The Downs of being an Au Pair

I don’t believe I ever really went into the personalities of the children I take care of. If I did, it was probabaly a newbie's mistake. I should have settled in before even trying to describe them,because I can bet now my views have altered significantly. So I take care of 3 girls, 9, 7, 4, and my youngest two I really do adore they have their moments but they don’t hate me for just being me ya know?

My 4 year old, she's a typical toddler. Just started their kindergarten which is just Day care but at the school lol she, has half days, loves Dora the Explorer, speaks no english but understands it, when she does speak english it's only random words she learns from me. Loves to be tickled and cuddled and hugged and kissed. Has the curlyest hair ever, and LOVES baths. She's not a morning person, and if you want her to eat you have to feed her as she won't do it herself. If you want her to drink water you have to feed it to her, and sometimes bribe her. She has this piercing shriek and she often pulls her hand back to hit you, but she won't hit me, I made that very clear in the beginning. She's sweet and I will miss her when I leave, she's gets very attached to the Au pairs, and the last one who was with her for 2013 is taking a while to get over. I don’t want her to be that attached to me, it's very difficult for her, some days she asks for her and I feel for her knowing that she's not here. Other then feeling inadequate at times to help her with that, I love her very much.

My 7 year old, this one well she can be a brat at times but she aplogizes for that right after she is one. She hits her father but not me because I do not tolerate it, I refuse to let a kid hit me, I'm not gonna hit you, so your gonna treat me with the same respect and not hit me. She screams and she often use to throw a lot of tantrums, she still does but I walk away and then 30 seconds later it stopped. I'm not giving my attention to that. She's often sick, something happened with her stomach last year and she was in the hospital for a month and now we(her mom and dad and I) have to make sure she gets the reccommended about of fiber and calcium and stuff. At the moment it's gluten free week and she hates it..lol. Anyways she's a morning person, she wakes up at 6am every day with no alarm and is very happy about being awake. She likes to be tickled, cuddled, and takes up a lot of her parent's attentiion causing resentment in the eldest. She's very sweet though, everyone calls her the 'monster' as apparently she's a terror at times. Some days I see that, she gets that way but it doesnt last that long and I can usually bribe her out of that mood. She's very affectionate, and always wants me to braid or brush her hair. She looks up to her oldest sister, and despite being the middle child doesnt get too jealous of the youngest.

The 9 year old, I'm well aware I can't even say that she's my 9 year old, that ship has sailed and I wasn't on it. It's gone and eff it ya know. At first glance, pretty girl, freckles, nice smile, sweet. Once that wears off, devious little brat comes through, if she's mad your going to feel it, she slams things, throws things, screams, takes it out on you or whoever else is around. Given my current mood thiis will turn into a rant if I'm not careful, so I'm just gonna focus on her good parts. Some days I think are okay, and when she's going to bed, she lets me read to her, and she's nice then, she's kind then. Some nights we talk and its like a totally different girl, but only when it's us. As soon as someone else comes into play she's meaner then ever. I don't understand and I've tried but a person can only take so much before they distance themselves away from her. I'm getting there.

So I guess you're wondering what brought this on, I need to get this off my chest, and this is my blog, so I'm venting and getting it the hell off my chest

I could just be over sensitive from the weekend, but I know what I heard ya know? They tell you when you apply to be an Au Pair( I know now I will NEVER be an Au Pair again Fuck that but I digress) As I was saying when you become an Au Pair, that means your not just an employee but an extended member of the family right?

My current family the father, and the mother do treat me like a member of the family. My 4 year old and my 7 year old does as well, now the 9 year old does not. Ever since I got here she's not been what everyone has been telling me she is. She's extremely smart for her age, I will give her that, but out of the 3 of them she's the worse one for me. Everyone calls her the 'goody two shoes', but she's not.

Maybe it's cause I've lived with her and they only see the public persona, but she's the ones that throws things at me and tells me to pick them up(yes like a dog...I refuse...fuck that) She start screaming at me for being a stupid idiot( I find that calling her the same in return, well I don’t like the words she uses it very harsh...the term brat really irritates her so that is my word when she gets into that mode) Somedays she curses, but then quickly takes it back and then might say a quick sorry just so I won't tell her parents. I thought they were really just wrong to her when I came, but now I don't see it that way.

Today for instance It's Monday but I didn’t have to cook today because they neighbors outside are having a block party. I know cool right? The mother told me this morning on a post it (thats how we communicate in the morning as I never see her) and then the father told me again.. They both said there's a block party with Barbeque, no cooking we're all going, uncluding you. Okay so thats my mind set right? I'm invited, but when I get home with my 4 year old and the 9 year old from school and we start talking, she tells me point blank..we're doing dialogue again.

“So what are you going to be doing for dinner?” The 9 year asks.

“The neighbors are bbqing remember?” I point out.

“Yes I know, they invited the family, not you,” she says.

~Stares at her for a second before shaking my head~ “Well an Au Pair is part of the family, as it says in the contract. So I'm coming too,” I reply as if she was slow, because at this point she was acting it.

“Yeah I know when we have family parties and stuff you're allowed to come but this is different,” she said with a pointed look.

“Well your parents said I could come,” I sighed.

“But you're not supposed to,” she muttered out before sighing loudly and stomping up the stairs.

So you see how is one supposed to take that? I saw the the parents like 10 minutes ago. The father told me to come outside and I was like thanks but you know...your oldest made it clear I wasn't invited, thanks though and walked upstairs. I knew he wasnt gonna let it go as I didn’t hear the door close.

And maybe 3 minutes later the mom comes up to my room and is like, you're invited, I invited you. Theres like the entire block, families she doesnt even know are there, and she points out that they knew I was their Au Pair and I was invited too. I probably won't go I just don’t want to anymore ya know? I'm not even hungry, I have never had that happen to me before, and its really not a nice feeling. I was then told, it was a miscommunication to what the eldest said to me...how the fuck do you miscommunicate that? Seriously?

6 months left...its a damn shame, I'm loving the experience getting to travel and stuff, but I'm really starting to hate her. And I know that's wrong to hate a child but she's very devious...you have no idea.. I guess it did turn into a rant...well at least I feel better..slightly.

Amsterdam Holi Color Festival 2014, and homemade Chicken soup :)

Hey guys, I have an interesting post for today I think. I'm still really tired but it's noon so I'm forcing myself to get up now. Yesterday I went to the Holi Color Festival, and I guess when I first heard of it I wasnt sure just what it entitled. Sure I knew they through color powder through the air, but I didn’t fully get it. The color stains the hands, I've scrubbed my skin almost raw and I'm still sporting blue and green fingers on each hand It was fun I think a lot of drunken people there. Apparently thats what you to at festivals, you get drunk and then you dance, and have no inhibitions. I don't ever think that scene will be for me. I was slightly tipsy earlier that day but only because I hadn't eaten and I drank the alcohol on an empty stomach more of less. Does yogurt count? This post feels like it's going every which way so let me try again.

My weekend started off with Friday, after a horrible day of working, I was finally off. Horrible because I woke up with a sore throat that day and had these chills to go with it. Since I have the mornings after 8:30am free, I slept until 2:00pm as the girls come home at 3:00pm. I was cold and it was Netherland Hot! It sucked, and I then I had my swimming class(which I love btw) but I had to miss it because by the time I got back from the girls tennis lesson, my whole body was achy, and I was congested, I had no energy(I had no desire to even eat that day) I was plain miserable, so I went back upstairs and slept somemore hoping the next day(the festival I would feel better)

Saturday, I woke up early, and continued religious drinking lemon, hot water and honey as it soothed my sore throat but I still felt pretty horrible and I hate talking I've decided. I meet up with my friends........that word irks me right now, as I don’t feel like their my friends at the moment, but anyways getting ahead of myself. I meet up with them and we take the train to Amsterdam stadium, its like an hour or so long. There I am told that they don’t allow outside food or drink inside and I had too mixed drinks and simply chugged them. 

I had only yogurt to eat so I felt the alcohol immediately and didn’t like it. I then ate a half of my sandwich(which was a bitch to swallow oww!) and tried to enjoy the rest of the ride.I don’t remember. Much inbetween it, but the ride was slightly boring. We get off the train and the festival its just down the street from the station. I'm dressed in all white, I went out and bought new capris and a tshirt for just this occasion lol. Thankfully they weren't like expensive...Yay for the Action Store! We get there and peoples stuff is thoroughly searched mine had some clothes blocking it so I was able to bring in an ice tea and two cokes, not that I could enjoy the last two, slightly bitter about that but I'm not going to go there.. It started at 12pm but we got there around 3pm and stayed there until it closed at 10pm. So during the 7 hours of walking around, lounging on the grass, I didn’t drink I was completely sober, particularly because I was sick and the taste of beer is really gross to me. I will never understand that bit.

That to the left was only the beginning...it got worse...way worse lol.

So what we did was we got bracelets that say the Holi Festival 2014, Amsterdam and then I went and got my tshirt and my 5 bags of color, which I still have one left, a souvenir I supposed. Towards the end of it about 7pm, I was so over it all and just wanted to go home by then. I didn’t even want to get colored or throw up color. When I first got there, we had our mouths open, I think we were talking and then they threw the powder you tasted it, and never did it again. It was so salty and disgusting where if you drank water to clear the taste the water tasted like it. I think I got slightly dehydrated yesterday because I came home and chugged my water in my fridge, and then had 3 more cups of hot tea.

So when the festival was over it was chaotic, everyone trying to find someone else who was on their own but not really if you know what I mean. One of my friends(I can still call her a friend) she horribly messed up her foot that day. Like and hour or so after we got there,(she was wearing flip flops) and one of my others friends mashed their feet together(on accident I'm sure of it) and her toenaiil(on her big toe) end up being flipped upwards, It was gross and it looked painful especially as the first aid tech clipped it off.. Ow..just for thinking about it.

Told you, the bloody powder was everywhere ad it doesnt wash off without intense scrubbing!!!!

Anyway her toe was throbbing and I was slightly dizzy and my throat was sore we were more then ready to go. But the other two girls we were with had no such qualms. Theres a saying for guys,; 'Bros before hoes', and there's one for girls too I think, is chicks before dicks, or besties before testies.. or something of that nature. Ths gist of it is clear, I suppose. For the whole damn day I've gladly been letting my less then sober friends have their way at it ya know? I've done no cock blocking(so to speak) or anything and then when its FINALLY time to bloody go, they don’t want to stop. We make it out the festival, and then we stop. Walk a few more feet and then stop again. Walk some more, and then stop. We made it as far as the I am Amsterdam sign and they stopped permantedly. 

Tired, cold and sick I'm more then ready to go and so is my friend with the throbbing foot. I have a few choice words but they weren't nice so I kept them to my self, which is lucky as I've been known to hurt people more with my words, one girl describe it as it harsh and cutting of her flesh. But I'm getting off topic anyway, as they;re surrounded by guys(On the bases of not wanting to ditch my friends, and just generally being sober and ick and not finding anyone attractive to me I politely declined when the guys tried to talk to me today, wasn't feeling) Who the eff wants to chat with a sore throat?

So we wait for them for a half hour, (I know because the festival closed at 10:00pm but we didn’t get to the train station until 10:36pm.) Until finally my friend with the throbbing foot is in so much pain, I simply walk over to the two girls and I'm like, 'I'm leaving,'. And they did nothing, continued making out with their guys. I think. I stopped at that point. It had been a long day. A person can only take so much, not to mention I've been disrepected all DAMN day by someone who is supposed to be my friend. So I'm through with her at the moment and lemme finish this post before I end up on a rant.

I got to the train station with my friend, who I'm gonna refer to a Kiwi(because she's from New Zealand). We wait a half hour for a train, take that to Rotterdam Central(it take a whole hour, instead of the 34 minutes it was suppose too) Then we transfer and that takes 47 minutes, by the time we get to the train station, I'm exhausted, we part ways as she parked her bike somewhere other then I did and then I rode home. I saw her as I was riding home. We both live in the direction of the beach, her slightly more so then me as shes literally 5 minutes away from the beach.

I then get home, scrub my skin raw, drank 3 cups of lemon tea and passed the heck out around 2am. Now, I have a HUGE craving for Chicken and Potato stew, and I'm about to go to the store and get the chicken and veggies to make some. Hope everyone's weekend was great.!

So I went to the store, and made my soup...omg its so good! I found some pepper at the store and garlic salt...How I missed you guys! Man the only bad thing is, the sun is shining outside so its hot in my apartment, and theres no one to share it with. Ooh a breeze but on the bright side my sore throat is starting to feel slightly better. Yay! Thank you mom, for teaching me how to cook at 11...even if I hated it then, I appreciate it now! :) See doesnt it look yummy?? It was..trust me..and I have leftover too...mhm..

Delft Boat Tours, and Libraries with wierdos :p

I find myself becoming increasingly lazy when it comes to my blog. I love writing don't get me wrong and I love sharing my experiences but more and more escuses are making there way out for me not to update. Sorry about that, I'll try to be much better in the future, I guess it helps that I have a TON of things coming up that I'm looking forward to actually blogging about them. Alright so what's been happening with me lately.

I've been here for 5 months at the end of June it wil be 6, and that means that half of my adventure is already over. Wow huh? I made some friends, but one that I could consider to be a best friend here lives way up in the North of Holland and I myself live in the South. It's expensive to travel to see her, so I'm trying to branch out and make more friends here. I need traveling buddies. Like I mean that.

 Last week I went to a theme park called Efteling in Tillburg, Holland. Its entrance is to the left. Now I will say it was fun, but at the same time it wasnt. It was extremely tame the coaster in my opinion but then again I have Cedar Point, and Magic Mountain to blame for that I suppose. It only had 4 'big' coasters. I was slightly depressed too, as the two theme parks I mention above have me spoiled at 18...or is it 19 now apiece? I have a few pictures of the park, it was a great day, hot for Netherland standards and I loved it(the weather I mean!) Btw I'm not sure what character that is, but it was creepy. It's eyeballs rolled like a dolls would, it was girl under it, I have Cedar Point and Chuck E Cheese to thank for that that bit of insight. Anyways, I was uncomfortable in this picture as you can clearly tell, it was touching me...*shudders* 

 

This weekend, or more importantly this pass week has been killer. Like I'm so exhausted right now, my host kids had the week off from school and I got Monday off, but Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I worked and it was intense. Then add to it, Saturday I worked too, Sunday was my only day to 'rest' and I'm not even allowed to do that. It freaks them out if I stay in, so as tired as I was, I went to Delft, which is 20 minutes or so from the Hague by train.

But before I get ahead of myself and telling you what I did today let me explain also why this week was so intense despite the babysitting, it was Hockey Mania and I suppose Football(soccer) Mania as well. Everything is so decked out in Orange and this is the most I've seen the dutch flags hanging from the posts in front of the houses. I'm not sure who won, I'll turn on the tv and see later or I can wait until tomorrow and my host kid Wies(whose a hockey fanatic) will share with me I'm sure.

Today I went on a Boat tour and I took notes lol at what I saw so I could add to the post today. So when I got off the train I went left when I should have went right and ended up backtracking as not to get lost. Following the signs that pointed to the Centrum, I headed for it. Before I even got there though I noticed the canals that reminded me of Leiden and Amsterdam. Which I think I want to do a boat tour in Leiden as well. There is no need for Amsterdam as I walked the whole centrum on King's Day in May and I'll be back there on Saturday for the Color Festival(more on that later) They even had boat tours going on and I got on one as I wasn''t trying to get lost ya know? After a while all the buildings with their history look alike and your effed if they're are no signs. Anyway the tour was 50 minutes and cost 7.25 euros.

The tour consisted of Butter house(where they obviously made butter) A crazy house that has been converted to a studen dorm lol, I learned some history of the Canals in Delft and was told that every year they have to fish 2000 bicycles out of the canals due to when the kid's graduate from school they toss their bikes out, thinking they'll save enough for an expensive car or something. That job must suck fishing bikes out the canals. This pass week alone he said they fished out 200 bicyles, money wasted you guys. Especially since a bike over here is SOOO expensive.

Our tour guide was this College kid who spoke Dutch, German and English, quite and assortment huh? But thats the norm over here. The guy before him spoke Dutch, English and French I believe. Its mandatory that they learn another language and not just for two years like in the states. Damn we're so behind its blows so much. Anyways I was the only person on the boat tour who didn’t understand a degree of dutch. So he spoke English for my benefit, there was two ladies who spoke German but they could understand a bit of dutch as the languages are very similar but he spoke German to them so it wasnt an issue. I would have gotten slightly confused but he switched over all 3 languages smoothly, it was very cool to listen too.

At times the boat seemed a bit big for the Canal which came as no surprise when we bumped a corner, it was a small jolt but a bump nonetheless. We also saw this church that is slanted to the right as it stands. It's call the Oude Kerk, which translates to Old Church is also called the leaning church. It had been built from 1204-1600, taking about 300 odd years to build and by the time they finished it the foundation on it was starting to break hence the reason it's slanted. I wont go into it, but about 400 people are buried in the church...I believe the walls, so entombed is the word. Creepy and thats all I'm saying about that. See to the right how it's leaning???

I saw an old girls Orphanage that had been built in 1578, for poor girls. The front of the orphange has two little girl statues facing slightly away towards each other, and the reason of that was because of the boy's orphange right across the Canal and they are looking directly at the girls lol. It's called the Meisjeshuist which means girls something...probabaly home actually. 

 

I googled it and I was right! My dutch has gotten better! It was amazing on the outside I wish I could have seen the inside of it, right across the street or Canal really was the boy's orphanage, which wasnt given any information on it. And I even googled and they only focused on the girls..wtf? Then we saw an Hospital that is still in use today I think called De Zuster, and for a long time people who went there, got sicker and even died even if their illness weren't fatal. It turned out that the hospital water supply was connected directly to the sewer..thats sad and gross. It's been fixed now but still, thats horrible. 

The tour ended and I bascially strode through the center trying but failing not to buy things. I hate going out, you always end up spending. I took the train back to the Hague Central and wanted to see a movie but they didn’t have any that I didn’t see yet, and the ones they did I didn’t want to see IMAX 3d for it, so I'll wait. Spent time in the library before I headed home. Oh yeah, before I forget I almost got pick pocketed today, that was a horrifying experience.

I was just walking a whole bunch of people and I had put my wallet in my backpack(Thankfully) and then the next thing I know, my hand was resting lightly on my jacket pocket, I felt someone's elses hand in my pocket, they touch my hand andturned to the left of me to see this woman unnaturally

close to me. Before I could say anything she disappeared in the crowd. And I lost rational thought for a moment as I thought she had swiped my wallet, which had my bank card, my visa, and everything else important. But I found it after a mini panic attack in my backpack. Constant Vigilance I shall lol

Alright so after that experience I went to the library to enjoy the free wifi. I just want to point out that everyone who knows me, knows that I'm weird. My mannerisms and the things I randomly say and do speak for themselves. However today I met someone wierder then me, and it was slightly alarming. So Like I said I'm at the library. I get there and I'm on my Nook when maybe an hour later a guy sits near me. He looks to be in his thirties I think. I have one of my shoes slighty off, I'm relaxed and everything and heres where it gets weird. At first he's asking me the time, I tell him, and go back too what I was doing. Then he's bothering me again, asking for something in dutch, but I don’t understand it, and then he changes. He's like...hold on I'm going to Dialogue this bit its easier I think.

“I'm an artist,” he says with a smile.

“Okay, cool,” I said slowly trying to see where this was going.

“And I was wondering if I can take a picture of your feet?” He asked looking odd excited.

*stares at him blankly for a moment. “Oh..kay, sure,” I said slightly wierded out but I didn’t sense any evil or bad intentions.

“Can you take off your shoes and prop your feet on the chair(it was a booth type thing)?” He asked getting his phone out.

*Is hyper aware that my socks don’t match, I don’t usually care but dutch people REALLY DO. “Alright, sure,” I mutter out, my face I know is looking bewildered.

“And just cross them please?” He asked with a smile.

“Yeah okay,” I said quietly and does as he asks.

“Now just continued on what you were doing,” he said and I turn back to my Nook, trying to ignore his gaze on my feet.

I don’t say much for a moment but I hear him clearly.

Perfect, beautiful,” he murmurs and takes a picture, before he touches my feet. He then props up his book he was reading as his phone records my socked feet.

At this point I'm thinking he has a bloody foot fetish. And I felt slightly insane for indulging him knowing that he'll probabaly get off on my looking at my feet but hey he's not hurting anyone so who am I to judge. Like really who am I? So after about 5-10 minutes of surrealism, I don’t know how long I was slightly uncomfortable it was an odd request you know. I glance out of my Nook and look to him who pretends he wasn't llooking at my feet.

“So how long is this supposed to last?” I asked bluntly, never one for being subtle.

He shakes his head and smiles. “Ohh, I think Its done now. Thanks, and have a good day,” he says before getting up and leaving. Leaving me to stare at him in confusion. What the hell???

In that moment I swore I could hear my mom calling me an idiot for being so Naive lol,, but he literally did record my socked feet. Wierded out, I was for a moment and then I got over it and is now smirking at it. Living in the Bay Area has dimmed me when it comes to strange things, like seriously.

Next week I'm going to Amsterdam for the Holi Color Festival, I'm going to the store tomorrow to buy a white tshirt though, I don’t know what to expect but I hope it's fun. I'll have more on it next week though. Anyways, enjoy these pictures of Delft, and until Next week!