Two days ago, I arrived in Barcelona.
I don't like my room (rather claustrophobic) and I don't like where I'm living. The village, Sant Vicenç de Montalt, is absolutely freaking tiny. There is only one of everything. One bakery, one newsagency, one grocery store. Clothing store? Forget it, you'd have to go all the way to the next large town for that. Barcelona is 1-2 hours away, depending on if I'm lucky with not missing the bus and train. The bus to the train station comes every 30 mins and the train to Barcelona comes every 30 mins which truly makes me feel like I'm in the middle of nowhere. Although there's a nice view of the ocean from the house, trying to walk to the beach from the village is still quite a trek and will have you huffing and puffing. I also hate the weather. So hot and humid. The semi-detached house is the complete opposite of the large, spacious dwelling in Chelles or the modern apartments in Bonn and Berlin. That is, the opposite of modern, with outdated appliances, decor and furniture. There's no mirror, lamp, trash can, dresser space in my room. Heck, there is barely even an accessible powerpoint, though I do like my bathroom well enough.
Yet, I love the family (even the Alaskan Malamute, Boy). Maybe I am speaking too soon. Perhaps in a month's time I will be cursing them, who knows. But so far, this has been the only family I've felt truly apart of from the start. Or maybe I'm just getting better at this integration thing? This family makes living in this tiny village worth it. Another confirmation, perhaps, that it's not where you are but who you are with that matters.
The mother is the type who picks up other people's carelessly tossed litter on the street and puts it in the bin herself. The type who gives up her seat on the train for pregnant and elderly people. I get this feeling from her that she is a good person. Just this vibe, straightaway. I get the same vibe from her daughter too, who's really lovely for a 12 year old. They made a real and true effort to teach me about Spanish food and culture, show me around the village as well as Barcelona. Tonight we even had dinner with my host mum's ex-husband (who's also great) and there were no awkward silences! We just had a great time sharing cultures. This is what I've always imagined au pairing to be. The family has been welcoming, generous but not uncomfortably over-the-top like the one in Bonn, and just truly made an effort to consider my needs and what I can get out of the experience, not just what they can.
Am I being positive too soon? We'll see.
