So its been over a week!

Wow, its crazy that just over a week ago I was sitting with my best friend Callie speculating how my time in Spain would go(who doesn’t read my blog -_-) ! Not to much has been going on. I did make my first friend though! I mean if you consider a 10 minute conversation in English with another Nanny a friend…Unfortunately she’s only staying in Novo Sancti Petri for a few days.

It’s a little weird going on Facebook and seeing what all of my friends are doing and realizing that it’s going to be like this all summer. It makes me pretty sad, but then I remember what my dad said. I’m on a Friend Fast! No drama, nothing to really think about, when I’m sitting my mind just kind of goes blank, or I start repeating Spanish words in my head over and over again. I have ample free time. It’s weird for me, I’m usually one of the busiest people around. I mean the last time I had an hour where I just sat and watched TV? I don’t even remember. But here I get to sleep in until 10 or 11 everyday. Then I wake up, tell the kids to make their beds, help prepare breakfast. Eat. Then relax again, go to the pool and go on my lap top, read a book, then I help make lunch, then I relax again, then I help make dinner and then I relax again until my nightly run at 10:30 and then I go to sleep. It’s like everyone’s dream job. My goal is to get through all the books my parents wanted me to read. So far… I haven’t gotten through 1.

So it’s official. I can’t cook. But something in my ambitious mind told me I could, so in vain I offered to cook the family “American Food”. Well anyone who knows me well enough can only imagine how that turned out. The first night I cooked hamburgers. I literally got meat and rolled it into patties and I cooked corn! I had no idea how to, I just kinda threw it in water and hoped it would turn out. There was a lot of smoke but in the end I cooked a successful dinner. My confidence boosted, I had it in my head that I could cook BBQ chicken, Broccoli, and Salad for lunch today. When I was done everything looked okay… Unfortunately I had served my host family raw chicken. I had no idea how to cook chicken so I figured if I put it in the frying pan and then in the oven it would turn out. But lets be real here. I had no idea how to work the oven. So after a couple bites, (everyone said it was “muy rico!!”), we all discovered the chicken wasn’t really cooked. I guess it’s a learning process. Speaking of learning, I learn something about my host family everyday! May, the host wife, casually informed me she was Miss Spain. I mean no big deal, she was just a runway model for 5 years! Oh and I got this awful sunburn. It hurts so bad I have trouble sleeping at night (Mom I can already see you shaking your head). Yes I put sunscreen on, but I was alone and there were parts of my back I couldn’t reach!!

This whole idea of the Spanish not eating chocolate is really freaking me out. I went into one of the candy shops with the  kids and no only did they NOT SELL RECESS, but also they only had a couple chocolate bars…It appalled me! To make things worse when I offered the kids chocolate they refused saying they didn’t like it! What kind of kid doesn’t like chocolate!! But the kids eat olives right out of the jar. It’s very strange to me.

Well that’s about it for now, please keep me in your prayers! Everyone who is reading this it means a lot that I have your support! :)  Stay awesome Cali!!

here are more pictures of the kids, we went to the mall…

Things I've learned

Day #5. Two days ago we arrived at Novo Sancti Petri where the family owns their second home. The whole town is pretty much a giant resort with a giant golf course going throughout the whole town. I have my own room and bathroom. It great. But not gonna lie im pretty homesick. And theres no Wifi! The only way i can get wifi is to go over to the pool, so currently that is what I am doing, sitting at the pool.

Things I have learned so far. 

-Salad is communal. They literally just place a giant salad bowl in the middle of the table and everyone reaches their fork in and grabs some! It was so strange!

-Days never end. The day starts at 10 in the morning and because it doesn't get dark until 10:30 here they days don't end till midnight, which is normal for teenagers, but for small kids, it is definitely different. 

-I suck at spanish, most of the time I have no idea what anyone is say. Example 1: I tried to order at a Bar on the beach ( I was by myself because it was my day off) and well... I somehow ended up with a tuna sandwich and tons of dirty looks from the spanish man at the table next to me #americanproblems.
 

<--This is a picture from the bar! Right next to the beach:)











-Monopoly for children=bad. I have no idea what they were fighting over but 15 minutes into a game of monopoly and all the kids were fighting and two of them were crying. 

-I love friends. I definitely miss having friends to talk to about anything. Im pretty lonely not going to lie. Anyone who is interested in being an Au pair be prepared to have tons of you time. The good thing is I like being by myself, the question is how will I feel after two months. 

-Snails don't taste as bad as they look. Yes I ate them.

-The spanish don't eat penut butter or chocolate. My two favorite things... I had to ask them to specifically buy me some or else I would start having withdraws. 

Pretty much everyday we just go to the beach, the pool, we eat, and watch movies(in spanish of course). Its pretty great, although I wonder if they ever get bored. As for my tan, it is coming along nicely! In a little over two months all the freckles I have been geting are going to combine together and when Cali sees me again I'll be black!! 

Alright, See you in a while Crocadile.

So Far...(sorry this one is kind of long too)

Its amazing how two days in Spain has seemed like a week. Maybe it can be attributed to my jet lag which has my sleep schedule all messed up. Nevertheless,  to begin I'm going to address some myths about Spain. 
-Myth #1: The Spanish dress more conservatively...False (sorry Mom all those new clothes we bought so I would fit in, well I didn't need them..)I mean from what I have seen so far.. The majority of the population of Cadiz is old people so of course they dress more conservatively, however the few young people I have seen dress the same as American's. When I told my host Wife that my Mom bought me long shorts and skirts and conservative bikinis she laughed. 
-Myth #2: Spaniards tan topeless....True, well at least here in Cadiz they do. It most definitely caught me off guard. Not to mention, all the men wear shorter board shorts than the long shorts I just purchased! 
-Myth #3: Spaniards talk with their hands...True, they are very enthusiastic talkers and thank God or else I would have no idea what they were saying. 
-Myth #4: They always kiss on the cheek...True, they do, to say hello, to say goodbye, and when you meet someone as well. I always mess up and kiss to far or too close and they laugh at me. Hopefully in a couple weeks I'll have it down to a system.

Yesterday we walked around the town of Cadiz with the children. The Spanish really like their shoes and candy, I have never seen so many shoe stores and there is a candy store at every corner! We also went downtown. The city is very old, I mean they still have the wall up from when the Spanish were defending themselves from Napoleon's conquest. To live in downtown Cadiz is equivalent to owning a house at Newport Beach. When dinner hit (4 o'clock) the family ran around trying to figure out what I could eat for dinner that was Sin Gluten (without gluten), we finally decided on "Hollywood" an american restaurant. Where the inside looked like Red Robbin and the menu looked like Chilis and they played American movie music in the background. 

 If you can't read Spanish it says that the restaurant has authentic American food... I never considered the fact that our food could be referred to as authentic.
Next we went to the Cathedral De Cadiz, it was huge and beautiful. The majority of Cadiz and Spain for that matter is very catholic. I don't even think there is a christian church in all of Cadiz! 

From left to right. Jaime, Nacho, and Caroline. I have no idea why the kids look so unhappy... I swear they like me! I think its a thing in Spain to not smile for pictures?

Then we climbed to the top of this giant tower that overlooked all of Cadiz. The father knew someone who lived there. The family seems to know everyone. Today he told me that he managea 70 buildings in the south of Spain. He is a lawyer, a tax breaker, and a financial advisor. Almost every friend they have owns some type of Bar (bars in spain are cafe's, you always eat at a bar). 

  As for the clothes in the stores and the mall (the mall is like a giant macy's, everything is in one store), they are exactly the same as America, they even play top 40 American hits, and  I even found the same exact bathing suit I almost bought in Cali.
 As for my spanish... it is most definitely a work in progress. I can barely understand anything my host family is saying to me, but it is very slowly improving. Today I had a whole conversation in broken spanish with the host husband. I was so proud:). 
Today after the mall, we went to the beach which is across the street from they live. The beaches are beautiful!. 
The last culture difference I have observed so far in Spain is their eating habits. I'm literally hungry all the time. For those of you who know me well you should know I eat about 5 meals a day and inbetween I am constantly snacking. In spain we have a light breakfast(bread and fruit) and then we dont eat again till 3-4 and then if your still hungry youll have another snack(sometimes a meal) at 9. Ive already been through all my extra snacks for the plane, maybe ill learn enough spanish soon to ask for more food. Tomorrow we leave for Novo Sancti Petri, where the family owns their second home. More adventures to come soon! 

Stay real California. 

This is the longest one I swear!

The thing people ask me when I inform them I am going to be spending the summer in Spain is Why? Study abroad? Vacation? Family? When I answer no, I  usually receive a look of confusion, which turns into a blank stare when I explain that I am going to be an Au Pair. Many people don’t know what an Au pair is so to clear things up the dictionary definition is: a young foreign person, typically a woman, who helps with housework or child care in exchange for room and board. So that is exactly what I am doing. I am going to Cadiz, Spain and taking care of three kids, a 6-year old girl, a 10-year old boy, and a 12-year old boy. Cadiz is in the south of Spain. It ‘s on this little peninsula that reminds me of miniature Italy. If you look at it on a map it’s practically in Africa. It is the oldest inhabited city in Europe and right next to the beach. Sounds pretty great right? Yea it is, and I am extremely lucky that I have AMAZING parents who trust me enough to send me to the other side of the world to live with someone they have never met. Not only that they loaned me the money to pay for my plane ticket until I can pay them back. The family pays for my housing and food, and gives me a weekly allowance of 70€. They also are taking me with them to this awesome resort town called Sancti Petri...So how did I get hooked up with such a sweet deal. Well God first off. During the middle of this last quarter of college I realized I had no idea what I was doing over the summer and was stressing out, I mean losing sleep (when I did sleep). I was afraid I was going to return home over the summer jobless and bored. But after talking to my amazing mom and great friends they told me that I was being dumb and should just put it all in God’s hands. So that’s what I did, I prayed about it and said “God whatever I’m supposed to do this summer, I trust you”. A few days later I got an email from a family in Iceland. They had gotten my contact information from a website I had signed up for at the beginning of the year called GreatAupair.com. I had completely forgotten about it. So I started doing my research again. I found a legitimate website called Aupairworld.net and made a profile. I then went through and sent an email to about 30 families who were looking for an Au Pair the dates I was available. Less than an hour later I started receiving emails. A few days later I was conducting skype interviews, and after a week and a half I had chosen my family.

            The family doesn’t speak English and I don’t exactly speak Spanish either so communication should be difficult, but I’m hoping the few years of Spanish I took in highschool will resurface so I’ll somewhat be able to fit in among the locals. Other than what I have previously stated I really have no idea what to expect. I am ready for the adventure of a lifetime, but at the same time afraid of being away from  family and friends for such an extended period of time. I’ve only been through the plane flight and I already miss so many people.  As I currently sit at an the airport in Madrid waiting for my connecting flight to Seville, where my host family will be waiting (hopefully with a sign, I’ve always wanted to be greeted with a sign…),I’ve decided to write down my goals for the summer. For all of my close friends reading this, you better ask me when I get home if I’ve accomplished all my goals…hopefully I can say yes!

1.     To be inspired… Most of the time I feel young people get into a routine. School, Eat, Work, Be social, Sleep (sleep is usually the last priority for me) and we forget about everything the world has to offer. I guess that’s why I felt it was so important for me to travel this summer. I feel as if I need to experience something new to be inspired to want to work harder in school and life.

2.     Make friends… I really hope I make friends my own age, I mean at least one…So I can have young people conversations…and hopefully they speak some English, maybe I’ll even meet another Au pair!

3.     Read!.... I never have time during the school year to read, So I told my parents to pick a bunch of “Smart people books” (which is what I refer to them as) so I can develop myself this summer and learn about how to be successful in life!

4.     Get tan… If you’ve seen me this one is pretty self-exclamatory.

5.     Become more mature… Not being surrounded by American teenagers and other English speakers will hopefully force me to become more independent.

6.     Fight the American sterotypes… As much as I want to fit into the bimbo talking, high-maintanence, inconsiderate stereotype that many Americans have oversees I would prefer to be viewed in a little bit more of a positive light among the locals!

For now that’s all… I know this was a long post, but have no fear, I highly doubt I will have this much to say in my other posts, but check up once a week to see what I’m up to and if you’re one of the people interested in being an Au pair I will try my best to give you as much information about my life here as possible! Alright Peace out Girls Scouts (and boy scouts)

p.s.  If you got through this whole post, congratulations that means you’re a true friend… (I’m kidding though).