That’s right, I’m here, in Paris. Safe and sound and no, I didn’t get TAKEN for those of you who were wondering.
Some of you already know why I’m here, some of you don’t. Well, after many months of emails, paperwork, phone calls, tears of anger, much frustration, and a delayed layover, I have finally arrived in Paris (or more specifically, Saint Denis, a town just outside of Paris) to begin my job as an au pair!
What is an au pair, you may ask? To put it simply, I am an underpaid, foreign nanny. I’m here to educate and be educated in the french culture, and to have the time of my life! I chose to come to Paris because I want to become fluent in french and because, well, because I just wanted to, so there.
This is my first evening here, and my room is adorable. It has all kinds of nooks and cubbies of the sort my maternal instincts adore. I cannot tell you how much fun I had just putting my clothes away, chanting in my head “I’m in Paris, holy snap, I’m in Paris. Paris!” over and over. And, I have a balcony. That’s right, a balcony! It has a little lounge, a 3X3 pine box garden, and only one other door that connects through the office. I hear the traffic through my window, all the cars, trains, and even airplanes, and I know it will send me right off to sleep.
My new Host Family, the Bouquets, are fabulous, I love them already. They have been so kind and thoughtful and patient with my limited French abilities and their – albeit less limited – English abilities.
And now, dear reader, I am writing a blog post at 10:00 pm or, as they know it here, 22:00, hoping that you will forgive my lack of posts for the past, oh, 3, 4, maybe even 5 months, I don’t actually know. But I promise to keep you updated far more regularly. I have no life or friends yet, so it shouldn’t be too hard! But, as I am extremely jet-lagged and have to get up tomorrow morning at 07:00 to get started with my routine, this will have to be it all for tonight.
As the french say, Bon Nuit!
Reblogged this on Average Us and commented:
Good morning readers… I wanted to share this post from my daughter’s blog. It’s her first post from her new home in Paris, yes THAT Paris. We’re very proud of her and look forward to hearing about her experiences working as an au pair. If that interests you too, you can follow her blog directly.
P.S. some of you may realize the irony of my having a daughter in France who loves the language, since I had real trouble with my high school French teacher and actually was allowed to drop the class (and graduate without a foreign language credit).
Fun times! Enjoy! And remember, Matthew 6:33 translates well in French, too, I think