I'm even more annoyed now because today I took A to some psychologist in another town and we had to catch the train back home but I wasn't given any train fare for either of us. When we got home the mum asked about the train ride and all but never offered to pay me back for it. So a few minutes ago I gave her the receipt for the tickets and was like, 'it was 10 euros, but it's ok you can give it to me when you pay me' and she just nodded and kind of said nothing. It is a pet peeve of mine when people are inconsiderate and don't pay others back straightaway. I hate borrowing money from people in general and always pay them back as soon as I can. I don't get people who hold it off because it just looks rude/stingy like they are trying to get away with not paying someone back or something.
Anyhow, needless to say I am very much looking forward to leaving for Bonn. This French family needs to mind my work hours and not think they can just exploit me for the next few days, because although on the surface it is the family that provides the roof over my head and my food, if you dig deeper the au pair always has the power. Always. I'm the one living in their house with their possessions and looking after their kids, so if those are the most important things in the family's life that I am around, then they need to watch how they treat me these last couple of days. I can be a complete passive aggressive almost psychopathic bitch when I get really upset or angry at someone, and that's all I'm going to say about that. Also, I've had more negative things to say about the family to Al (the new au pair) than positive things.
Plus side, having the second au pair in the house is much better than I anticipated. Al is 18 and British. Nice enough and reminds me a bit of myself in terms of how she interacts with the family. So far we have complained to each other like crazy about P the host mum as well as the kids to a lesser extent. I've explained to her things the host mum never offered to, like how to use the washing machine and dryer, where the toilet paper is, where the language classes are, the deal with there being no internet all the time, best places to walk in town, how to get a Navigo card, etc. I wish I had someone to explain all that to me when I first came, so because Al is really nice, I'm trying my best to almost be the sole host family 'member' that is actually making her feel welcome. Having Al here makes me feel way better because it makes me realise I'm not insane in terms of noticing and complaining about all the things wrong with this family, because she feels the exact same way.
Still, after everything, I don't regret coming here for the past 2 months. 12 months I would have clawed my eyes out, but 2 months of shit in exchange for exploring Paris is marginally worth it. Wandering around Montmartre and climbing Sacre-Coeur to reach my favourite spot in all of Paris makes everything okay. Maybe my next post will be more positive in terms of what I actually visited these past two months.
Anyhow, needless to say I am very much looking forward to leaving for Bonn. This French family needs to mind my work hours and not think they can just exploit me for the next few days, because although on the surface it is the family that provides the roof over my head and my food, if you dig deeper the au pair always has the power. Always. I'm the one living in their house with their possessions and looking after their kids, so if those are the most important things in the family's life that I am around, then they need to watch how they treat me these last couple of days. I can be a complete passive aggressive almost psychopathic bitch when I get really upset or angry at someone, and that's all I'm going to say about that. Also, I've had more negative things to say about the family to Al (the new au pair) than positive things.
Plus side, having the second au pair in the house is much better than I anticipated. Al is 18 and British. Nice enough and reminds me a bit of myself in terms of how she interacts with the family. So far we have complained to each other like crazy about P the host mum as well as the kids to a lesser extent. I've explained to her things the host mum never offered to, like how to use the washing machine and dryer, where the toilet paper is, where the language classes are, the deal with there being no internet all the time, best places to walk in town, how to get a Navigo card, etc. I wish I had someone to explain all that to me when I first came, so because Al is really nice, I'm trying my best to almost be the sole host family 'member' that is actually making her feel welcome. Having Al here makes me feel way better because it makes me realise I'm not insane in terms of noticing and complaining about all the things wrong with this family, because she feels the exact same way.
Still, after everything, I don't regret coming here for the past 2 months. 12 months I would have clawed my eyes out, but 2 months of shit in exchange for exploring Paris is marginally worth it. Wandering around Montmartre and climbing Sacre-Coeur to reach my favourite spot in all of Paris makes everything okay. Maybe my next post will be more positive in terms of what I actually visited these past two months.
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| Gorgeous view from Sacre-Coeur |
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| Sacre-Coeur, my favourite spot in all of Paris |
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