So, five months ago tomorrow (9th September 2009), I made a 5 hour trip up from Perpignan, France, where I was on holiday with my friends, to start life as a full-time aupair in Rueil Malmaison, Paris. I was joining the Desprez family - Lucie and Eric = Mum and Dad (or Maman and Papa), and they work full time (no idea what they do) in La Defense, so I am, from 8h15 to 19h in charge of their three children: Zoe, 8; Juliette, 5; and Ernest, 2. I'm also in charge of cooking and keeping the house clean and tidy. Anyone who knows me will know how hilarious this last part is - especially my old housemates! However, I seem to have a knack for keeping other people's houses tidy; my room is still a tip, but Lucie seems happy with the job I am doing upstairs, so no worries! I live in the basement room, next to the laundry room. It's a really awesome deal,I have my own bathroom and little kitchen (complete with sink, hobs and microwave/oven. Oh yeah, I know - try and keep the jealousy to a minimum!) and even my own front door. Unfortunately, that doesn't work at the moment, but hey, it's there to look at!
So this blog is going to be about the trials and tribulations, but also the fun times, that come with being an aupair. Kids are truly hilarious... well, when they're not sulking or screaming at you or ignoring you or, worse, speaking a different language! Because, of course, these kids are French and as such, require a whole lotta speaking to in French. Luckily (or not, depending on whether you're my mum or not), Lucie is half American and therefore bilingual, and consequently Zoe understands English to an astonishingly good level, given that she refuses to ever speak it. So if I'm having issues with conjugations (damned conjugations...) I can switch into English and she'll understand which is nice. Juliette refuses to understand me - her favourite phrase is 't'as dit QUOI?' which means 'WHAT did you say?' - so I have to talk to her in French, and Ernest is 2 and therefore doesn't necessarily understand whatever language you talk to him in, so because I really really badly want him to be a cute little bilingual kid, I talk to him in English. The amount he understands now, compared to when I arrived, is really quite astonishing, but then the amount he talks compared to when I arrived it pretty astonishing. When I arrived he pretty much just said 'maman', 'papa' 'erci' (merci - thanks), 'ti' (please) and 'no', but now he responds to questions, calls me by my name (or, an approximation - 'Ka!') attracts my attention - 'regar Ka' = look, Kate!, and can almost ask for things, though he does have a tendency to just go 'THAT' and then 'pleeeeeeee' with a big grin on his face, the cheeky scamp. My French has probably suffered somewhat as a result of all this English, but it's definitely improved; this weekend I went to Rennes for a party with one of my friends from school who's on his year abroad there, and I was able to chat happily for hours in French! So although it's not been the greatest environment for picking up French, it's clearly helped!
When I took the job, Eric did an awesome job of describing the kids to me - a 40 year old man doing an impression of a feisty 4 year old girl has to be one of my best moments. As it turned out, his descriptions of them weren't exactly what I would call accurate. He described Zoe as 'eager to please everyone', Juliette as 'wanting to be grown up' and.. well, as mentioned, Ernest is 2. Honestly, not a whole lot you can say.
Anyway, when I got there, I couldn't believe he'd described Zoe as eager to please - I've never met anyone sulkier (including me, Mother) or less willing to do what I ask them. We went through a real bad patch in October/November when she literally sulked EVERY time I asked her to do anything or denied her something e.g. tv or more snacks. I, ashamed though I am to admit it, screamed at her quite unacceptably a couple of times - but hey, I'm young, and kids are freaking annoying. My mum helped me a LOT through that time, and honestly, if you ever have kids, something she said to me is a key thing to remember: when they're being unloveable, that's when they need your love the most. Something changed though (I like to think due to hard work and a whoooole lotta patience from me), end of November, and we became buddies, and now, although I don't quite agree with Eric's description, she is a truly lovely kid. She's really arty and funny and cute, and barely sulks at all anymore!
Juliette was a little terror when I got there - sulky and totally unresponsive, which is an understandable response to a new stranger coming into your house and bossing you around - the reason I kind of get why Zoe was like that, but she perked up around the time Zoe got awful (they're never all nice at once) and became really cute and funny. She's got a good sense of humour and she can be very adorable when she wants to be. Unfortunately, and this is becoming a real issue at the moment, she is the slowest kid I have ever had the bad luck to look after. It's not that I have to tell her we're leaving at least 10, if not 15, minutes before we leave - that I don't mind, kids are on a different timetable, I get it - but the fact that I then have to repeat myself at least twenty times before she'll even come downstairs and then another twenty to make her get her shoes on, by which time I am so pissed off and late I practically shove her in her coat. This happens almost every day.
On to a nicer topic - Ernest. Such a cutie. Big brown eyes, cute little grin... I just wanna eat him! Also, 2 year olds are so much nicer because they pretty much do as they're told, and if they don't, you can pick them up and make them do as they're told! Ernest likes duplo, being read to, chattering away to himself and hugs. I love hugs! He says 'anklooo' for 'thank you' and 'pleeee' for please. He also has started saying 'back?' when I tell him to put things back, which is a break through, because he doesn't say anything else English. He falls over a lot - today he fell over and cut his lip. In fact, all the kids fall over and hurt themselves all the time. Well, Zoe less so, apart from one 'hilarious' incident involving her, a pushchair, a hill, and going to fast, but we won't go into that... Juliette managed to fall over 3 times and get trodden on by a pony in one week (and boy, did she not let me forget it)!
I have a nice little routine during the week, it works out pretty well. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, the girls are at school from when I start work - I don't have to take them to school which is good! - until 4.30pm. Well, Zoe has homework club Monday and Friday and a private tutor Tuesday and Thursday... I know, she's 8. It's terrifying. So actually, I don't ever get her from school at 4.30. Juliette has After-School Club Thursdays, so I go get her at 6pm those days. It's actually a pretty complicated routine - they're pretty busy kids. Anyway, as you may have noticed, they don't go to school on Wednesdays! So unfair! And what do we do on Wednesdays, I hear you ask? WELL! It's a whole barrel of laughs. I have to practically drag them kicking and screaming out the door to go to Poney Club, which is a 15 minute walk up a HUGE hill, which I usually have to pull Juliette up - last week I had to push her there in the pushchair because her 'bobo (injury) was hurting'. I could barely breathe when we got there and she kept asking me why I was so tired. Aagh! Anyway, so then I have to sit there for 2 hours in the freezing cold, surrounded by horses which I hate. Then we have to go through another at least half an hour of Juliette walking really slowly back home and me and Zoe shouting at her the whole way to hurry up. However, good news! Juliette has decided to quit 'cause she's scared of horses (sensible girl) and Zoe didn't resubscribe in time for the next semester. Cue manical happy laughter. I am so happy to be free of that weekly torture! Words cannot even describe. Now we get to do fun stuff like going to Parc de Villettes and the science museum there! Zoe has tennis at 4, but that's just an excuse for me to go into town and send post or cash pay cheques, so not really an issue. Ernest goes to Creche all day Wednesdays, which is nice for the girls because it means they get to do big girl stuff, and it's so lovely when I go to get him at the end of the day and he leaps up in delight yelling 'Ka!' when he sees me. Definitely makes it all worthwhile :)
As jobs go, I've definitely got it pretty easy most of the time - Ernest sleeps all afternoon! - and there are some really cute moments. We made fairy cakes last Wednesday and decorated them with insane coloured icing, and this morning Ernest and I played dinosaurs, and we do colouring and play with playdough and stuff like that. It's nice to embrace my childish side! The other day, for example, we played cops and robbers for an hour outside (I got blown up and captured more times than I care to remember!). The cleaning as well, I don't mind. I just did almost two hours of ironing and caught up on my youtube TV at the same time (thank you, oh kind generous people who put QI up on youtube. I love you)! In a minute I am going to go wake Ernest up, give him some snacks, go get Juliette from school and then spend an hour in the library. Definitely a nice way to spend the evening! Also, it's TV night tonight! Woo!
Anyway, I guess I'll see where this blog goes; I'll try to make it mainly about funny stuff that happens to me, rather than the negative stuff, although I may need to vent every now and again!
P.S. It snowed today again. Stop snowing already!!
When I took the job, Eric did an awesome job of describing the kids to me - a 40 year old man doing an impression of a feisty 4 year old girl has to be one of my best moments. As it turned out, his descriptions of them weren't exactly what I would call accurate. He described Zoe as 'eager to please everyone', Juliette as 'wanting to be grown up' and.. well, as mentioned, Ernest is 2. Honestly, not a whole lot you can say.
Anyway, when I got there, I couldn't believe he'd described Zoe as eager to please - I've never met anyone sulkier (including me, Mother) or less willing to do what I ask them. We went through a real bad patch in October/November when she literally sulked EVERY time I asked her to do anything or denied her something e.g. tv or more snacks. I, ashamed though I am to admit it, screamed at her quite unacceptably a couple of times - but hey, I'm young, and kids are freaking annoying. My mum helped me a LOT through that time, and honestly, if you ever have kids, something she said to me is a key thing to remember: when they're being unloveable, that's when they need your love the most. Something changed though (I like to think due to hard work and a whoooole lotta patience from me), end of November, and we became buddies, and now, although I don't quite agree with Eric's description, she is a truly lovely kid. She's really arty and funny and cute, and barely sulks at all anymore!
Juliette was a little terror when I got there - sulky and totally unresponsive, which is an understandable response to a new stranger coming into your house and bossing you around - the reason I kind of get why Zoe was like that, but she perked up around the time Zoe got awful (they're never all nice at once) and became really cute and funny. She's got a good sense of humour and she can be very adorable when she wants to be. Unfortunately, and this is becoming a real issue at the moment, she is the slowest kid I have ever had the bad luck to look after. It's not that I have to tell her we're leaving at least 10, if not 15, minutes before we leave - that I don't mind, kids are on a different timetable, I get it - but the fact that I then have to repeat myself at least twenty times before she'll even come downstairs and then another twenty to make her get her shoes on, by which time I am so pissed off and late I practically shove her in her coat. This happens almost every day.
On to a nicer topic - Ernest. Such a cutie. Big brown eyes, cute little grin... I just wanna eat him! Also, 2 year olds are so much nicer because they pretty much do as they're told, and if they don't, you can pick them up and make them do as they're told! Ernest likes duplo, being read to, chattering away to himself and hugs. I love hugs! He says 'anklooo' for 'thank you' and 'pleeee' for please. He also has started saying 'back?' when I tell him to put things back, which is a break through, because he doesn't say anything else English. He falls over a lot - today he fell over and cut his lip. In fact, all the kids fall over and hurt themselves all the time. Well, Zoe less so, apart from one 'hilarious' incident involving her, a pushchair, a hill, and going to fast, but we won't go into that... Juliette managed to fall over 3 times and get trodden on by a pony in one week (and boy, did she not let me forget it)!
I have a nice little routine during the week, it works out pretty well. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, the girls are at school from when I start work - I don't have to take them to school which is good! - until 4.30pm. Well, Zoe has homework club Monday and Friday and a private tutor Tuesday and Thursday... I know, she's 8. It's terrifying. So actually, I don't ever get her from school at 4.30. Juliette has After-School Club Thursdays, so I go get her at 6pm those days. It's actually a pretty complicated routine - they're pretty busy kids. Anyway, as you may have noticed, they don't go to school on Wednesdays! So unfair! And what do we do on Wednesdays, I hear you ask? WELL! It's a whole barrel of laughs. I have to practically drag them kicking and screaming out the door to go to Poney Club, which is a 15 minute walk up a HUGE hill, which I usually have to pull Juliette up - last week I had to push her there in the pushchair because her 'bobo (injury) was hurting'. I could barely breathe when we got there and she kept asking me why I was so tired. Aagh! Anyway, so then I have to sit there for 2 hours in the freezing cold, surrounded by horses which I hate. Then we have to go through another at least half an hour of Juliette walking really slowly back home and me and Zoe shouting at her the whole way to hurry up. However, good news! Juliette has decided to quit 'cause she's scared of horses (sensible girl) and Zoe didn't resubscribe in time for the next semester. Cue manical happy laughter. I am so happy to be free of that weekly torture! Words cannot even describe. Now we get to do fun stuff like going to Parc de Villettes and the science museum there! Zoe has tennis at 4, but that's just an excuse for me to go into town and send post or cash pay cheques, so not really an issue. Ernest goes to Creche all day Wednesdays, which is nice for the girls because it means they get to do big girl stuff, and it's so lovely when I go to get him at the end of the day and he leaps up in delight yelling 'Ka!' when he sees me. Definitely makes it all worthwhile :)
As jobs go, I've definitely got it pretty easy most of the time - Ernest sleeps all afternoon! - and there are some really cute moments. We made fairy cakes last Wednesday and decorated them with insane coloured icing, and this morning Ernest and I played dinosaurs, and we do colouring and play with playdough and stuff like that. It's nice to embrace my childish side! The other day, for example, we played cops and robbers for an hour outside (I got blown up and captured more times than I care to remember!). The cleaning as well, I don't mind. I just did almost two hours of ironing and caught up on my youtube TV at the same time (thank you, oh kind generous people who put QI up on youtube. I love you)! In a minute I am going to go wake Ernest up, give him some snacks, go get Juliette from school and then spend an hour in the library. Definitely a nice way to spend the evening! Also, it's TV night tonight! Woo!
Anyway, I guess I'll see where this blog goes; I'll try to make it mainly about funny stuff that happens to me, rather than the negative stuff, although I may need to vent every now and again!
P.S. It snowed today again. Stop snowing already!!
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