jueves, 8 de octubre de 2015

Sorry...

As you might have noticed, I stopped writting on here a while ago. The thing is that I startet writting two blogs at the same time, this one and the Spanish version of it,but with time it just got harder and harder to keep up with both of them, so I decided to quit writing this one and to just keep the other one going. 

So if any of you Spanish speakers want to follow me, here is the link to my other blog:

http://aupairsadvice.blogspot.fr/

viernes, 14 de agosto de 2015

Aupair Experience: Saying Goodbye

Good byes are always hard. Meeting up with your family or friends and saying bye for a pretty long amount of time is hard. I personaly hate goodbyes. Me being in the spotlight, hiding the tears when I feel like they want to come out... I. Hate. It. 

I already said my goodbyes to my best friends. One went on a trip to Brasil for the whole summer and won't be back until a few days after me leaving. So she was the first person who I had to say goodbye to. Then, the other just left for a whole month of non-stop traveling; she will come back 10 days after me leaving and I recently said goodbye to her. 

I also had a big lunch with my boyfriend's family last week. We all got together in my house and we all spent the day together. We ate lunch talked, had some drinks... And as a birthday/goodbye present they got me this amazing winter jacket for extremelly low temperatures (which I will be facing in France, as in the area where I will be living the temperatures go as low as -10ºC). That was our official goodbye; we will be seing each other more often, but that day we all got together for the last time.

And during this week I said goodbye to my aunts, my grandparents, to my cousins and to another couple of friends. 

These things can be hard, it can get scary thinking of not seeing them for a while and you might have to hold a few tears in. But remember you will bee seeing them soon, and that you are going away for a reason, and more importantly that you are going away because it is something you wanted to do. 

sábado, 1 de agosto de 2015

How songs can exactly define our feelings

I remember when my year as an exchange student in Michigan was going to end, and not only did I have to say goodbye to my host family and friends, I also had a boyfriend that I didn't even know if I would get to see again. We had plans to see if we would last together (while being separated by the distance) and if we did I would go back to Michigan for a year and see if things worked between us. Wel... exactly then Simple Plan came out with this song...



Like, really? Could it be more fitting to my situation? And then, Estrella Damm (a Spanish beer company who does these cool commertials with a song every year) came up with the following video. 





As you can probably guess, my relationship with that guy did not end well (which right now I couln't be happier of how things turned out, because things are very complicated on that side right now). But next summer I went back to Michigan to visit my host family; my brother and I went there and stayed with them for a whole month. Well... then, after we came back home Simple Plan (yeah, them again) came up with the following song.



And now you are probably thinking: "so... what?". Well I guess that all I am trying to guess is that nowadays when I hear those songs I can't stop thinking of those moments. When I hear Simple Plan's Jet-lag, all I can think of is hugging my now-ex-boyfriend in the airport and never wanting to let go. When listening to Summer Paradise I can't stop thinking of coming back from the summer in Michigan with my brother and not wanting to look back at my host mom because I didn't know when I would see her again. 

And I know that there will be a song this year that will be stuck in my mind forever together with the memories of my year as an aupair. And that is great, because you never know when you will end up hearing that song on the radio or in your car or when it will pop up in Youtube as a sugested song, and as soon as you listen to it your mind will be full of memories of those days.  



jueves, 30 de julio de 2015

Aupair Experience: Being an aupair while having a boyfriend.

I know I have mentioned it before, but I decided to make an entry about it. I have got a boyfriend and I am going to move to another country 1000km away for a whole year. We know it's crazy, we know it will be hard, but we are hopefull that everything will be okay.





First of all I need to tell you how much he has supported me through all of this and how necessary his support has been in order to make this choice.

We have been together for three years now, and I need to say that I told him about this plan long time ago. We met each other a year after I came back from the United States, where I spent a year as an exchange student and from the very begginig I told him about my plans to repeat the experience as soon as I finished college but somewhere in Europe and as an aupair this time. To be honest, at first he didn't like the idea of it very much, but back then we were just starting to date and as those were plans for the future we didn't talk much about it. 

At first, my plan was to go to Sweden (a country that has me completely in love with it since I went there for a week with my classmates as an exchange trip when I was 16) or to Germany. But as time went by, and as I had a boyfriend I decided to go to a country closer to home, and as a teacher knowing French will be more usefull for me than knowing German or Swedish, so, I decided to go to France.

So as time went by, we started to talk more about it and I must say that he has always been my biggest support though this process. He has never asked me to stay, he has helped me to get ready for the experience and he has made it very clear that even though he is sad about me leaving but that he will never make anything to stop this from happening. Whenever I am sad about us not being together for a whole year, he supports me and tells me that this won't break us up and that in fact we will come stronger out of it. 


He has accessed to me going to a country he clearly dislikes (I don't know why, but for some reason he really dislikes France), to visit me as much as he can and to sacrifice a whole year as a couple. 

If I tell you the truth, I know that this experience would be easier and more real if I had no boyfriend. I know I would be less nervous about it and that I would not be visiting home that much. All in all, everything would be easier. 

But I wanted to write this post for all those aupairs who decide to start this adventure while leaving your boyfriend or girlfriend back home; for you to know that it is possible, for you to know that you are not the only one. As the experience progresses I will write more about this topic and I will tell you if things go as we had expected. 

miércoles, 29 de julio de 2015

Aupair Experiences: Visiting my host family (part 2)

The next day we woke up at 9.30 in the morning, thanks to the alarm I had set up the night before (if not, we would have slept until noon and we would not have had time to spend with the family). We had some breakfast and as the kids were still sleeping and the adults seemed to have lots of things to do, we decided to go sightseeing in the city on or own. First, we had some breakfast to make up for the dinner we had the night before, so, for about 15€ we had some crêpes, a chocolate milkshake and a coffee in the terrace of a very nice cafe. 

We also bought some souvenirs to bring back home (a couple of bottles of wine and some souvenirs that we always bring to keep a family tradition going on) and we walked on the city looking of nice places to see; and I must say I am extremely glad my boyfriend was there with me, because if not, I would have gotten lost. 

We got to the house before 12 and we all met up around the pool again. We talked in a mixed language mae of French, English (which everybody could speak) and Spanish (which everybody except for the grandpa could understand and both the grandma an the aunt were fluent at). We also played with the kids and the oldest boy had great fun playing with me with the toys I had given him the night before.

I also had a minute to sit with the host mom to go through and sign the aupair contract. This was great as it was possible to go through every part and comment on them and answer every doubt we had.   

After that, and feeling a little bit afraid after the dinner we had the night before, we sat for lunch. And surprisingly for us we were served some pretty good food. First they served us some watermelon with ham (which I had never had before but that was not too bad) and after that they served chicken with potatoes, and that tasted really good! So we spent a couple hours eating, talking and laughing and with a full stomach we cleared up the table and did the dishes. 

But at around 4pm we packed everything up and started saying our goodbyes. The parents had a flight back home at 6pm and had to leave, and although we were told that we could stay a little longer, we decided to leave at the same time as the parents so that the grandparents and the kids could relax.


Overall, it was a very short visit, but they all were extremely nice to us and we loved the trip up there. This visit also was great as now I know that next month I will be much more calm when I move in with them and things will also be easier for the kids, as at least the oldest one will remember me and they will adapt to me more easily. 

Aupair Experience: Visiting my host family

3 more weeks and I will start working as an aupair! It's hard to believe that in less than a month I will pack all my stuff and moveto France. But this trip to visit my host family made it all much more real. 


As I mentioned in another post, my host family was going to go to Tarn (400km away from where I live) to visit some family members, so we made plans for my boyfriend and I to go visit them while they spent the weekend there.



On Saturday morning, we woke up early, got ready and got on our car at 8.30 starting our way to France. We had a 4 hour trip ahead of us. But we decided to take the trip with calm and to enjoy the stops on the way; as we had to stop to rest, to smoke and to use the restrooms the 4 hour trip ended up being a 6 hour trip, but we really enjoyed it. 







So finally, after a long but relaxed roadtrip we got to the house at around 2.30. My host parents had arrived with the little son (the big one had already been with the grandparents at their house for 3 weeks) at 12 so while giving them some time to stay with their family we got there relatively soon so that we could spend as much time as possible with them.


We parked our car and I sent my host mom a text message and in about 2 minutes she showed up at the door holding the little one in her arms. The grandma also came by to say a quick hello as she was going shopping with her daughter and her son's girlfriend. So, we entered the house and we said hi to my host dad and the oldest son, who were playing in the pool. My host mom inmediately showed us the house and the room where we were going to sleep (in the top floor of a three floor house right in the city, how amazing is that?).


After getting settled, we gave the host mom the gifts we had brought for the adults (some typical whine from my area and some typical sweets) and after that the host mom took my boyfriend and I on a tour around the city. Tarn is a small and beautiful city, we saw the city gardens, the new theatre and a huge cathedral that is in the middle of the city but which we could not see from the inside because they were celebrating a wedding.   



After an hour of sightseeing we sat and ordered something to drink, and as I already knew, getting drinks or food out in France is really expensive, at least compared to Spain:


A beer + 2 waters + an ice cream= 16.90€



So after a couple of hours of visiting the city we went back to the grandparents' house. There we met the grandpa, who was going to go to a winery with my host dad. They invited us to go with them, so we got in the car and went to the winery. The communication-channel we had in the car was pretty fun: the grandpa would tell the hostdad something in French, he would translate it to English for me and then I would translate it back to my boyfriend. We got to the winery and after trying some wines of the area and buying two boxes full of wine bottles we went back to the house. 

By the time we got to the house, everybody was there, my host parents, the two kids, the grandparents and even the aunts and uncle. We all sat by the pool and while talking they offered us something to eat: some watermelon, ham and bread with tomato and cuccumber. So the frist impression we had of the bread was pretty good, but we were not expecting what would come for dinner...

Before we had dinner, they fed the kids and were going to put them to bed, so I asked the mom and decided to give them the presents we had brought for them. With the youngest boy everything had been easy until then, he would let me hold him and he would easily start to play with me; but the oldest boy, although he did look at us with interest had been distant and I had decided to give him some space instead of pressuring him to talk to me. But when I gave him the presents, before he even took them, he hugged me and gave me a big kiss (sucha sweet little boy...). He loved the toys and after opening them and saying goodbye and kissing all of us goodnight, he went to sleep. 

And then came the dinner... we first got served something similar to cuscús with such strong taste that it was difficult for us to eat. And then they served us some meat with vegetables that looked amazing, but that we soon discovered that had been cooked with honey and that was hard to finish, even though we did eat it all. And for desert, we were served cheese, a delicious chocolate cake and the sweets we had brought for them. 

So feeling kind of hungry, but with the feeling of having spent a great day with my future host fmily, we went to our room and fell asleep inmediately after a very tiring but amazing day in France.


jueves, 16 de julio de 2015

Aupair advice: trust your gut

I heard this piece of advice somewhere and I couldn't agree more with it. 


When choosing a family trust your guts.

I will never address this enough, but trust me, when choosing a family trust your guts. On the very first e-mail you receive from the family you will be able to guess what kind of family you are talking to. 

While some families will write you a long e-mail, others will send you a simple cold message. While some families will describe themselves, others will simply talk about the job and what they expect from you. While some families will mention including you in the family life (huge plus for families), others won't mention it at all (kind of a red flag). So for you guys to see I will adapt the first message I received from my host family and let you know why I chose this family and why I liked them right away:

I will be calling the host mom Emily, the dad Jack and the kids Nate and Cooper (though those aren't their real names, obviously, as they are French, but I don't feel confortable with sharing any info about them, not even the names).

"Hi Enara,

Many thanks for your email. 
I will try to present you our family and the region where we live.

My husband, Jack and myself are both French, therefore we speak only French at home between us and the kids. 
We are both 37 this year. 

Nate is our eldest sun, he will turn 4 on September this year. Nate our baby, was born last June, he is now almost four months old. 

I am from ________ (her hometown). My parents are still living there. Therefore we go there for week ends quite often. 

Jack is from _____________ (his hometown). We also go there to visit his parents and family. 

Both my husband and myself are very busy at work which is why we need help at home with the kids. I will go back to work full time soon after maternity leave.
We decided to welcome au pairs at home because we think it is the best for us and the kids. It is indeed very important for us that there is a real relationship between our children and the persons who are looking after them when we are not at home. 
For instance we consider Cooper's nanny (who was Nate's nanny before) a bit like his third grand mother.

We live in an appartement of 110 square meters, with a 70 square meters terrasse and 350 square meters garden. It is in the countryside , therefore it is very quiet. 
You would have your own bedroom but you would have to share the bathrooms and toilets with the kids. 

There is no public transportation in the village where we live, that is why we have a car dedicated to our au pair.  
We live at ______________. (And she sent me a link with info about the town where they live, again, how much sweeter could she be?)
There are many foreigners in the region because of the international organizations based in _______ (another link with more interesting information).

The main train station is in ________________ at about 10 minutes from where we live. From there there are trains to main French cities (...). 
We also leave at 30 minutes drive from (...) airport. It is important for you to have this information if you plan to travel during week ends or during your holidays in Europe. 

During winter we are used to go skiing. the closest ski resorts are at 20 minutes drive in ___________, It is where Nate is learning to ski on Saturday mornings during winter as soon as there is enough snow. 
(link of the ski resort where they go)
As Cooper is obviously too young to ski I will do some walks in the snow with him. 

You will be able to take French lesson in ________. (And btw they will be paying for the classes!)
You will have to take a French test upon your arrival to be allocated to a class. 
(link to the webpage of the language school!)
During those classes you will have a chance to meet other au pair and get some friends to go out. 

We look for an au pair as from July/August 2015 for ideally 12 months. We need an au pair to pick up Nate from school at 16h30 and Cooper from his nanny at 16h45 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and look after them until 20h00. And on Wednesdays we need someone to pick up Nate from School at 11h30am and Cooper from his nanny just after and look after them until I come back from work. During the time you will spend with the kids you would have to play with them, cook their meal (very basic cooking), eat with them and supervise Nate in the shower or bath. We would ask you to help us with the simple daily housework: empty dishwasher, folding and put away laundry of the kids,.... We have a cleaning lady who is coming every week. 

We live at 2 kilometers from the school (2 minutes drive) and 3 kilometers (5 minutes drive) from Cooper’s nanny. You would have a car at your disposal which you could use any time during your time off as well. You could have most of your week ends free. We may just ask you from time to time some babysitting during the week in the evenings or during the week end on a saturday evening for instance. But this would always be planned well in advance. 
In total we would not ask you to work more than 30 hours a week which would represent about _____ euros a month as pocket money.

You will find attached pictures of the kids and of the apartment. We moved in only few months ago. 

Please let me know if you have questions, I would be very happy to answer them!

Thanks for taking the time to read my message and I hope to hear back from you soon!

Emily."

This very first e-mail inmediatelly let me know what a wonderful family I had found, and when I met them I confirmed my theory.

But along the way I did get some simpler messages which did not give me the positive feeling this email did and that I decided tp , here goes an example:

"Hello nanny/aupair.

So I need an aupair as soon as possible, because my aupair must come back.

About my family, I live alone with my two kids, Gabriel, 6 and Leon, 4.

I need an aupair for before/after school, and sometimes for evening. Kids are at my house all monday and thursday and one week per two.

My aupair has her own room and share her bathroom with kids only.

We are an open minded family, friends often come at home, we love music, cinema and going out.

Can you talk about you? Your studies, your kid's experience..."

This doesn't mean that if I had kept talking to this last family they wouldn't have been a great family; I will never know. But I think first impressions are very important, and if a family takes the time to talk to you and explain everything they can about their life, their family and so on it is much more probable that they will take time to show you around once you get there and to make sure that you are feeling okay in their house. 

So overall, what I am trying to say is that you should really trust the feeling you get after reading those first e-mails. 

domingo, 12 de julio de 2015

Aupair advice: How to meet other aupairs.

If you are anything like me, one of your main worries will be about meeting other aupairs who you can hang out and spend time with. This will widely vary on your location.

There are some countries, like France, Germany and England where hiring aupairs is a very common thing. In these countries meeting other aupairs and being able to get together with them will be much easier, as you might have another aupair right next to your house. In the other hand, there are other countries where hosting au pairs is not such a common thing and where meeting other aupairs will be harder; Spain and Portugal for example are countries where hiring aupairs is not as common as it is in other countries. 

This will also depend on where your family lives. If you are going to stay in a big city or close to a big city it will be much easier to meet other auparis or exchange students who you will have lots of things in common with. If you are told that the host family lives in a small town away from any big cities keep in mind that finding other aupairs will be harder. But don't get me wrong, this can also mean that if you don't spend time with other aupairs you might spend more time with the host family getting to know other places and you might also make a group of local friends, which will be great for your experience!

If, as I said before, you are going to be living in a big city or close to one you can find a group of auparis in the area through Facebook; if you are going to be staying in Paris for example look for groups named "Aupairs Paris 2015" or "English speakers Paris" and you will find various groups of people you might enjoy meeting. 

Then again, if you sign up for a language course you wil get to meet other aupairs and foreigners who you can hang out with. 

And lastly, in big cities there are many clubs where they make aupair meet ups and who make monthly or semi-montly meet ups and who also make trips about twica a year.

So, in conclusion, if you are an open minded person and willing to meet new people, no matter where you go, you will for sure find people to spend time with.

martes, 7 de julio de 2015

Being an aupair: feeling anxious.

If, like me, you are waiting for the moment to start working as an aupair to come, or if you are about to leave your country to move away, you are probably feeling just like I am feeling right now: ANXIOUS.

You still have a million things to do before leaving, you need to get everything ready and say goodbye to so many people that you will need weeks to get to hang with all of them and you have to organize the trip. And, of course, this can get overwealming, so, you feel scared. Scared of everything you are leaving behind and will miss, and scared of all the things you will have to face once you get to your new home.

But don't panic, really, do NOT panic. When I feel over overwhelmed I leave whatever I am doing, I go outside, sit on my porch and after lighting a cigarrette I think of everything I want to do once I get to my host country. I think of all the things I am looking fordward to doing with my hostkids, I think of all the French I will learn and I think of all the new places I will get to visit. I just turn my thoughts around and get a positive view on the whole thing. I remember the main reason why I decided to be an aupair and it really works for me. So, I highly recommend doing the same thing and not letting the insecurities ruin the preparation for a new adventure.

lunes, 6 de julio de 2015

Aupair advice: Crafts to make with children

When working as an aupair, you spend many hours with the children you are caring for. It is very easy to turn on the TV, have them watch it and stop worrying, but...
one: you weren't hired to have the kids watching TV while you spend hours with your cellphone.
and two: the kids will soon get bored and they will become harder to handle. 

Because of this, in the summer or whenever the weather is good, take the kids to a park, take a walk with them, go to the swimming pool or do any kind of outside activities you all enjoy. But... what if the weather is bad? Very often, specially during the winter, you will have to keep them home, so in order to keep them entertained, what better than doing some crafts with them? So here I am collecting a list of crafts you can do with things that can easily be found in the house.


Homemade clay (plasticine):

You will need:

  • A cup of water.
  • A spoonfull of oil.
  • Three cups of flour.
  • Food coloring. 
How to do it:

Mix together all the ingredientes except the flour and mix it all until you get an homogeneous mixture; make sure to add enough food coloring to have a bright colored micture once you add the flour. Slowly add the flour and mix it all; keep mixing until you get a mixture as thick as cookie dough. Mix until the color has spread to all the mixture, and you are done! Now the kids can play with it, and even if the little ones put it in their mouth they are safe, because this mixture is not toxic!






Stamps with potatoes:

This craft is very simple and the kids will have fun both making them and playing with them after they have been done. 

In order to make stamps with potatoes you will only need three things: potatoes, knifes (plastic knifes if you are going to let the kids use them) and liquid paint. First, cut the potatoes in half horizontally and once you have half a potatoe incise the shape you want on them. Once you have made all the shapes you wanted to do, paint the potatoes and use them as stamps! The kids will love it! 



Picture frames:

You will need:

  • Cardboard.
  • Paint (markers, liquid paint and others)
  • Glue.
  • Scissors. 
  • A picture.
How to do it:

First cut the cardboard in the shape you want the picture frame to have; remember to make both the front and the back part. Now, together with the children decorate the cardboard, you can decorate it by painting it, by sadding stickers... feel free to use your imagination! Lastly paste the picture to the back part and then glue the front part too. Now all you need to do is find a spot where you can put the picture in the new homemade frame. 



Anti-stress balls.

These balls are great both to play with them and even to simply hold them and you only need 3 ingredients to make them: rice, balloons and a funnel.

First choose a balloon, fill it with rice (untill it is as big as an egg) by using the funnel and tie it with a small knot. Now take another balloon and cut the narrow part of it; then, cover the fist baloon with this second one. If you want to make the ball harder to break so that you don't run into a room full of rice on the floor (or even worse, have the parents come home and find their kids' room unexplainably covered in rice). 

This craft only takes two minutes and the kids will love to play with things that they created themselves. 


Colorfull sugar.

This craft is also very simple and the kids love it. I did it in class when I was 7 and I remember that my classmates and I loved it. The result of it is very nice and the kids can make it as a gift for their parents, they will feel incredibly proud of it!

You will need:
  • Sugar.
  • Chalk in different colors.
  • A seethrough pot (plastic or glass) that has a lid. transparente.
How to do it:

Take some sugar (a handfull for instance), color it very well with chalk and put it appart from the rest of the sugar. Now do the same with as many colors as you want always making sure that the colros don't get mixed. Once you have colored all the sugar take it in parts and put it in the pot carefully so that the colors don't get mixed (if they do you will have a pot full of brownish sugar). Fill it in completely, and lastly close the lid very strongly. You will love the result! 

domingo, 5 de julio de 2015

Visiting my host family before I become an au pair

As I mentioned in another post, I actually got to meet  my host family before I we decided that I would be working for them. The family I will be staying with lives 900km away from me, but on holiday they usually rent a house in a town that is an hour away from where I live. So, last summer while they were on vacation they came and visited me.

Well, in a couple of weeks they are going to a place 400km away from where I live to spend a couple of days, so we decided that I would go on vacation to the same place with my boyfriend and we will get to spend a couple days together. So I will be seing them soon! 

This is going to be great for me, as it will allow me to spend time with them, getting to know them before starting to work for them, and this will help me feel more confident by the time I go and move in with them. 

There is not much to tell you guys about it, but I will tell you more about it when I go and visit them. 

domingo, 28 de junio de 2015

Homesickness when living abroad

If you are following my blog you will know that I still haven't started my au pair experience, but I can tell you that I know the feeling of homesickness.

A few years ago, when I was 17, I packed everything up and I went to the USA thousands of kilometres away from home to be an exchange student in an American high school. I left my parents behind in an airport and left for a far a away land for 10 months. I left knowing that for 10 months I would not see anyone from back home, as I could not receive any visits and I was not allowed to visit home, not even for Christmass. So I certainly know what it's like to feel homesick.

And there are two things I want to tell you about it:it is totally normal to feel homesick and it gets better with time. 

If you cry yourself to sleep on the first nights, or if there are times when you can't hold it in anymore and you end up hiding somewhere to cry those tears you have been holding for a while don't worry. That is absolutely normal. Not only are you missing everbody and everything back home, you are also trying to adapt to a whole new environment, you are taking in a huge amount of changes in a very short period of time, and that, of course is a lot to deal with. A new place, a new language, new routines... those are a lot of changes to take in all at once, so sometimes you just give in and cry. 

The best thing you can do is to keep yourself bussy. Plan your days so that you have many things to do, the more things you do, the less time you will have to feel homesick. And the more tired you get the sooner you will fall asleep and you will avoid those long nights where you cry out of feeling nothalgic. 

Another thing you should do is find someone you can talk to. Talking to those back home is great and it will be of great help for you, but talking to someone who is there for you and who is going through the same things as you will be very helpfull aswell. 

And lastly don't get those sad moments condition you. As I said earlier it is normal to feel that way and it gets better with time. Don't plan an early return because you think you won't addapt. Maybe now it will be hard to believe, but soon will come the time when you will have to go back home and then you will have a hard time saying goobye and adapting back to the life back home. So enjoy your stay at the most and give yourself some time to adapt to all the changes. 

jueves, 25 de junio de 2015

Let's bag our luggage.

Packing up all the stuff you are going to need for a whole year... Let's face it, it's IMPOSSIBLE. That is why we need to do two things: choose and minimize.

There will be many things you will need to buy once you get to your host country and others that you will have to manage without. But we need to pack up things that are absolutely necessary and those things that will be either hard to find or too expensive to buy in your host country. Here goes my list of what you should pack up:


  • Basic clothing. Be realistic, you won't be able to take with you all the clothes you would like to take with you. Once you get to your "new home" you will end up buying lots of clothes and when you go back home you will probably leave many of those clothes in your host family's home. That's why it's convenient to choose a few clothing items that you really like and specially the clothes you feel that you will use most in your host country. Always check for the weather around the year in the area where you will be staying and choose the clothes to take with you wisely.
  • Vanity kit. Don't pack everything that you will be using. Don't take shampooes, hair softeners, body lotions... with you, they will take too much space in your suitcase and they can be easily found in any supermarket. Take only specific or expensive things that you will need, like your favorite make up, or similar things. If you are are going to take hair dryers or straightening remember to make sure that the plugs in your hometown and in your host country are the same. 
  • Computer. If you own a laptop take it with you. Being with your loved ones will be something you will miss much more than you ever imagined, specially on the first days. This is why e-mails, skype talks and every online contact will be more than necessary for you.
  • Things that remind you of home. As I already mentioned, there will always be people from back home that you will miss. Take little things that remind you of them that you can put in your new room and feel like you are home when you look at them. Take some printed pictures, gifts they made for you, letters they wrote you before you left... Take with you little things that will help you feel like you are with your loved ones. 
  • Gifts. Even though it is not a must, take some gifts for your host family, they will give you somethingfor sure when you leave, and a little gift will lead to a good start. For the kids, you can buy a book or a toy you think they might like, and in the case of babies you can buy them a blanket or some clothes you think the parents might like. And for the parents either typical food from your country or any kind of souvenir are great for a first gift.
  • Bikini or bathing suit. They always come in handy. Even if you think you might never use it, you never know when a plan to a swimming pool or a trip to the beach might come up. A bikini doesn't take away any space in your suitcase and it is convenient to take one with you just in case.
  • Winter accesories. If you are going to be living in a cold place take a pair of gloves and a winter hat with you. They don't take much space and if you take them with you, the morning you wake up and feel the cold weather out announcing that winter has come you will be prepared to face it.
  • Medicine. You will not always be able to find all the medicines you need in your host country. So, I highly recommend taking with you all the medicine you will need on the first months.  
  • Cell phone. Obviously, you will not be able to use your regular phone for your whole stay, as it would be too expensive. But I highly recommend taking your cell phone specially for the first day, so that you have a mean of communication in case things don't go as expected.
  • Money. You don't know when you will have acces to a bank and remember that you will still have expenses before getting your first pay; so, it is very important to bring some money with you for your first stay.

domingo, 14 de junio de 2015

To keep in mind when choosing a family

There are many things to keep in mind when choosinf a family, the importance of each of them depends on us, but I would deeply recommend to keep all of these in mind when deciding if a family is the right one for you:


  • The parents: The first thing to metion and what I personally believe is the most important factor is the parents attitude towards you. When you look to profiles, try to find comments made by the parents about being willing to make the au pair feel like she is part of the family; this shows that they are not only looking for a housekeeper or a babysitter, but that they are interested in the cultural exchange and that you will be welcomed to participate with them in different family events. The connection you feel in the e-mail exchanges is also something to take into account. If from the beggining you feel like you don't click with each other find another family. Keep in mind that the first days you spend with the family you will feel vulnerable and that a good relationship with the family will be of great help in those moments.
  • The children:  If you are one of those people who hates dirty diapers and who can't stand crying children don't consider choosing a family with babies. If, in the other hand, you are not an active person, who is also patiend and who is willing to run, get dirty and to play a thousand games, don't choose a family with older children who need to be entertained all the time. Most of your time in the host country wil be spent with the children you will be taking care of, so, keep in mind what kind of care those children will need and if you will be able to face those needs in a daily basis. 
  • Where they live. If you hate the countryside and you are a city person, don't consider moving to a small town or to a house away from civilization. And obviously, if you are a country person who hates the stress and the movement of big cities and prefers the quiet and long walks with nobody around, you better not choose a family who lives in a big city. Both places have its advantages and disadvantages. Usually, the famillies who live in the countryside have bigger houses and more place to play, while most of the families living in big cities live in appartments. At the same time, living in a big city implies having many things to do both with the children and on your own or with friends; while in little towns or in the countryside the things you will be able to do are limited
  • What will your duties be? Most families will ask you to help with some "light housework"; insist to the parents to specify which this will include. Some families might only ask you to pick up the toys the kids leave out, while others might ask for much more (cleaning the kids' rooms, doing laundry, ironing, cooking, cleaning their dishes...). Always remember which tasks you are NOT supposed to be doing: cleaning and tidying up the parents' bedroom, doing big cleaning work, cleaning windows, doing the parents' laundry... Keep in ming that being an au pair means taking care of the children, not being a housekeeper.  

My host family

I feel extremelly fortunate that I found the family I will be moving with. I was lucky to meet in person this family last summer. We met each other through aupair-world.es (very well on advance, as I met them last summer and I had no plans of becoming an au pair until this summer)and on a skype conversation we had the host mom mentioned that they go on vacation to a town an hour away from mine every year. We made plans and met in a town very close from mine. They basically came where I live! How cool is that? They are truly amazing. As soon as we met I inmediately clicked with the parents, they were nice open and with an adveturous soul just like mine. With the kids everything was harder, as a language was a barrier. The oldest one was 3 at the time and he only spoke French, which I'm not good at, and the little one was only 4 months old at the time. 

Ever since that first meet up the host mom and I have exchanged letters in a weekly basis, she updates me on how the family is doing and I tell her how I am doing, we have agreed on my duties while I am there and she has made great efforst to help me know more about the place where I will be staying. 

I have learned that they live in a pretty big appartment with a great yard and a very nice terrace. They both work long days and my dutie will be to take care of the children after they get out of school and kindergarden and to feed the oldest one lunch at lunch time (so picking him up from school, feeding him lunch and driving him back to school). I will also be doing some light housework that mainly includes cleaning after the children. I will be living in a small town and they will let me use the family car, which is very convenient both to drive the children around and to get to my French classes.

Overall, I feel extremely lucky that I found them, and I really hope that once I get to their house we will keep getting along as well as we do now. 

Should I be an au pair?

Ever since I discovered what being an au pair means I decided that sooner or later I would be one. I knew that when the right moment came I would pack up my things and move to another country to learn a new language while taking care of children.

I love traveling and I love children, so, the best combination of these two things is being an au pair. 

I had been thinking of being an au pair for years, I had almost left for summer long stays as an au pair, but due to different things that happened when it came to finding the best dates that would fit me, I ended up putting it off. My first intention was to work as an au pair during summers while being in college and as soon as I graduated to pack my stuff and to move for a whole year. 


But I ended up skipping the part of trying the experience on summer stays and jumped straight to starting this adventure on a year long stay. I just graduated from college and I am positive this is the right time. I am in one of those now or never times in my life, so I refused to put it off once again. 


But being an au pair is not for everybody, every thing has its pros and its cons, that is why I am going to list some of the basic requirements that in my opinion are necessary to be an au pair.



  • Being passionate about children: This is, obviously, the basic requirement for being an au pair. The little ones you take care of will be the ones you will be spending most of the time with and as you will probably know, taking care of children is not an easy thing. While being an au pair you will be their mother, sister, friend and teacher all at once and this duty does not come without work. Unless you do this with all your heart you will soon give up and give an ending to the adventure. 
  • To be willing to learn a new language. When you move to a country where a language other than yours is spoken you will need to learn the language in order to communicate. This can be hard and frustrating at first, but if you have your mind set on doing so and if you are willing to learn the language you will soon start to acquire it, and sooner than you expect it you will be able to understand and carry on any conversation.
  • Having a bit of an adventurous soul. Being away from your loved ones, not knowing when you will see them again, starting over in a new country and having to learn a new language in order to communicate with the people around you requires of a little bit of an adventurous soul. There will be times when you will need to be strong, and sometimes you will not be able to keep it together anymore and you will cry. But for each of the hard times you will go through you will live a million great moments, and with a little bit of positivity and hope there will be nothing you won't be able to handle.
  • Not being in it for the money. If what you expect is to earn a lot of money and to save up, being an au pair is not for you. If what you want is to earn and save yo money, you are better off finding a waitress job at a bar or restaurant in your hometown. There are lots of things about being an au pair, but earning lots of money is not one of them. Some families pay more than others, and you won't have to spend money in rent and food, but you will still have expenses. Going out means spending money, adapting to a new country and buying everything you will need will be expensive and traveling around will cost you great part of what you earn. So, if you are in it for the money, being an au pair is not for you.
  • To be willing to live new experiences. You will go back home with thousands of stories to tell and you will live a million adventures that you were not expecting to live. You will remember this experience for years and you will go back home being a different person. And I know for a fact that people who are open to live new experiences and who face things with a positive attitude have a much better expecience. 

sábado, 13 de junio de 2015

Welcome to my blog

Hi guys!

My name is Enara, I'm 21 years old and in just a few weeks I am going to start the amazing adventure of being an aupair. 

Starting from now, I will be telling you my preparation to be an aupair and once I get to my host country, I will be telling you my experience  so that future aupairs, au pairs who are already working as so and people considering becoming aupairs can read my story and ask questions if they want to.

Starting an adventure can be hard, thousands of questions and fears come up to our mind and we all collect stories that we would like to share with others. This is why, anyone who reads me can feel free to ask any questions, and if you want to you can send me advice for other au pairs and stories you would like me to share with others.