It all started last summer when my seasonal job of 5 years came to a close. It was a great job, I obviously enjoyed it, being there summer after summer since high school. My boss was awesome and I will be lucky to in done half as great as her in the future. My actual job was really enjoyable for me, stressful at times but regardless I never dreaded coming to work. I had really awesome coworkers whom I never would have met without this job. People who are not my really great friends. People who made the summers fly by and constantly made my days better. It was all great, but it wasn't enough. I was going into my senior year of college,(I have one super senior semester left, thankfully,) and I vowed to myself I would get a job that was closer to my major or my future career. So it began.
I love to travel so I started to look for jobs outside of the US and some across the country, Florida, NY, Georgia, etc. My school year job has always been nannying and I love kids so I looked for au pair jobs. A nanny in a different country, sounds perfect!! I applied and made profiles to a few different au pair/nanny sites and got a few offers. I applied for camp jobs, service jobs and au pair jobs on this random website I found. Early spring semester I got an email saying they wanted to place me with a family in Galicia, Spain. There were 5-6 families to go through that wanted me to be their au pair. I narrowed it down after reading profiles and looking at pictures. I chose a family of five with three young boys. They looked like a nice family, they lived in a neighborhood outside of the city and didn't have any pets or big red flags. I skyped them, sent some paper work an centrally bought my plane ticket. It took a few months for it all to go through but it also felt too quick to be signing away my summer and purchasing that expensive ticket. Going in I knew I didn't take this job for the money, because there honestly wasn't any. I wanted to expand my Spanish speaking skills and meet another family and the obvious, BE IN SPAIN. The families that I have nannied for in the past have all become MY family so I figured this one would be no different. I figured we would have an amazing summer together doing fun things everyday and I would never want to leave. I thought I would meet lots of friends and go out and explore the city during all my free time. I was sure this family would be invited and attend my (very future) wedding. I was beyond excited to be going on this adventure to Spain.
The month leading up to leaving I had enormous doubts. I was terrified of leaving. A summer alone, away from Boise! No, I can't do it! I have to miss family vacation, my best friends birthday, MY BIRTHDAY? What on earth was I thinking?? I couldn't change what I had done so I said my goodbyes, overpacked my suitcase and headed off on my solo journey without looking back.
The minute I met my family and started to settle in I was weary, but I chalked it off to being dreadfully her lagged. The first weekend was great and I was excited for the summer. The first two weeks after were not great. The boys really seemed to hate me, the parents were only present on the weekends and the housekeeper was sassy. The other au pairs I met were not my kind of people and the Spanish class I took was a joke. I didn't have specified days or times off, I was just expected to be wherever the kids were, always. I was miserable. I wanted to leave, go home, go somewhere else, anything! Everyone told me that it would get after the first couple weeks. They told me I couldn't complain because I was in Spain. Both were really annoying because I obviously knew how long I had been there and that I was in Spain. That didn't change the fact I was the most unhappy I had ever been in my life. There was no wifi so I shouldn't talk to my family or check emails unless I went to the library. To get anywhere I had to cross the highway which was super sketchy. They don't keep very good food in the house so I started to get really sick. I hid in my room whenever I didn't have to be downstairs with the kids. I reread the entire Harry Potter series in a week. (Okay, this was actually the best, not complaining.) The boys hated everything I did. I tried everything, and I mean everything. I went to the library when they were at school and tried to find new games and fun activities that I could try to use to teach then English. Nothing worked. For so many hours I either sat in complete silence or I was yelled at. I got kicked and punched and pinched so much. I was physically and emotionally exhausted all the time. I looked up plane tickets, tried to figure out a way to give my two weeks and come home early. I couldn't be this unhappy for another month and a half. I talked I the lady who is in charge of the program and I broke down in front of her and then a few days later in from of the mom. I explained how I felt and they both told me it was normal to feel like that and it would get better. Just keep at it, they told me. I wasn't convinced.
We finally got wifi so I was able to talk to my family and friends as well as read articles and send emails. This helped a lot. I finally decided I needed to make a change. I wasn't going to go home but I couldn't continue being so unhappy. So unTaryn. I decided that July would be a good month for me. I changed my attitude back to the optimistic , enthusiastic person I was before u left. I decided not to worry so much about the kids and their distaste for English. I decided not to worry about not having friends and feeling lonely when I was out an about with or without the family.And believe it or not, it worked. I wasn't having the time of my life, but at least I wasn't miserable anymore.
My birthday(my favorite holiday) was a sad affair but I got over that quickly. The fun weekends at the beach house with the real bed rather than a futon powered me through the week. I took up running as a hobby and it helped. I made a calendar for the time remaining and counted down everyday. It all helped. I began my chill English classes where all we did was watch YouTube videos,(in English) of whatever they wanted. It was be the best attempt but we were all happier because of it.
The third week of July was another game hanger. The boys seemed to actually like me instead of just tolerate me. The youngest one told me he would miss me. The middle one said he would miss me and gave me one of his bracelets. The oldest one. The hardest to break told me he wanted me to stay forever because he likes me. I was super happy but also confused. How could they kids who were so mean to me just yesterday suddenly like me? Perhaps my perseverance and countless hours of trying to relate I then finally worked it for me. I didn't want to say it out loud or blog about it because it seemed too good to be true. Don't get me wrong, they were still sassy and rotten to me on the daily, but in those few quiet moments together I knew I had finally created a bond with these boys. I love them and I will miss them. A month ago I never thought I would say that but now that I've said goodbye I am filled with sadness.
A few things I learned this summer:
-Spanish children are raised very different than American children.
-Boys are always rambunctious, wherever you go.
-Kids don't like homework in the summer(DUH)
-YouTube is a Godaend
-A good mattress can do wonders
-Not everything goes how you think it will and that is OKAY
-Never Give Up
-Don't change your outlook just because your situation isn't ideal.
-Everyone is capable of love
One thing is for sure, this summer wasn't what I expected, but I think it was what I needed. My spanish got a little better and I am pretty tan now so I can't complain about that. I saw a bunch of new places in Spain. I went to authentic Spanish family parties. I tried a lot of new food, some good, (croquetas,) some bad,(octopus.) I spent many days at a beautiful beach practicing my spanish with genuinely nice people. I met a lot of really awesome families who made me feel welcome. I can whine all I want about my summer au pairing, but I'll try not to evaluate in reality although it was nothing I expected, it was unforgettable.
I don't know if I will ever see the family again. I hope so, someday when we are are older. Maybe they can au pair my children. Either way I am proud if myself. I am proud of myself for being brave enough to trade my summer of normalcy for a summer of unknown. I'm proud that I made the best of a difficult situation and so many people have told me they were inspired by my attitude and I love that. I am proud that I made even the littlest of differences in those three boys lives.
So now that we've said our goodbyes, my vacation begins! I am going to stay in the house alone and relax for a few days as well as hang out with my new friend Heidi. On Wednesday I take an overnight bus to my second home, San Sebastián, until I head back to beautiful Boise, Idaho!
Thank you to everyone who supported me this summer. Thanks for the sweet messages, techs, snap chats, letters and facetimes. I feel lived and can't wait to be home and take in my next adventure, graduating!
Until my next update!
Ciao!
Xoxo
Taryn
I love to travel so I started to look for jobs outside of the US and some across the country, Florida, NY, Georgia, etc. My school year job has always been nannying and I love kids so I looked for au pair jobs. A nanny in a different country, sounds perfect!! I applied and made profiles to a few different au pair/nanny sites and got a few offers. I applied for camp jobs, service jobs and au pair jobs on this random website I found. Early spring semester I got an email saying they wanted to place me with a family in Galicia, Spain. There were 5-6 families to go through that wanted me to be their au pair. I narrowed it down after reading profiles and looking at pictures. I chose a family of five with three young boys. They looked like a nice family, they lived in a neighborhood outside of the city and didn't have any pets or big red flags. I skyped them, sent some paper work an centrally bought my plane ticket. It took a few months for it all to go through but it also felt too quick to be signing away my summer and purchasing that expensive ticket. Going in I knew I didn't take this job for the money, because there honestly wasn't any. I wanted to expand my Spanish speaking skills and meet another family and the obvious, BE IN SPAIN. The families that I have nannied for in the past have all become MY family so I figured this one would be no different. I figured we would have an amazing summer together doing fun things everyday and I would never want to leave. I thought I would meet lots of friends and go out and explore the city during all my free time. I was sure this family would be invited and attend my (very future) wedding. I was beyond excited to be going on this adventure to Spain.
The month leading up to leaving I had enormous doubts. I was terrified of leaving. A summer alone, away from Boise! No, I can't do it! I have to miss family vacation, my best friends birthday, MY BIRTHDAY? What on earth was I thinking?? I couldn't change what I had done so I said my goodbyes, overpacked my suitcase and headed off on my solo journey without looking back.
The minute I met my family and started to settle in I was weary, but I chalked it off to being dreadfully her lagged. The first weekend was great and I was excited for the summer. The first two weeks after were not great. The boys really seemed to hate me, the parents were only present on the weekends and the housekeeper was sassy. The other au pairs I met were not my kind of people and the Spanish class I took was a joke. I didn't have specified days or times off, I was just expected to be wherever the kids were, always. I was miserable. I wanted to leave, go home, go somewhere else, anything! Everyone told me that it would get after the first couple weeks. They told me I couldn't complain because I was in Spain. Both were really annoying because I obviously knew how long I had been there and that I was in Spain. That didn't change the fact I was the most unhappy I had ever been in my life. There was no wifi so I shouldn't talk to my family or check emails unless I went to the library. To get anywhere I had to cross the highway which was super sketchy. They don't keep very good food in the house so I started to get really sick. I hid in my room whenever I didn't have to be downstairs with the kids. I reread the entire Harry Potter series in a week. (Okay, this was actually the best, not complaining.) The boys hated everything I did. I tried everything, and I mean everything. I went to the library when they were at school and tried to find new games and fun activities that I could try to use to teach then English. Nothing worked. For so many hours I either sat in complete silence or I was yelled at. I got kicked and punched and pinched so much. I was physically and emotionally exhausted all the time. I looked up plane tickets, tried to figure out a way to give my two weeks and come home early. I couldn't be this unhappy for another month and a half. I talked I the lady who is in charge of the program and I broke down in front of her and then a few days later in from of the mom. I explained how I felt and they both told me it was normal to feel like that and it would get better. Just keep at it, they told me. I wasn't convinced.
We finally got wifi so I was able to talk to my family and friends as well as read articles and send emails. This helped a lot. I finally decided I needed to make a change. I wasn't going to go home but I couldn't continue being so unhappy. So unTaryn. I decided that July would be a good month for me. I changed my attitude back to the optimistic , enthusiastic person I was before u left. I decided not to worry so much about the kids and their distaste for English. I decided not to worry about not having friends and feeling lonely when I was out an about with or without the family.And believe it or not, it worked. I wasn't having the time of my life, but at least I wasn't miserable anymore.
My birthday(my favorite holiday) was a sad affair but I got over that quickly. The fun weekends at the beach house with the real bed rather than a futon powered me through the week. I took up running as a hobby and it helped. I made a calendar for the time remaining and counted down everyday. It all helped. I began my chill English classes where all we did was watch YouTube videos,(in English) of whatever they wanted. It was be the best attempt but we were all happier because of it.
The third week of July was another game hanger. The boys seemed to actually like me instead of just tolerate me. The youngest one told me he would miss me. The middle one said he would miss me and gave me one of his bracelets. The oldest one. The hardest to break told me he wanted me to stay forever because he likes me. I was super happy but also confused. How could they kids who were so mean to me just yesterday suddenly like me? Perhaps my perseverance and countless hours of trying to relate I then finally worked it for me. I didn't want to say it out loud or blog about it because it seemed too good to be true. Don't get me wrong, they were still sassy and rotten to me on the daily, but in those few quiet moments together I knew I had finally created a bond with these boys. I love them and I will miss them. A month ago I never thought I would say that but now that I've said goodbye I am filled with sadness.
A few things I learned this summer:
-Spanish children are raised very different than American children.
-Boys are always rambunctious, wherever you go.
-Kids don't like homework in the summer(DUH)
-YouTube is a Godaend
-A good mattress can do wonders
-Not everything goes how you think it will and that is OKAY
-Never Give Up
-Don't change your outlook just because your situation isn't ideal.
-Everyone is capable of love
One thing is for sure, this summer wasn't what I expected, but I think it was what I needed. My spanish got a little better and I am pretty tan now so I can't complain about that. I saw a bunch of new places in Spain. I went to authentic Spanish family parties. I tried a lot of new food, some good, (croquetas,) some bad,(octopus.) I spent many days at a beautiful beach practicing my spanish with genuinely nice people. I met a lot of really awesome families who made me feel welcome. I can whine all I want about my summer au pairing, but I'll try not to evaluate in reality although it was nothing I expected, it was unforgettable.
I don't know if I will ever see the family again. I hope so, someday when we are are older. Maybe they can au pair my children. Either way I am proud if myself. I am proud of myself for being brave enough to trade my summer of normalcy for a summer of unknown. I'm proud that I made the best of a difficult situation and so many people have told me they were inspired by my attitude and I love that. I am proud that I made even the littlest of differences in those three boys lives.
So now that we've said our goodbyes, my vacation begins! I am going to stay in the house alone and relax for a few days as well as hang out with my new friend Heidi. On Wednesday I take an overnight bus to my second home, San Sebastián, until I head back to beautiful Boise, Idaho!
Thank you to everyone who supported me this summer. Thanks for the sweet messages, techs, snap chats, letters and facetimes. I feel lived and can't wait to be home and take in my next adventure, graduating!
Until my next update!
Ciao!
Xoxo
Taryn
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