karolin and I having fun in downtown Disney

The day we arrived we had no access to any of the parks but we were able to explore downtown Disney. We meet up with one of our roommates (Karolin from Germany, working in NYC) and all made our way downtown. It is very retail orientated, and I cannot imagine trying to steer a kid through there without ending up with at least a T-shirt, a tiara and overstuffed Mickey Mouse ears! Thank goodness we are adults and we able to restrain ourselves…hmmm. I also have to tell you that I won the "happily ever after hula hoop champion' apparently I can actually do this pretty well, maybe it's the belly dance training?

About to hit the "dance floor"

We ate at a restaurant called T-Rex, the food there was amazing, but the atmosphere is definitely the reason to go there, it has different sections, like ice age, under the sea and the jungle and every 20 minutes they have a meteor shower! Which is basically just them dimming and flashing the lights and loud noises…but added that you are seated in “the jungle” and have moving dinosaurs in the surrounding scenery, it makes for a very exciting meal! Being that my birthday had pasted a few days before Monique thought it would be funny to get the T-rex staff to sing “happy birthday” to me while bringing me a volcano looking dessert. Okay, yes I enjoyed it! Haha.

Downtown Disney, FL

We even saved some for our other roommate who we had yet to meet, imagine her surprise when we walked in at 12am singing “happy birthday”, her reply? “It’s not my birthday?!” my reply? “Nope, it’s mine, have some chocolate cake” Well I don’t think she was too amused, especially since the next night we sang “we wish you a merry Christmas” … not sure if it was the time of our ‘attack’ or our method, although I’m sure sounded pretty good!

Disney Princesses? Maybe...

Mad-Town

My first trip of 2o1o was a trip to Madison which is Wisconsin’s capital city. Madison is known as a college town as there are so many students there. I went for the whole weekend; I visited a friend that I met in Milwaukee. We went and saw the Capitol building, which is very beautiful. We also went to a farmers market where they had beef jerky that wasn’t smoked or oily so it ALMOST tasted like biltong! Yum! We also went out to a few of the local bars, where I met so many more students. Everything is really close together (as I said it’s a college town, so everything is geared towards them) We walked everywhere, which is totally fine…if there isn’t two feet of snow on the ground plus two frozen lakes close by! Needless to say we would “suit up” and ran to our destination! I had a great weekend with Kevin, who is actually the first ‘American’ friend that I made (on the 4^th of July)

The Capitol Building, Madison, WI

A friend of mine (Monique) who was in her 2^nd year when I arrived completed her au pair year in January. We decided as she had never been out with the girls we had to take her out and show her the town, she was about to leave! We did a surprise party on the Friday night (at Hooters) haha so we were stared at by all the male patrons there. 

Birthday girls and Monique at Hooters

The Saturday night was spent at one of our favourite places to go dancing…Buckheads Saloon! She had a great time as did we, of course! When we go out we always get people to guess where we are from…which can be extremely funny! (Since it’s usually Germans, South Africans, Swedes, Norwegians, Columbians, French, and Brazilians…etc) Nobody can ever guess where I’m from but they usually say Britain (followed by some very badly executed British statement) or Australia…so I have started let them guess the continent. That is just as funny! I have been asked if I’m from the continent of Russia??!! Really! Or when people guess “all” the continents (forgetting Africa) they say well that’s all of them so where ARE you from? Most people would believe me more if I said I was from Asia rather than Africa! (Although once they get Africa, South Africa is ALWAYS the next guess)

Monique, Miriam, Arati, Fernanda and I at Buckheads