16.07.13
Today has been an absolute nightmare. I have been looking after the children, without a break for 14 hours straight. The girls refused to do their English class, the little boy cried after his mother for an hour by the swimming pool, they fought throughout the whole journey to Zaragoza (we were in the car for 4 hours) and then they were misbehaving and showing off at the dinner table in front of their cousins and friends.
It is now 10:30pm and I am absolutely shattered. The house we are staying in is a lot older than I imagined. It houses over 30 people and is very traditional with high ceilings and heavy mahogany doors. Usually the family stay here when all their family are here, as the mother has 8 brothers and sisters, and the children have over 30 cousins. However, at the moment it is just us and their 18 year old cousin and her mates. My bedroom has a balcony which overlooks a huge forest and waterfalls. Tomorrow the family are going to show me round the area, and I am pretty excited! The house has no internet (holy moley how am I going to live!) so I will have to go to the hotel tomorrow to publish this blog post.
17.07.13
I am feeling a lot more positive today. I was able to lie in until 9.30am which was awesome and I actually slept really well despite being in a different place. We are staying in an area called Monasterio de Piedra. It is incredibly quiet and chilled here. We spent the morning doing a bit of homework, and relaxing by the pool. The pool was situated at the top of a cliff, surrounded by trees and is extremely peaceful. The mother told me before we arrived that there isn't much to do here, and she was right. However, it's kind of refreshing being in the middle of nowhere. I am writing this from my balcony, looking down onto the forest, listening to the sounds of waterfalls and wildlife. Being away from home this summer has really given me time to think. Everywhere I live, there is always some form of drama. There is never complete peace and tranquility.
After this experience, I don't think I will be au-pairing again. It's been fantastic to be able to travel around Spain and not worry about money, and the family have been incredibly generous. However, my patience can only go so far until I break down. There have been a few moments where I have just had enough and gone for a little cry in my room. Children really know how to push your buttons. Being called fat, ugly and a pig every couple of days by a 4 year old boy doesn't exactly boost my confidence. Being spat on by him is also pretty rancid… However, there are a couple of moments in the day where he will make me smile and I'll forget about how much of a little brat he can be.
Buenas noches x
No comments:
Post a Comment