Things I'd like to do...
- Go on a cruise
- Be a mom
- Travel the world
- Be a wedding planner for Disney
- Live in Europe
- Swim with Dolphins
- Work for a non-profit agency
- Stay at every Disney World resort for at least 1 night
- Write & publish a book
- Become an Au Pair...??
Yes that is right. There are many things I want to do in my life, but recently I've decided that I want to become an Au Pair.
This seems a little random, No? Yes, I guess you can say it is. Let me explain...
My whole life, no exaggeration, I have dreamt of living in Europe. Yes of course I've wanted to visit Europe since I was in 2nd grade, but as I've gotten older I've been wanting to live there for at least a semester or a year so I can really be immersed in the culture.
Yea, Yea, Yea, I may seem a little crazy, but in order to make that happen I need to either:
A) Study Abroad
B) Teach English Abroad
C) Marry a European guy
D) Move out there and try to find an English speaking job
or E) Become an Au Pair
- - - - - - - - - -
A) I'm soooo over school. I've seriously looked into it, but I just can't do it anymore.
B) I'm not cut out to be a teacher. It's not my thing and I would hate my life.
C) It's not as easy as getting a Green Card in the US, plus I morally can't do that.
D) I would do that in a heartbeat, however, I'm broke.
and E) I love kids, but only if it's not a big group of them, 2-4 I can handle, but more I'd die.
Sooooo looking at my 5 options, the most logical one would be choice E.
As an Au Pair, host families generally pay for airfare, health insurance, language school, gas for driving, vacations with the family (usually international trips), some families give extra money for weekend trips, they let the AP have 2-6 weeks of vacation time, and of course there is the weekly pay. All of that just to take care of their kids!?! Sounds pretty perfect eh?? (Yes I just said "eh". No I'm not Canadian, I just happen to say that alot lol)
Well here are the negatives of this perfect sounding job: Waking up early, Changing diapers, Driving kids to and from school, Cooking, Light housework, Moody kids, Hyper kids, Bratty kids, Bathing the children, Reading them stories, Constantly entertaining the kids...
Oh wait! Those aren't really negatives! I want to be a mom someday so this, I guess, could be a test round since I can return them at the end of the night haha. I guess the real negatives are the culture shock, having to make new friends, getting over being a picky eater, missing family, pets, & friends, and of course the language barrier.
You know what... I'm ready. I need a change and I am crazy enough to pick up my things and leave for a year (minimum).
When I told my parents about this I was expecting them to be like "Disney! Disney! Disney! Disney!" cause I was planning on applying for a Disney Professional Internship, but I'm 22 and once I graduate, if I get a job or internship that could lead to a job, I'm stuck. I wont have opportunities like this, to go abroad, unless I get a traveling job, but what are the odds of that? And then when/if I have a family of my own there's no way I'd leave them to go on adventures like this (unless it's a family vacation abroad haha)
Plus, it's not what anyone would expect of me, which excites me, doing something out of the ordinary, taking the next step, or jump to something extraordinary. And when I'm old, with grandkids, I want to be able to tell them about my adventures and be able to say that I lived in Europe for X amount of time as an Au Pair or even just telling people about it sounds fancy hehe!
My thinking is... If I'm meant to work for Disney, it'll happen, I just want to live a little, have adventures, and really experience life before I have to settle down into anything in my life.
Now when my parents said they fully support the idea I was completely shocked and very happy! BUT I knew there was a "catch". They said they'd support this whole thing if I was an Au Pair in the UK or Ireland for my first year and then a second year I could go elsewhere so I wont have as much of a culture shock my first time around. FIRST I didn't even think about a year two, I'm still working on year one and SECOND, I'm gonna go where I get the best money, benefits, and the least amount of kids! =P I would love to go somewhere not in the UK because I want to be fully immersed in a completely different culture (and language). It will be rough, but I think it would be one of the best experiences for me.
So that was a pretty long explanation, but hey whatever it was fun to type it all up and share my newest adventure with everyone (if people actually read this). Saying it out loud/typing it reassures me that I want to do this. Talking about it more gets me excited and hopeful. =) I guess this is my newest dream that I will make happen. haha!
I would love to be "Part Of Your World" so Europe, watch out 'cause here I come!! =)
☮ & ♥
-RJ
Song: Part of Your World - Little Mermaid
Comments