Sniffling, Pillow fights, and Festivals Galore!

So I should have really blogged this, last week but I really wasnt feeling it. That cold/sick thing I had is still here, taking the natural road out, as their medicines taste like sweet syrup and does nothing. Tylenol...PLEASE! Okay enough of the dramatics but I'm still talking through my nose unfortunately and I can't laugh without coughing lol. But I digress onto this post.

So this past Friday I went to the bank for my appointment and understood mostly nothing but the basics. He spoke in English but everything written is in dutch. Which is weird as the Hague I'm told is an international city why don’t they have some documents in English? Anyway I go inside and I'm 15 minutes early of course, I'd rather be way early then late. So I'm sitting on the couch there, I took a picture of the couch, it was funky and weird so of course I totally liked it! I can't find my camera at the moment, so I can't upload it. >.<

And as I'm sitting there one of the girls who had told me to take a seat comes over and she's like. Would you like anything to drink? Tea? Coffee? I politedly decline but I know my look was bewildered at best. I had not been expected that to say the least. Because back home I go for a bank account...offered nothing but if I want to open up as savings as well as a checkings lol.

So I wait for maybe 5 minutes, I don’t know I lost track of the time, my table came out, free wifi at the bank! So then a guy comes over and we shake hands and all that and we head back to the room. Now he asks me if I minded if his colleague could sit in with us. I said no that fine, thinking his colleague would be this old guy as he was older himself. Nope, in walks this extremely attractive guy in his twenties. The thing I noticed was Dutch people like to stare when they talk to you, or when they don’t talk to you. SO every time I looked up this guys eyes were on me, extremely uncomfortable for me.

And this irrelevant but I feel I have to say when he stood up, he was so tall, but his dress pants that he had on were beyond fitted they were extremely tight. And the only thing I could do was to stop myself from blurting out, if they were comfortable or not. Because they honestly didn’t look comfortable. So back to the appointment, as I take a seat, I'm offered yet again if I would like something to drink??? What is with the refreshments, I decline once more and we focus on the paper work. 

As I'm getting the information on the paper, they're taking copies of my stuff the guy looks at my address(in Den Haag) and he freezes before looking back up at me. Here is when the questions really started coming out, he's looking at me and he's like what do you do again?

SO I'm Au Pair, they're all familiar with that. And he goes, this neighborhood that you're living is one of the more expensive part of the Hague. And I'm like...okay...thanks. And he keeps going on about it, and then finally goes to me and like is all, you've noticed the houses are a bit...posh don’t you think. I was thinking what the hell did this have to do with anything? To have an Au Pair first off, you have to be well off at least a bit. You have to make a certain amount of money a month, I've seen some of the forms, because you are literally paying for everything but in the long run, it's cheaper then a nanny or Daycare.

And because they can Afford it, families take the Au Pair options. I've been in a few dutch houses, and all the ones I've been in, had Au pairs, and the houses were huge. It's just the way it is, I suppose. It's not really a surprise anymore. I don’t question it, I just live it. Getting off topic again, back to the bank.

So I was signing the first and last paper and then an alarm starts going off in the bank, and the hot guy rushes out to see what it is.

It's a Fire Alarm btw, I figure that out myself, so they're like sign here, and here, and we have to go okay thanks bye! It was a strange experience, and then as I'm getting ready to leave the guy comes back and he says it's all good, but yet the alarm is still going off! I was done, and casually walked out, with my whole information pallet in dutch. My host parents said they would help me, good thing too.

Saturday I didn’t do much, it poured like the rain came down and poured but then it cleared up, but I couldn't be bothered. I babysat for 5 hours though as I had nothing else to do and earned a bit of extra cash. I love my host family! The kids while a bit difficult at times, they can have their moments.

Oh yeah, because it's finally merging into spring, Finally! The festival seasons are coming up. Last week when I went to the center by accident I stumbled upon the St. Patricks Day Festival they had there as I said last post. Next month, I'm thinking of going to the Elf Fantasy Fair Festival. It's a 3-day event but I'm only going for two days I think. It's bascially...think Harry Potter world and all the creatures in it and focus on those instead of the witches and the wizards. It looks likes so much fun, I really think I'm going to do it. Hopefully I'll find someone who wants to go with me, and if not well I'll live.

Another thing is in June, there is going to be a Festival in Amsterdam called the Color Festival. This one seems so wild, but I'm going with some Au Pairs that I met a few weeks ago. I'm so excited about that one. Everyone goes in at least a white tshirt, but you can be all in white if you prefer and then they're a concert going on, and while the music plays there are canons of color powder shooting at you in the crowd. Gosh that seems...just so strange but I want to be apart of it!

Last Post I said I would have a bit more Au Pair work on here, so here it is. This past Wednesday I had pillow fight with Wies, she really enjoyed beating me with a pillow. She has frustrations and I knew that, and I let her get them out by using me. I did hit her back with my own pillow but for the most part I let her release all that pent up anger at my person. She felt better afterwards so I think I did a job well done! We tried to have a pillow fight with Floor, but she only wanted to hit you, and everytime you hit her, she would 'cry'. So Not going to even go there.

My Youngest host kid, who I call Clara, but her real name is Claartje, which is pronounced Clar-cha, or some variation of that. It's easier after you've heard it and said it a few times. But I know at first glance I was like what??? She's turning 4 at the end of the month, and having a birthday party so I need to go out and get her something. Good thing I know what she likes! Lol..I think, she likes a ton of things. Anyway when she turns 4 she's going to be going to regular school, she likes that. But that means, goodbye my bike. 

Because she's not yet 5-6 she wont be riding her bike to school, so I will either have to use the bakfiet(only on Wednesdays!) Or The mommy bike, which I prefer. It's lighter to ride. But no more my bike, as I refuse to ride on the weekends lol. I ride a bicycle every single day, weekends are my lazy days and I ride the tram, the train, or I walk. Dont judge me. Okay that's all for this post, today looks like it's shaping up to be cold with a bit of sun so I'm going to go get dressed. See you guys later!