Bit late with this journal update and I'm sure everyone knows most of this, but I'm going to tell you all about it anyway and you can just skip through the boring bits!
So after our 12 month holiday and all of our amazing, crazy adventures, Simon and I decided that we hadn't had enough fun yet and weren't quite ready to go back to the real world. Conveniently I was offered a job teaching in the kindergarten of a bilingual school in Munich, so after a flying visit back home for Christmas (not anywhere near long enough!), we packed up again (i.e. threw our three changes of clothes back into our backpacks) and flew back to Germany in time for me to start work at the start of January.
Looking back,it probably wasn't one of our smartest moves - jumping on a plane to Munich without a place to stay, a job for Simon, working visas or residence permits - actually, when I say it like that, it sounds bloody stupid! Fortunately though it has all worked out really well. Our friend Joergfried saved the day and let us crash on his couch for the first part of our stay while we found an apartment. I LOVE my job - the kids are great and I love the people I work with. Simon was able to walk back into his soccer data analyst job and visas and residence permits were suprisingly easy. Yet again I had to jump through all the hoops, while Simon just waltzed in, smiled and asked for a visa and they fell all over themselves to get him one!
Munich is very beautiful in winter. Cold, really freaking cold, but beautiful. Even in winter here, the people are always outside, skating, skiing, walking and of course drinking beer (or gluwine in the winter). The snow was a bit of a treat for us, I don't think either of us have ever seen so much snow! Although the novelty did wear off eventually - I don't think Australians are very well equipped to handle freezing temperatures for any significant length of time!
We had a couple of exciting things during the winter to keep us going (because living in Munich is so tough!). Simon's friends, Tim and Nai, came to visit which was great. Four of us crammed into a one room 35 square meter apartment was a real adventure, but lots of fun! And Simon and I skipped the country for a few weeks to head home for my sister Sarah's wedding. It was an awesome day, and I cried like an absolute baby (sobbing and all - pretty embarrassing!). It was fantastic to spend a little bit more time with our families, since we didn't get much time at Christmas, and have a little break from the cold and snow.
So we survived our first winter in Munich, and still are absolutely in love with the city! Looking forward to lots of visits in the summer from family and friends, so everyone start planning!
