Excerpt from an Au Pair in Holland

And heres and exterpt from an Au Pair in Holland.

I just realised that my last few blog posts havve been about my experiences I've done so far and not so much about the Au Pair part of it. I now understand why when I have read other Au Pair blogs, the childcare bit tend to fade to the background, its because your subconsciously trying to block it out. And with good reason. This morning, my host mom comes downstairs, and I've started to see a pattern when she does this. The house keeper, cleans everyone's room but my own, which I don't have a problem with. However certain times she'll have the housekeeper clean my room, or vacuum it as if I can't do it myself. Which I do might I add, just not up to her standards. Anyway, he'll do it and report all that he's seen in my room back to her.

Good thing I have no incriminating things, however as you all know I just got back from my London trip and I went straight to work yesterday and then went straight to swimming after, when would I have had the time to clean up. Because after swimming a friend of mine wanted to go out for a coffee and a Au Pair 'chat' which I will explain what that is later on. I digress. I had no time, because when I got back, guess who went to bed right after that post last night .this one right here. So on the floor of my living room part, I had dumped everything out my backpack and onto the floor, as I needed the pack for Swimming. Yay for versatile things! So theres a mess there, and then theres my room, also a mess because I had to search for my swimming stuff, the only upside was that I had done the dishes. Whew!

So he reports back to her, and she goes on this mini rant this morning about how my room looks worse then a truckers stop. I could take a picture of it, but honestly it doesn't look so bad. Which is saying a lot as their room is usually horrible, train wreck wise. I had been brushing my 4 year old's hair and feeding her at the same time so my facial expression was as blank as they come. And she hates it, it's my defensive mechanism, I don't like to attack back, so that's better for everyone. She wasn't amused. Anyway when her rant is over she runs out of steam and is like, finally leaving the house and is like..”Bye,” she usually says the english bye for me, so I didn't say anything, but then again neither did anyone else lol. Until finally she's like, “Bye Toni, Wies, Floor, and Claar directly so you just had to say it.

This is the thing Au Pairs come to know, it's the way of life, no type of privacy. I have a friend whose host mom searches her stuff, and treats her like a maid.  Is it right? Hell no, but she doesn't know what to do, she's extremely passive, I thought I was but there is like no fight in her. Okay the Au Pair “Chat” is a coffee date thing where Au Pairs get together and discuss and compare host families mostly Host parents and the like. It's also a full out rant/ getting frustrations out over the host family if they've wronged you in any way. We needed these twice a week or more meetings, because honestly no one else can understand it until you've been an Au pair.

Being an Au Pair isn't easy, there have been days where my host kid, one in partucular doesn't want to go to school so she'll fake sick. By refusing to get dress and saying her stomach hurts. Guess whose day is ruined now? And then after all this when the parents leave, she'll just veg out on the couch and watch tv, eating things that no 'sick' child would eat. 

I.E Tosti, which are grilled cheese sandwiches, cookies, juice and just wanting to play, which is sucky because if I cater to her every whim by the time the other two come home, I'll be exhausted. And then you see she wasn't really sick just pretending but guess what it doesn't matter, your plans are effed. You would think the parents would stay home for this kids if their sick, but you miss the point of the Au Pair, that's your job. You see your host kids more then they see their parents. And that's happened a few times this year, which sucks, because in the morning hours when they're in school I run errands, clean up, and how can I do that then when you're host kid is 'faking' sick. It doesn't take much for them to say it. I've had my host kid go, I'm not going to school today, and she didn't.....that would have never worked with my mom.

Still think you want to become an Au pair?

 I'm gonna go lie down for a bit, I've done the dinner and grocery shopping and bread run for the day, and the kids are in school. Its a grey day to match my mood, I'm gonna lay down. I'll be back later for a post detailing the rest of that Saturday for my London Trip. I tried new things!!!