As I have always liked Spanish as a language, but never had the chance to study it at school, I know from the very beginning that I was going to search for a way to learn it.
The Au Pair program seemed like the ideal solution to me, as you can learn the language, get to know the culture, the land and its people and you are protected by living within a family.
In spring 2012 I sent my application to an agency based in Cologne, who collaborate with the Spanish agency Au Pair Conecta.
After some time of waiting they told me there was a family in Seville who were interested in my profile.
As I hardly spoke any Spanish, I was releaved to hear that the host mother was German as well.
This way I arrived in the centre of Seville in early September 2012 to live with a family of three, a German mother, a Spanish father and a little 3-year old son.
From the very beginning I enrolled in the language school Clic for Spanish classes, which helped me a lot to really learn the language from scratch. The school also offered lots of free-time activities, excursions and cultural things. I joint a trip to Marroco, which was amazing.
Apart from that I visited Cáceres, Salamanca, Cádiz, Málaga, Jerez de la Frontera, Ronda, Madrid many other places during my stay in Spain.
During my second months I joint a dancing course for Salsa and Bachata, which I loved.
After some months I also found a little extra-job, giving German classes to two children of 7 and 9 years of age. Two times a week I gave them tutor classes and enjoyed that very much.
But let´s get back to my main activity:
On the mornings I helped with breakfast and dressing the little one, before he left for school at 9. On midday we usually had lunch together with the whole family, before my host-child went back to class at 3 pm. In the afternoons I used to pick him up from school and then take him to the playground or for a walk, often together with another Au Pair friend and her child. At night I bathed him or we played a little bit more at home before dinner and bed-time.
Sometimes I had to do babysitting at night and that also went well from the beginning on. I was surprised that the little boy was happy for me to bring him to bed straight away.
On some ocasions I stayed at sole charge of him for a part of the weekend as well, which meant that I passed the whole day with him. All worked out very well and I am pretty proud of my work.
Of course it is not always easy, especially at the beginning, but that´s totally normal.
I still remember how tired and exhausted I used to feel at the beginning of my stay. Each person needs some time to adjust, above all to the new language. I realised how my head was spinning from trying to understand and translate all I picked up in conversations...
Sometimes it´s not easy to try and become friends with a child, but be consequent at the same time, always having to maintain a nice tone and be patient.
But as everything it´s only a question of time and of getting some practice. It takes time to find your rythm, may it refer to the child, the family, the language or the lifestyle in general. But once you find it, everything goes by itself and things are being solved easily and quickly.
To be Au Pair means to have a great responsability, to spend a lot of time with a child and sometimes to not have so much time left for yourself.
I guess this also is related to the fact, that you have to digest so many new impressions and experiences at the same time.
I was so lucky with my stay in Seville. I lived right in the heart of the city centre and there were always things going on. The sea, the beaches, the mountains and the snow, all is at a reachable distance. Africa and Portugal are also close and easy to reach from Seville, so geographically it´s perfect.
I fell in love not only with Seville as my city, but also with a boy who lives here....
If I look back on my time now, I am full of thousands of emotions. It is hard to give a resumé about 9 months in a short text.
If you really get involved with the Au Pair program, you can really create a new life. You will be member of a new family, who you will share the good and bad things with. You will find new friends, who will help and support you and will become a very part of your life in a short time.
I will never forget the friends I met in Seville!
And of course you will learn a language. I now speak Spanish nearly fluent, and had not much of an idea before hand.
I would have never thought, that a small child would take such an important part in my life. Even though it is not always fácil, I have a very strong connection to my host-child.
This makes me very happy and also proud.
I will miss my time in Seville very much...
I hope that just like my stay has left many beautiful memories en mi, I will have left some in Seville and above all with my host family.