Its been 15 years now since i made my first step in this cold but really beautiful country called Germany. But sincerely speaking, it feels like yesterday. My, how time flies!!!
Today i decided to share my Au-pair experience with those of you who might be interested in being an Au-pair in Germany some day and with those others who are just curious on how a Kenyan ´village-girl´ would perceive life in Germany in general.
Before i start i need you to understand that this is my story. Different people have different experiences. Another person might tell a whole different story. They might have a whole different experience. Additionally, this was 15 years ago. Things might be totally different today.
My memory of my Au-pair time is so vivid and i guess this will remain the case till i kick the bucket.
Everything was so new, so foreign, so different. That means that for me everything was so scary, so exciting, so weird. I treasure every little bit of that experience like a 24 karat Gold ring in my heart. This feeling can not be explained with words, neither spoken nor written. It is a feeling that one has to experience in order to understand the magnitude.
But first things first.
What is an Au-pair?
I guess most of you are familiar with the term, but many of you don´t really know what it means and what it is.
Au-pairs are foreign youths of ages between 18-25 years, living with a host family where they take domestic responsibilities like child-care and house work.
The term "Au-pair" originates from the french word "At par" meaning "equal to". In other words, Au-pairs are meant to be equal parts of the host family, which distinguishes them from the traditional domestic help.
Au-pairs have nationally regulated rights and duties. These differ from country to country.
When i arrived in Germany my host family picked me up from the Hamburg Air-port. As we drove to Speck (a little village in Meckenburg Vorpommern), i was clueless. I had not the slightest idea what awaited me.
My Au-pair dad parked his black Opel car on one of the three parking slots and turned to the back seat where i was seated and said:
"Rose, wir sind da! Willkommen in Speck..."
[Check out for my next post as i talk about the good, the bad, the great and the terrible experiences during my Au-pair time.]
Till soon, stay all blessed.
Lots of luv,
ItsRose_Beth
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