Stranger Danger

Ouff.  It has been much too long.  My well intended commitment to blog regularly has hit a speed bump.  A speed bump called working 5 days a week, full-time undergrad study, running a society and the sad semblance of a social life.

*Note: For those non-Canadian readers, pressing the links below will not only change the way you read this blog post, but potentially change your life (a little dramatic, I know, but seriously, click the links).

2 weeks ago, I spent a glorious 24 hours in St. John’s, NL.  I flew in around noon on the 13th, was generously picked up by my high school best friend, Hali, and given an amazing tour of an amazing city.  Despite the wind and the fog, I felt this overwhelming sense of belonging.  I think that’s a pretty typical feeling for most people who visit the Rock, but I could even picturing myself calling that place home (which, in my life, usually means temporarily).  Nonetheless, it was a beautiful time, and an honor to guest speak at the annual NLCSA meeting.

Article: 5 Tips for the Aspiring Au Pair

I just read a really nice article written by an Au Pair in Amsterdam.  The reason this article is so interesting is because I often feel conflicted when explaining to non-Au Pairs the pitfalls and triumphs of being one.

There are two really extreme, but really common, replies after explaining I was, and am applying to be, an Au Pair.  The first is something to the effect of it being such an AMAZING experience with absolutely nothing but POSITIVE aspects.  The other is quite the opposite.  Living with and working for a family with snot-nosed, whiny kids?  That must have been terrible.

Gate D45

 

 

 

This post is long, long overdue, but I come to you live from Pearson International Airport (if you reread the last part in a deep man’s voice, you will get the full experience), with Starbucks in hand and bags under eyes. Ha.

I am returning to Halifax in 2 hours from a 5 day much needed escape from school and work.  I’m not in the right place to dive into the details of what I was doing in Toronto.  I’ll leave that for a later post.

Reblog: 10 Things Your Au Pair Isn’t Saying

This post is a reblog/review of a blog post from Au Pair Garden.  Au Pair Garden is an amazing resource for Au Pairs & Host Families.  I read them often, and when I stumbled across this post, I knew I had to blog about it. (Read the full post here)

I wasn’t sure what to think of this blog post when I first read it.  I was sitting on the fence between thinking it sounded a little harsh and thinking it is the best damn thing I’ve ever read.  Here is a summary of the “10 Things Your Au Pair Isn’t Saying” in bold, and my comments in italics. 

Like Tattoos on This Town

My “Dear Host Family” letter is officially complete. *Insert sigh of relief*.  Considering the fact that I’ve successfully written one before, I assumed it would be an easy task.  It wasn’t.  It’s so entirely different this time, and I guess that’s because I am.  Not only has my work experience, volunteer experience, education and passions changed, but my skills and characteristics have, too.

It’s not all rainbows and unicorns, of course.  There is the last bit of the letter that worries me.  After hopefully WOWing every potential HF that reads the chronicles of my life, there comes the awkward moment when I sneakily slide in the fact that I have tattoos. A lot of them. 14 to be exact.

Revamped

After 30+ live demos of different themes, 18 different background images, 9 font colors, and endless rearranging of widgets, Au Pairody is complete (for now).  Enjoy the changes (and from now on, lack of changes).

Jumpstarting January

I debated writing this post, which is a sad confession, but decided to give it a shot.  Though the intention of this blog is to be Au Pair specific, it’s obviously a dry time.  My interview is in 8 days, and only then does the fun begin.  Regardless, I still have a wide array of witty-to-me things to say.

Application Anxiety

Having some serious deja vu filling out the Au Pair application form. I definitely remember being more anxious the first time. Guess that’s a result of now knowing what to expect. On second thought, maybe I should be MORE anxious now that I know what I’m getting myself into. Hmm.

By far my question of the entire 26 page application form: What are some of your worst qualities? Good lord. How can I answer this without making them feel as though a) I’d be impossible to shack up with and b) I’d be the worst Au Pair ever.

You Know You’re an Au Pair When

Over the last 3 years, I’ve seen a number of adaptations of the “You know you’re an Au Pair when” list. I always find it humorous even though I don’t relate with some of them (Canadians eat the same lame excuse for bread as Americans, and most Americans know where Canada is if not what Canada is).

So, I picked and prodded through the list, and narrowed it down to the ones I enjoy the most — and, naturally, added my own commentary.

No Clever Way to Title an Intro

Au Pairody .. a play on the noun Au Pair /ˌō ˈpe(ə)r/ – A young foreign person, typically a woman, who helps with housework or child care in exchange for room and board, and the noun Parody /ˈparədē/- a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing. The irony of the title of this blog being that my intentions are for this to be the whole truth (though often humorous), nitty gritty, etc. etc. about an ex-au pair becoming an au pair once again.