Tall Tales from an Au Pair

Okay, so maybe there are no monsters or princesses or princes (unfortunately!), but all the same, I am going to recount some of my experiences as an au pair, because let me tell you, it has been all but normal. Then again, is there really a normal? No, I do not think so, therefore, I will rephrase that statement; my experience as an au pair has been anything but predictable. Then again, can one really predict the future? No, I think not, so let me rephrase that statement; my experience caring for a small child in a foreign country has been all but calm and tranquil. Then again, is life really calm and tranquil? In my opinion, life is always like an ocean, rolling, ebbing and flowing – not calm and tranquil…is there any way to describe my experience or in that same way, is there any way to describe something accurately for which there are no accurate expressions? Oh, I lament the limitations of my language!

Moving on after that small tirade…I am writing more generally about being an au pair because, for the moment, that is the adventure occurring in my life. No more bike, no more cities, only my employment. Why? Well, let me tell you. There was another au pair with me, who was Vietnamian (well, she still is, but she exists in the past tense of my life, so that is the reason for that usage of the verb tense), and who planned to stay one year with the family to learn French and take care of Sarah, my little charge. Anyway, things were pretty rocky with her. She didn’t speak much French and she was very shy to the point where she did not join the activities of the family and most often secluded herself in her room. Understandable, but not very effective when you are trying to get to know a family and improve your language skills. So, after about three weeks or let’s say four days ago, she told the family she needed to go to Dijon to meet with a Vietnamian friend (who was the former au pair of my employers) who was traveling back to Vietnam and promised to take a letter for her to her mother. She did not trust the postal service. Well, that same day, my employer was going to Dijon and offered to bring her there and help her save the train fare. Upon arrival, my employer discovered that the au pair had a meeting with the director of the school where she planned to attend in September, with the former au pair and friend who offered to take the letter to Vietnam (there was no letter in actuality). Something was up and in the end, my employer said to the au pair that she was not allowed to come back to the house to work for them because she had lied and lying was not tolerated. Come to find out, the former au pair had also lied many times to the family, so the second time around, I suppose, one is more sensitized and less tolerant of things like that.

All that is to say is that the family was left with one busy month ahead and only one person (me) to care for the little one. My contract is for 40 hours per week, which consists of about four and a half days and the other days I am left to my adventures. That was the original plan and has been working quite nicely up until the incident there. Now, I offered to work double for a double payment, of course, but that leaves me with no time to explore. I suppose in all reality that is okay. I have seen much of Burgundy and have made many memories and have told many stories. Now, I embark on a journey of three and a half weeks of working 65-80 hours per week with someone who spills yogurt all over the floor and her bib. Great! No, I am very content and am so glad that I am able to help the family out.

It is kind of funny, but I was thinking yesterday that I have never spent so much time with someone as with my little charge. I mean, I do not think that I have been this connected (in the physical sense, in the sense where I am not allowed to leave and must latch myself to her) to someone for oh, I do not know, maybe 10 years or so. Who knows, but it is going to surely be a shock when I leave (and all I have to say is that it will be a good shock like cold water on a hot day). Right now, she has chicken pox and looks like a little pink gremlin J It is truly adorable. We celebrated her birthday the other week. It was a lot of fun to make a meal for her and to see her open (well, see her mother open) her presents and find some more exciting plastic toys with which she can amuse herself, including a plastic training toilet…unfortunately not enough of a reminder as she continues to pee on the floor! What a nightmare that is! I surely do not remember potty training but I am sure that it was similar although isn’t there some sort of transition usually like pull-ups or something? Who knows.
Meryl, the eldest girl, came back yesterday, and Clarisse, the middle child, decided that she wanted to have a grand meal to welcome her back. Unfortunately, she lost interest about half way through the preparation, so I took on both the hat of au pair and chef at the same time, cleaning both egg plants and dirty underwear…yum! Oh, the different hats one must wear in one’s life. It is always so distracting having the older girls around because they make more mess than Sarah and leave things everywhere for me to clean up, but that is okay, hey, I do not mind cleaning and just figure it is a part of the job. I mean, after all, my normal job is taking care of old people and their needs. It is not too difficult to see that this work is much more pleasant and less backbreaking. By the time the meal of grilled vegetable tart, pear and candied walnut salad with bleu cheese, potatoes au gratin, chicken, cream tart and chocolate truffles was finished, I received the lively? crowd of a two overworked café owners, a tired, jet-lagged traveler, a sick 12 year old (Clarisse has bronchitis) and a fatigued au pair. Not exactly a riot, but the food was delicious and I think that the family enjoyed it. Well, stay tuned for more. I am sure that the family will be providing me with many things on which I can write and on which I can contemplate because, you see, it is the people in this life, not monuments and history, that really make us learn valuable lessons and show us the details to which we must pay attention. So, I embark on my third month here…three weeks to go; three weeks which I am sure will not disappoint.