A few social contacts and the Christmas spirit

Saturday, 05.12.2020

I'm currently sitting in the staff office at the boardinghouse and I'm bored. I have to work this weekend and now I'm sitting in the green armchair with a cup of tea, warming myself with a small heater. There are only six girls here this weekend, so it feels like I'm taking care of them on my own.

Two weeks ago, we went for a walk in a nearby forest on the weekend. It's not a very long way there, but the forest is a little higher, so we had to do some climbing. Admittedly, it wasn't an particularly extraordinary forest, but it's always nice to see something new and get out of the ordinary.

It has been raining a lot lately, so the beloved Doorly Park is flooded and we have to find other ways. Maybe it's better to wear rubber boots or cool overalls like in kindergarten.

Last weekend, we finally met new people. Last Friday, I met the Spanish language assistant. Her name is Dolores, and on Sunday we went hiking with her and two friends. She knows two au pairs who work nearby. Emilia from Germany and Marta from Spain.

After the (maybe typical) delay of the Spaniard, we set off in two cars. Our destination was Knocknarea, which we had already climbed twice before. The weather was foggy and cold, but at least it was dry. In Ireland, you quickly learn that if it's not raining, it's good weather.

It really felt good to meet new people who have nothing to do with school. This meeting was completely outside of my everyday life. I was able to exchange ideas with strangers again and it felt really good.

After the little climbing adventure, we drove on to Strandhill and watched the sunset. It has been on my to-do list for a while now and finally I can cross it off. It was a bit cloudy and freezing cold, but the sea air and the high waves made up for it (Sorry, Franzi, haha). One lone surfer even tried to defy the weather. I would have definitely frozen in this cold, with or without a wetsuit.

I had a really nice day. After the sun set at the beach, we drove back to Sligo and had something to eat. We had cheese and garlic fries and a burger. We had a good conversation during the meal and I laughed a lot. Unfortunately, I still had to work afterwards, but in the end it went by quickly.

With December comes the Christmas spirit to the school and the boardinghouse. A thousand plastic Christmas trees have been put up, everything is covered in tinsel, and of course the fairy lights are not missing. Slowly but surely, you can feel that everyone is waiting for the holidays. Between the last vacation and the upcoming days off for Christmas, there have been many exhausting weeks and everyone is tired and worn out.

Last week, we even had sleet here. Of course, none of it stayed, but I was pleasantly surprised to see snow on the nearby mountains. During a walk, there was also mysterious fog that settled over the Garavogue. At that sight, I felt a little like in the last two Hobbit movies. The cold, the snow, and the twilight.

During these walks, I unfortunately caught a little cold, which I am now recovering from. Because I have to get well quickly, I have booked a flight for Christmas! Yes, I'm going home. My flight leaves on the 15th. I have swapped shifts at the boardinghouse and the school doesn't mind me leaving early. I'm really looking forward to it and I'm already counting the days. I am someone who really enjoys celebrating Christmas. It's also my birthday on the 25th, and I'm glad that I can spend these days with my family and don't have to stay here.

I will be back on January 2nd. Here in Ireland, I will have to do a 'mere' five-day quarantine and then take a test. If I have a negative result, I can return to the boardinghouse and work. So maybe I will miss two weeks, but it's worth it in my opinion. Until then, I still have a lot of work to do and I will enjoy the Christmas spirit here at school.

Tomorrow is actually St. Nicholas Day in Germany and this will be the first year that St. Nicholas will not receive a letter from us at home. I hope he still comes.

I will now say goodbye with these joyful news. I still have to work for about an hour and a half and then I can finally go to sleep. Tomorrow we will meet with Dolores and Emilia again, and I have to work again in the evening.

Stay healthy and 'God bless'