Meet the Fam!

"Julianne! Do you know your family in Germany yet?" "Have you talked to them?" "Do they have kids?" "Do they speak English?"

If you are one of the many..and I do mean many....people wondering about the people that I will be living with for the next 11 months, then please, take the time to read this as I introduce you to a family I have already come to love--the Weihing family!

Well, as you can see, they most certainly have kids...several more than I'm used to in fact :-) Selina (11) is the oldest and only a few months older than my sister, Elisa. Christian (9) is an athlete and wasn't excited or interested in hosting "a girl" until he was told I love soccer...now he is eager to ride bikes and play soccer with me so I'm welcome after all. :-) Jonathon (7) also loves riding his bike I have a feeling that between the two of them they'll keep me plenty active. Then there is little Samuel (4), who is just so darn cute with his little glasses and huge smile than I'm convinced nothing else matters!

My host dad, Ulrich, is an engineer in a nearby town and plays the trombone. My host mother, Denise, is who I have been in contact with for the last few months. My broken German...and really there isn't a whole lot there to break...and her broken English, with the help of google translate have put many smiles on our faces as we've gotten to know each other. My family attends a Lutheran church and Ulrich is involved in the youth activities.

My family lives in the state of Baden Wurttemberg in the small town of Gomaringen. On the left, you can see exactly where Gomaringen is, as well as the outline of the state.The map on the right shows the city of Stuttgart which is about 30 minutes away and home to over half a million people. 

    

I hope you have enjoyed meeting my family--I know I am eagerly awaiting the day when I will get to meet them face to face and as Mama put it, "finally hold you in my arms."