Quick Recap

Right now there is a lot going on here, so unfortunately I haven't been able to write anything for a while. So I will now "briefly" summarize what has been happening lately.

Halloween

Halloween here is really as exaggerated and big as you imagine it and know from movies. It is like a huge festival where everyone gathers in the streets and celebrates. Everything is excessively decorated and for the children it's about getting as much candy as possible and they really get a lot here. I have never seen so much candy in one place. Each child gets as much as we used to get in the whole group back then. It was really nice to be able to dress up properly again.

Cubs

The Cubs (Baseball team from Chicago) won the World Series. The Cubs haven't made it to the World Series for 71 years. They have only won it three times in history and the first two times were in 1907 and 1908. Accordingly, the state of emergency here in Chicago was huge. Americans are very extreme when it comes to their sports. A few days later, there was a parade with the Cubs players in Chicago. The result was the seventh largest crowd in world history.

Trump

The next state of emergency. Trump will be the next President of America. No one really believed it and everyone stayed up late into the night to make sure it could be true. The next morning, the first protesters were already in front of the Trump buildings. Including here in Chicago. Many still can't believe that this really happened.

Bulls

I went to a Bulls (Basketball team from Chicago) game here in Chicago. Personally, I'm not a fan of watching sports, so I didn't find the game itself so exciting. But the program during the breaks was really great. It was a lot of fun.

Light Parade

On a weekend, I watched the Light Parade in Chicago with a few other Au Pairs. We were a bit disappointed. We thought they were beautifully decorated Christmas floats. But they were floats decorated by companies, so it was more like advertising than something beautiful. Also, there were so many people that we could hardly see anything.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was really nice. I was included from the beginning. It was not a question for the family at all. It felt like Christmas. The only thing missing were the Christmas tree and the presents. The family came together, there was a lot of conversation, and everyone was in a good mood. Traditionally, we ate turkey, mashed potatoes, and pies for dessert.

Christmas Market and Lights at the Zoo

Then on the weekend, I went to the Christmas market with another Au Pair. For such a big city, it is very small, but still really nice. Many sellers and stands are from Germany, which was very funny. After that, we went to the zoo to see the lights there. My host mother said that this is her highlight every year. It was really nice, but sometimes it was a bit excessive.

Theater

In the week before last, I watched a play together with my host family in which the oldest child played a part. They came up to me and said they would love to have me there, which made me really happy. The play was really good and funny.

Baking cookies

Last weekend, I baked cookies with the kids. It brought a lot of fun, especially to the kids. Finally, the Christmas atmosphere was there. Even more Christmas atmosphere came on Sunday when it snowed and the snow even stayed on the ground. Then it was finally time to relax after a very exhausting and long week.

Saint Nicholas and Christmas Tree

I didn't think before that Saint Nicholas is celebrated here in America, as there was no talk about it at all besides the day before. But nothing big is done either. The children get a bit of candy in their boots and that's it. What I really liked was that my host family also put my shoes there and I also got a little something. The next day, we got the Christmas tree, which is now already decorated with more than just the string of lights. And typically American colorful.