Family First

So even though it has been a long time coming (I was sick for a week, then my blog would all only appear in German), I have finally started my blog! Hurrah! And with this - I hope to fill you in with my pictures and my musings! Just so you know (in case you didn't already) I'm an exchange student from Australia and I've gone to Austria on exchange for my gap year.

Here's a start on my blog with my new family. They are actually from Germany, but moved to Austria about 5 years ago for work. There is Janina, Georg (who are the parents), Carl (7), Theo (4) and Freya (1 1/2)

Theo and Freya enjoying their gelato from our day in the centre of Vienna

Janina and Georg both speak perfect, beautiful English, which is convenient for those moments I have no idea what they're saying, or if I want to ask a particularly difficult question which is way too hard to figure out in German! Janina is a professional translator, working from home, and also speaks Spanish and Dutch. So that's pretty exciting. We try and speak German most of the time, and I feel I'm learning a little more every day! The kids don't speak English, and Freya's vocabulary is rather limited, but they are all gorgeous, if not... children (i.e. loud and demanding at times)!

Janina with Freya and Theo in front of the National Library in Vienna

Freya being cheeky

The kids tended to stay away from me for the first few days, though apparently Freya is usually super shy, but not so with me! Big hit! At the end of last week it seemed to dawn on them that I wasn't actually at all scary... Janina, Theo, Freya and I went to a 'kinder gym' - where basically there were many many many blond children running around madly with (mostly) their mums. CHAOS!! So Theo and I bonded there, and I a little with Freya.

The gorgeous Freya

Carl and I play 'Fußball', and he is ridiculously energetic and really knows how to nag - for example I have been dreadfully tired of late, but he still manages to persuade me to play with him, mostly because I can't think of a good enough reason not to in GERMAN. English just went straight over his head, but he is also irresistibly cute.  

All in all, I have SO MUCH MORE RESPECT FOR MOTHERS.  To finish off my post, here is a ridiculously cute video of the kids, featuring Carl on 'piano-drums' and Theo on guitar. Enjoy! (P.S. - the second half of the video is better than the first half. And Theo reminds me of a young Timothy I used to know with HIS guitar...)