Week 7

It’s Monday morning and whereas I’d normally be on the metro headed to class at this time, today is the first day of vacation for me! I guess here in France the kids get 2 weeks of vacation about every 6 or 7 weeks. I’m looking at the school calendar right now and they have two weeks of vacation now, over Christmas, half of February and half of April. Then school finishes July 4th. Pretty sweet deal, eh?

Of course, for au pairs this vacation can mean a few different things. I’m very lucky because the girls are visiting their grandparents this week. I have to pick the oldest up at the train station on Friday, but other than that I’m free for the week. The week after the girls will be with their dad, so depending on whether he gets called to work I may or may not have to work. I know other au pairs who are going on vacation with their families for the two weeks. I also know au pairs who are having to work overtime and take care of the kids all day long. That’s really rough.

My school has a lot of au pairs so they are accommodating of this situation. We’re able to take off the time for les vacances scolaires and not lose the money we paid for it. I paid for 12 weeks of class so now instead of ending on December 6th, I’ll be finishing on the 20th (just in time to head home for Christmas!) The course does still continue on without us since the class isn’t made up exclusively of au pairs so I’ll have to follow along with the textbook from home, but that’s not too bad.

So what will I be doing with my time off? Truthfully, I’m not entirely sure yet. When I found out I’d get a few days off I immediately started looking at cheap flights and hostels but it felt very overwhelming. I never did that whole backpacking around Europe thing after school so I have no experience with this stuff and I’m nervous about doing it on my own! I’m going to start sketching out ideas of places I want to go and the best things to do there/places to stay/ways to get there so that the next time I get a bit of time off I’ll be more prepared. I don’t want to waste this time though so I’m going to try to do something fun in or around Paris every day. After I write this post I’m heading on over to Trip Advisor to get some ideas.

DOGS

I’ve been meaning to write down a few observations about dogs here for all my grooming friends back home. First of all, the French are not great about cleaning up after their dogs. It’s a good idea to keep your eyes on the ground when you’re out and about cause there’s crap everywhere.

Another thing that it doesn’t seem many French do for their dogs is spaying/neutering. The vast majority of dogs I see have…well you know. I want to keep this blog PG! Seriously though guys, I’m already forgetting all the hilarious names we’ve come up with for their bits. Help me out!

In terms of breeds I’d say the most popular that I’ve noticed have been French bulldogs, English cockers and yorkies. Pretty funny since at home we have more English bulldogs and American cockers. Not too many shih tzus and surprisingly not too many poodles. I think when it comes to large breeds I’ve seen more mutts than purebreds but most of the purebreds I’ve seen have been bully breeds. I don’t think I’ve seen any labs or shepherds!

Oh and one final observation is that I see dogs without leashes all the time. Not just in parks, but on the streets too. Most of the leash-less dogs have kept close to their owners and minded their own business but I did see one dog without a leash that was being aggressive to another dog (who was on a leash) and then owner had to walk back and grab him by his collar to pull him away. Crazy idea, but maybe if your dog can get aggressive then you should keep him on a leash! Just saying.

VISIT TO THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE

Thursday morning I had an appointment with the immigration office to get my carte de sejour for staying in France. I guess just the visa on its own isn’t enough for whatever reason. I don’t really understand but I just did what I had to do. The appointment took about an hour and a half and consisted of a medical check up and then an administrative meeting as well. I managed to get through the entire visit understanding and speaking French, so that made me feel good. Although I was nervous that perhaps I misunderstood when a doctor put me in a room and told me to take my shirt and bra off to get a chest x-ray. I didn’t want to walk into the room topless and have the doctor say, “What are you doing? Why are you half naked?” Luckily I understood correctly (and side note, my lungs are in great shape).

ENGLISH LESSONS

English lessons for both girls went well this week. I feel like I’ve made progress with both of them and also have further insight into their strengths and weaknesses. I will admit, I’m glad I get a break from lessons for the next two weeks. It’s just a lot of work. I should use some of my time off to compile resources and come up with some lesson plans and worksheets.

WEEKEND

This weekend wasn’t as packed as last weekend but I still managed to get out and about. Saturday night I had dinner and drinks with friends at the tiniest apartment I’ve ever seen. It was probably about the size of my dorm room in first year, if not a bit smaller, and had a bed, dining area, toilet, sink, stove, shower and closet. It was very cute and an amazing use of space! Plus you had a view of the Eiffel Tower from the window, so what’s not to love.

On Sunday the plan was to go to a Mexican restaurant and then visit the catacombs. We did eat lunch at the Mexican restaurant but we took our sweet time getting to the catacombs (including the purchase and enjoyment of a raspberry tart) and by the time we got there it was too late to join the lineup. So we ended up visiting the Jardin du Luxembourg and then wandering over to Notre Dame before heading home. It was a beautiful day, hovering around 20°-22°. My daily routine doesn’t take me through many green spaces so yesterday was the first day I really felt like it was fall and got to see the changing leaves. It’s still nothing compared to Canada! So enjoy the magnificent fall weather at home because we’re really spoiled there.

Biggest vending machine I’ve ever seen. You could buy milk, boxes of cookies, and pre-made dinners here.

Anyway, it’s close to noon now and I have to figure out what I’m doing with my day. À bientôt!

After one month

I am overdue for an update!

So as of yesterday I have been an au pair for one month here in Paris. I’d say things are going pretty well. I’ve started my language courses, met some people, and have settled into my daily routine. The weather has been nicer since my last update as well.

Before I get into the details, I’ll answer Heather’s question from my last post. The answer is yes, from the few social occasions I’ve observed, beer is generally also offered. I’d say wine is more popular though.

SCHOOL

I’ve been taking my French class for 2 weeks now and it’s been really good overall. The school is located in the 19th arrondissement, which luckily for me is the arrondissement I sit right on the border of. It’s a nice short metro ride for me with only one transfer and I’d say it takes 20 minutes to half an hour from when I leave the house to when I arrive at the school. It seems like most other people in the class have a much longer trip to get to and from class, so I am fortunate in that regard.

I’d say there are probably between 15 and 20 people in the class. It’s a little hard to gauge because people are coming and going all the time. I think probably 2/3 to 3/4 of the class are au pairs and the vast majority of the class are girls. I’m a little surprised to find myself older than most, it would seem. There are a couple people older than me but it seems like most of my classmates are between 18 and 20. Nationalities are all over the place, which I think is really cool. I am the only Canadian and there is one American and an Australian. Other nationalities include Austrian, Serbian, Russian, Italian, Swiss, Spanish, Serbian, Venezuelan, Salvadoran, Chinese, Japanese, Syrian, etc. So a very diverse group! It’s interesting to have so many different world perspectives brought to various topics and debates. I felt very proud to be Canadian when the topic of gay marriage came up. It didn’t seem like many people knew that it is legal in Canada.

I have made some friends, which is great because now I have people to do things with and commiserate with on the au pair life here. After conversing with other au pairs, I am very grateful for the family I am with. It seems that a lot of other au pairs don’t like the children very much or find their situations difficult in some way. I am lucky to be with a family who is truly sympa and kids that I don’t have any major issues with. It is true that the youngest has a lot of energy and is babied a little, but she’s a good kid and doesn’t act out too much. It seems like there are more difficulties involved in caring for younger children as well, so I’m lucky to have slightly older kids, as well as ones that are accustomed to having an au pair.

I think the other thing to take into consideration is that a lot of the other au pairs are younger and this is their first experience leaving home. I’m used to being away from my family (albeit not this far away!) since it’s been 5 years, I think, since I’ve lived at home.

I see this car every day. It’s got Hendrix on the other side. Totally rad, dude

HOME LIFE

The girls now have activities after school, which I’m liking a lot. For the youngest the week is as follows: Monday – guitar, Tuesday – solfège (music theory), Wednesday – nothing right now but art lessons start in a few weeks, Thursday – swimming lessons. Activities give me a little break so I’m not having to entertain for 3 and a half hours everyday and also provide a much needed outlet for the youngest’s boundless energy! Wednesday is a long day if I’m needed because school is only from 8:45-11:45 and then the whole rest of the day is free…it’s a long time. I’m looking forward to art lessons starting!

I shared this story already on Facebook but I’ll write it here as well:

The youngest had written and illustrated two “books” and was having me read them out loud. Now, these books are handwritten in cursive so it’s a bit tough to read. I missed an accent and mispronounced a verb and she was very quick to correct me. She explains to me very seriously, “You see, in French we have verbs. Do you know what verbs are?” Adding this experience to when she explained to me what a coat hanger is used for (after I asked her what the French word for it was), it’s pretty clear the she thinks I’m not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

Canadian bread with grains and dried fruit. I enjoyed it! To be fair, I haven’t had any bread here that I haven’t liked

ENGLISH

English lessons are going ok. I think it’s a bit tough to have an hour on a Friday evening, but she’s so busy with her other activities that we don’t really have any other options. Last week she had a friend that came over toward the end of our lesson and I invited her to join us since I had a little game and some dialogues written up. The friend was much more enthusiastic and willing to speak English. Anytime I speak English with the oldest she either tells me (in French) that she doesn’t understand and asks me to explain in French or she understands but answers me in French anyway. She does well with written vocabulary, translating, and even reading dialogues aloud that I’ve already written, but when I take the paper away, that’s when we have trouble. I’m going to try to think of activities to practice this aspect and give her more confidence.

As of today I have signed on another pupil…and I’m really wondering what I’ve gotten myself into. The mom of my family had come to me saying that she had a friend whose daughter was really struggling with English and since her parents didn’t speak any English they couldn’t help her. So she took me over to their house to introduce us. I quickly found out that the daughter does NOT want to be taking any kind of English lessons. I sat down with the mother first and she explained that she had talked to her daughter about getting English lessons and it was a big argument that essentially ended with “Well, I’m your mother and I decide so you’re taking English lessons”. So it was pretty darn awkward when the daughter and her friend came down to join us. She just kept giving her mom death stares and saying “I’m gonna kill you for this” (speaking figuratively…just thought I’d clarify that). The mom tried to get the daughter to talk to me about what we’d be doing but she wouldn’t so then it fell to me to kind of explain what I’d been doing with the oldest of my family and that I’m trying to focus on fun and interesting activities and games rather than doing grammar exercises like school. It felt like I was interviewing for a position where I wasn’t really wanted…well really, that’s exactly what I was doing. So I’m starting next Saturday and I’m kind of dreading it. The mom of my family said if it’s not working out and I don’t like it then I don’t have an obligation to continue, but I feel like that would be a really awkward conversation to have. I guess we’ll see how it goes.

They have Duff beer in Europe! Oh yeah!

WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING AROUND PARIS

Truthfully, I’ve been pretty slack these past two weeks in terms of doing things around the city. It’s been more tiring than previously because the dad’s been working a lot so I’ve pretty much looked after the girls every day. I actually have to head over to the dad’s around dinner tonight and stay there til about midnight. It shouldn’t be too bad though since both the girls will be in bed by 9 and then I can just do whatever I want until he comes home. After that I don’t think he needs me until Wednesday (otherwise known as the longest day of the week).

I visit the Parc de la Villette every now and then with my music and a book. It’s a nice place to spend some time and it’s close as well. I’ll have to take a picture on a sunny day because La Géode is quite the sight.

Last week I met a friend at the café of the Musée Branly. The mom of my family says that the museum is worth visiting as well. It actually has a “green wall” on part of the exterior, which is made up of moss and plants. It’s really beautiful. To get to the café (and museum entrance), you have to walk through these gardens that also have photographs displayed. We sat out on the terrace where you had the gardens to one side and a good view of the Eiffel Tower (which was very close) to the other side. I had the “gourmet tea”, which was an pot of earl grey served with a few little desserts including a fruit salad, a macaron, a pot de crème and a biscuit. I enjoyed it.

Yesterday I went to an Australian café in the 10th arrondissement with two of my classmates to study for our test on Tuesday. There was definitely more gabbing than studying going on, but that’s alright. We also stopped in at an English store where I found some canned pumpkin so I can make pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving! Pumpkin isn’t really a thing over here. I also picked up a Flake bar, because how could I not. They had Lucky Charms and Reese Puffs there for something like 10 euros. Craziness!

That’s all I can really think of right now. I’m going to try to post once a week, but no promises. Check out my Instagram and Flickr for all my photos.

À bientôt!

Intro post

This blog is going to be dedicated to the next ~10 months of my life. In less than a week I will be flying to Paris and spending my time there as an au pair. Hopefully I will be able to do a decent amount of travelling while I am over there! I thought a blog would be a good way to keep all my friends and family updated on what’s going on with me. I will try to update regularly and I’ll make sure to post lots of photos.

And now for a quick overview on my situation:

What is an au pair?

An au pair is kind of like a nanny. The details vary from country to country and also from family to family but it is a common concept in Europe. I will be living with a family and helping take care of their kids while the parents are working. I stay with the family for free and get a modest weekly allowance. In my case the family will also be paying for my mobile and metro pass. A contingency of being an au pair in France is that I must take French language classes while I am there as well.

What is the family like?

They live in a suburb of Paris. Parents are divorced and I will be living with the mother, but the father is very close by and they share the children week to week. The children are two girls, ages 12 and 7. I have skyped with all four members of the family and I get along with them very well. The mother speaks English quite fluently, the father speaks it fairly well, but the children do not speak it at all.

Why did you decide to do this?

I studied Comparative Literature and Culture in university, which -as you might guess- is basically looking at the literature and culture of mostly Western Europe. I also studied French and Italian as part of my honours specialization. It seemed kind of silly to me to study these cultures and languages without ever experiencing them first hand. Between wanting to travel, wanting to become fluent in French and not wanting to go into debt to do these things, an au pair position seemed like the best fit.

How did you become an au pair?

There are many different sites and agencies you can use if you want to be an au pair. I joined one agency and one site but ended up being the site that I found my family through. The site I used is http://www.aupair-world.net. It’s almost like a matchmaking site, but for families and au pairs. You set up a profile with a few blurbs about yourself and what you’re looking for, set up some parameters to filter through the families and then you’re given all the families that meet your criteria. You also get an email every day linking you to new families who have joined who meet your criteria. I joined in March and even though I was constantly in contact with many families, I didn’t find my family until June. At that point it was time for a seemingly endless stream of paperwork. I had to collect numerous documents including translations of a few documents by an accredited translator and send them to France. These documents along with proof that I had been enrolled in a language course in France then had to be approved by the administration there. Once approved, my contract and proof of enrolment in a language course were sent to me and these documents then made it possible for me to apply for my visa. It took about a month and a half from when my family and I agreed to work with each other to me getting back the documents I needed for my visa. Very much to my chagrin, when I went to book my visa appointment there was nothing available for six weeks – almost two weeks after my contract would be starting in France! I sent an email to the French consulate explaining my situation and amazingly I was given an appointment about a month earlier than my original appointment date. I had quite a few documents to bring to the appointment but it went very quickly and a week later (today!) I received my visa. There will be more paperwork to do once I am in France, but the most stressful part is over.

So that brings us to now. I felt I could finally make a post now that I have my visa and know I will be making it there on time. I’m planning on leaving Monday (less than a week!!!) so I will have a few days to explore Paris before I begin my contract. I have never been to France before!

That’s all for now. My next post will be coming to you from Paris!