Here we go Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s now time to get your coffee, tea or snack. Go to the restromm. In a minute a 3500-words post about my first week as an au pair will begin. Here in the beginning there is so many things to write about. Along the way, the posts (hopefully for every one) will get smaller. Sometimes I might even forget to write – but I will do it as good as I can. Are you ready?
Monday:
First day of work. A bit nervous, but I think that’s quite normal. I’m also really glad that Erin is working from home, so she is near.
Went to the park/playground with Jade, we climbed and slide a lot. She “locked me up” in a cage which actually just where a place between a fence and a soccer-net. But we had fun. After 1 hour she got a melt-down, she was cold, I was new, mommy wasn’t there. So her world fell a bit apart at the time. At the same time she told me she wanted hot chocolate, and I told her no, because I didn’t knew if she could get it. And then she screamed even more. After like 5-10 minutes of screaming, kicking, whining, trying to run away (there is a road with cars very, very near! So I was quite nervous when she started running) I eventually got her calmed down. I told her that we could go back to the house and then she started whining. So we sat down again, started over with the screaming and kicking, but not for that long. Because I figured out a way to deal with her, and I think that she understood that I wouldn’t give up, or let her run. So we figured the problem and found a solution. I carried her home - she was cold, and probably a bit tired of running round all the time. So we went home (2 minutes walk, maximum), and I learned how to make “hot chocolate” in the “right” way. I just needed to clear it with Erin first.
That is actually one of my biggest fears, it’s to do something wrong. I know people makes mistake, but I want to do as little as possible. And eventually we sorted out the problem, and next time we are out and she gets cold and asks for chocolate I can say “yes” because now I know it’s okay.
Well, Teegan had an off-day. It didn’t help his mood that I tried to bottle feed him. But we have to try. I put Jade into quiet-time (nap) and then I took over Teegan, at first he really didn’t want to sleep and it took so long time with crying, before he finally gave up or just gave in. he went to sleep and slept on my shoulder. Then it was time to challenge myself. The famous bottle that he do not like to take. But he did in his sleep! I was so happy. So it turned out to be a great day! Except that I had a huge headache all day long. It’s very, very rare that I have had that kind of headache. Where the pain usually is booming this one is pain all the time, nonstop. So at 5.30pm I went to lay down, fell asleep, then I missed dinner. But at 10pm I woke up, wasn’t really hungry, so I went back to sleep and slept for at least 8 hours more = 12 hours of sleep
Tuesday
Today I got up after over 12 hours of sleep. Then I turned on my computer and did the usual routine facebook-mail-news. We ate Oatmeal – the Danish way. Oats, raisins and milk – all cold! Erin, Sam and Jade went to check a preschool, so I was home alone with Teegan. I managed to get him to sleep for about an hour, he didn’t want to take a bottle with ricemilk so he got pretty upset. Erin came home 10-15 minutes after and then he could something to eat. Then we played, I had Teegan some of the time. We ate lunch, putted Jade to nap, it took longer today than yesterday. But it was fine. Then I got Teegan, he was already asleep so It was just a nice relaxing time. I lay with him on my chest and shoulder while I was in the couch reading. He woke up once in a while complaining as babies do. But he got 2 good hours of sleep. Then Jade woke, we had snack, went outside – it was freezing cold and we have had snow. Then we ate and I went to my room talking with some other au pairs in my area from a list Euraupair gave me. Though many of them lives far away, and 1 of the girls are moving tomorrow because of a sad re-match who no one could prevent. So we are actually only me and a girl near by left from the agency. But she knows other au pairs from other agencies . including another Danish girl. But she would like to meet, so we just need to find a day.
Wednesday
Mostly a pretty good day. Jade and I played with play dough, played with ballons and played with her favorite toy in the moment: Lightning McQueen. Then we took a early lunch and went outside to play in the backyard. Then it we went in to get a small snack before naptime. The “schedule” was pushed a little, and I had some problems getting her to nap. Well she napped for 45 minutes and then we were off to danceclass. She got a meltdown and so we went home. Teegan was all happy-baby today, so that was really nice. Dinner was really late and ended up being breakfast-kind-of-dinner but it tasted really good!
It’s really windy this evening and will continue tomorrow too. A good day, with a not-so-great afternoon. But I’m good :)
Thursday
Erin, Sam and Jade went out to see another preschool in the morning. So I was home with Teegan. Everything was fine, He went to sleep, I gave him a bottle, he ate a bit of it and I cut his fingernails. They are seriously sharp! So now we can relax for another week, without been thorned a part ;) Jade came home and we went outside in the nice weather. It felled like spring, The sun was shining and was warm, the birds were tweeting and the smell was so spring-ish. Really liked that. We played around for an hour, playing with a stuffed puppy, who was a flying, skiing jungle-pup. Yep: flying, skiing jungle pup - fun game. We played hide and seek with sticks. (sticks was suppose to find each other) then we played a little with Thira and did the flying jungle pup thing again. We also talked about the sun and the ice left in the backyard. We went in played with some train tracks, had lunch, nap (which went very good today only half hour, all included) then I had Teegan. Who must have had bad dreams, he woke up crying with his eyes closed like he slept. And only Erin could get him to settle down. The third time he did it he woke up from his own “screaming” poor little guy :( well in the afternoon Erin and Jade made pumpkin bread and I just hang around and watched Teegan. Then we had dinner, pumpkin bread very good (tasted like sister/spicey cake in Denmark) then I hang around a bit and went to get a shower and then into my room.
I listen to a lot of “Rasmus Seebach” numbers. Danish Music is good music, and his lyrics just make it all easy. I love all his songs, they just make sense. Especially: ”Vover på at gå” (you dare to leave), ”Nangijala” (Nangijala), ”under Stjernerne på himlen” (under the stars in the sky), ”sig jeg skal” (say I have too),” Igen i dag” (again today) and ”Glad igen” (happy again) Makes so much sense to me. Many of them are just the typical love-songs. But “sig jeg skal” and “glad igen” means a lot to me. It keeps my mind on the track: I need to do this, I need some fun, new adventure, life-long-learning, I need to find myself and find my way in life. I need the challenge and all of that is possible for me to do if I catch the chance.
Tomorrow we are leaving for Pueblo. Down to Erin’s Mom (mimi) and PJ.
One final song: New Tomorrow by A friend in London. “come on boys, come on girls in this crazy, crazy world - you're the diamonds, you're the pearls - let's make a new tomorrow - come on girls, come on boys - it's you're future it's your choice - and your weapon is your voice - let's make a new tomorrow, today. “ Goodnight all.
Friday
A wonderful day. Everything have sort of being pushed today. We didn’t eat breakfast before 9.30am which was fine. We were going down to Pueblo in the early afternoon (2 hour drive) So first we made sure to tidy everything before we left, since we also had a cleaning lady coming over to clean the house. And then it was breakfast time. Today was the best weather, even better than yesterday. So nice weather, the sun was really warming it all up, amazing. Jade and I went out to the backyard to play while Erin could work, house was clean and just to enjoy the nice weather. Todays major thing to play was birds. There is a small bird-bath in the garden, there was a little bit of ice left in the yard, so we took it over to the bath and let I melt to the birds. Then we “flew” around as birds tweeting out loud, and then we began making a nest. So we spend over an hour collecting sticks and leaves for the nest. Which in the end actually got really cool! While we “flew” around and tweeted a woodpecker started to call back. Every single time we called “tweet tweet” it responded to us. So that was really fun for both of us. We went in to the house had lunch and then we played around. Jade helped the cleaning lady, and she was really into all the spraying and drying it off again. It was so sweet. Well Sam got home from work and we took off. 2 hours drive, roadwork! And everyone in Denmark defiantly knows what that means: queue! Well we got here, and both PJ and Mimi are really warm and welcoming people (not because I doubted it at all, they are social people) we went out for dinner on a Mexican restaurant. Though funny enough I didn’t order any Mexican food. I got some breaded chicken with fries. (Very healthy ;) ) we got home and hang around a little, try giving a bottle, reading in the aupair/hostfamily handbooks and then I went down to my room. I’ll explain more about the sizes I’m now realizing tomorrow. Right now, I’m so tired. Listening to Rasmus Seebach and A friend in London – as my goodnight music
Saturday
Well as promised about the sizes I’m realizing. Holy cow this is a big country! And I only had a 2 hour drive down to Pueblo! One thing is what you see on the maps. Yes you can see the difference on the maps, but that’s just a map. We went through the desert of CO, and it just went on and on and on. I have done my math and Denmark can fit into the State of Colorado 6,4 times! So the deserts just continued out in everything. To do it in a much bigger perspective then Denmark can fit into the United States of America 228 times! (according to Wikipedia)
Also houses, the Temp house and the new house are like normal sizes houses – which is great for me, I can cope with that, I come from a small house. Then we got to Pueblo. And Mimi and PJ is having the “American dream” house. Gigantic in my eyes. There is a whole if not 2 flats in the basement, where I sleep. It got everything! bedroom, bathroom, gym-room, 2-3 other smaller rooms, a large room with couches, gigantic beanbag, pool table, office, kitchen, golf-putting place. It’s really huge! And that’s just the basement floor. Then we have one more floor, with kitchen, dining /TV-area, master bedroom, guestroom etc. So this is like a really American houses . looks like in the movies!
So that is quite fun to be in and to see the big wide-open spaces.
Well the Saturday was in the sign of charity. Not something you do much of in Denmark. We do charity shows for fundraising and we beam doors to get money. Today I helped wrapping, bowing and gathering baskets for the YWCA, Pueblo. Who will make an online auction where all these baskets can be bid on - to raise money. On February 3rd they will do their yearly chocolate indulgence. You can read about the event here: http://www.ywcapueblo.com/wordpress/?page_id=7 and about YWCA here: http://www.ywcapueblo.com/wordpress/ . We got into this building and in the first room, I was like: that wasn’t much. But then we continues into the next room, and there was SO many things. Sorted out in categories on tables. There were stuff everywhere, ribbons, plastic-wrapping paper, a computer to type information about every single basket in. it was crazy. And this was probably just a “little” place to do such stuff. So I was amazed and I found that I really like this kind of charity work. I rather do the practical and physical work than beaming doors or call people and try to get them raise money over the phone. So I really enjoyed to give a helping hand. Hopefully I will be able to do more charity work while I’m in the US.
After the charity work we meet with the boys and Jade and had lunch. And then we dropped by a Wisconsin cheese store (Sam is from Wisconsin) and then home so Jade could get her nap.
Sam talked to the insurance company, so I think I’m able to drive now. I just need to try drive with one of them next to me, the first few times, especially if the kids are in the car. I’m not used to automatic gear or aware of all their driving laws. You can turn right even though the light is red! And left if it’s a one way street! But I need to get used to the roads, they are bigger, more lanes and then I need to learn my way around. But I will get used to it :)
Then we just stayed at the house until dinner, I typed in my blog, we watch the election of the republicans candidate, I heard one guy, this Rick Santorum, who is (in my eyes) too religious. He got 3 statements, jobs – education – and that people should be married before babies. He’s one of those persons most au pairs DON’T want to work for. It’s way to much. Welcome to the 21-century Mister, making the next generation believe in faith – will not happen. Get over it! And then dinner was up. After dinner Jade actually wanted to play with me. She have been (in my eyes) a bit hostile to me, so I have been like enemy no. 1 to her. Everyone else have been better than me. But she is 3½ year old. And she is going through a lot of stuff in the moment. They moved 3 weeks ago, all of her friends is now “gone” in her eyes, it’s a new house, which is not ours since it’s a temp. house. Hopefully we will soon get in to the new house. So she will be able to have their own furnitures so it feels more like home. Then she have also “lost” her Nanny Kristin who she’ve had for 2 years. And then I’m all new. I’m not Kristin and I’m not doing the things like Kristin did. So we have our up-times and down-times. So I try to take as much of the quality-time she is allowing me in the moment. And we play well together. I just need to get used to only have to focus on 1½ child. I’m used to 12 in my nursery group, plus practical stuff, plus parents and plus the other children from the other groups. So only focusing on 1½ child is actually hard (even though most people will say: oh that’s easy – it’s not!) During our hide-and-seek / dance the “hop, hop, hoping around like the silly rabbit-clown” I managed to stretch a muscle in my lower leg. Hopefully it will be over soon.
Then all of us except PJ went for a short stroll with Thira. It was mild weather even though the sun was down. I could really get used to it. Though the weather is said to change SO amazingly fast. I really look forward to experience my first thunderstorm. In July I have been told that it’s common everyday – at least in Pueblo. I don’t like the sound, but love to watch lightning.
Now going to bed, with good memories from the day.
Sunday
Today, we had our last day in Pueblo for this weekend. We went to a park, which was pretty cool. We was there for around 1½-2 hours. I love playgrounds!
After the park we went back home to Mimi and PJ’s house. There is a football match between New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. We cheered for Patriots. While the game was on we ate lunch/snack. Cheese and crackers. For those who knows me really well will think I just ate the crackers. But I was very brave and tried the cheeses. And I actually liked some of them!
I think it’s important to take the chance to change your life, while you got the chance. My year in the US will give me a fresh start – a clean cut. All I have ever been or done have made “me” – but I’m young (I know it sounds so cliché) But it’s true. I get to start over, try all the things I have never dared or just haven’t done. I have never liked cheese, only if it was cooked into my warm dinner. Today I took the chance and tried cheese and crackers. It might be simple cheeses – but it was cheese on crackers. And every time I try something new, I get proud that I can get out of my comfort zone and do something new.
I have taken a decision to change my life, I will still be me, I will just have some changes. Every day we learn something new and we change automatically. So will I. So I’m proud, especially when it comes to food. I try, and if I don’t like it, then I at least know for sure, instead of letting my comfort zone stop me.
Well after lunch we headed towards home. We went by IKEA to get some licorice in the food shop. And believe it or not, they didn’t have it! I know they have it in other IKEAs so I was choked. Well we got back to the road and drove to the Worldmarket in Boulder. They had some Haribo licorice, not the salty, strong stuff like we have in Denmark. So Mommy I will sent you an e-mail with the licorice I would like, and if you would be so kind to sent it, I would be the happiest daughter ever!
Besides that I had a great day with Jade, we played together and at dinner time back home in Boulder. She actually came to the decision that I was no longer a stranger and that she is starting to get used to me (I don’t remember if those are the exact words, but I think and hope that was what she told me) So That’s very good.
Well, a new week again tomorrow. Jade will start Pre-school Tuesday, it will be good for her to play with some peers. And start a “normal” rhythm. It’ll be good for her.
Goodnight.
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