Not all those who wander are lost. (R.R. Tolkien)
As much as I miss my family and friends when I am gone, I strangely enough feel very much at home when I am out traveling the world.
So here I go again!
I leave for Australia in..ooohhh about 3 weeks or so..for an adventure a bit different than my previous ones! In January or February I decided to just out of curiousity look at a couple of websites for opportunities to be an au pair. I know a girl that was an au pair in France for about 10 months and I wanted to see what all opportunities were available. It didn't take me very long to decide that being an au pair would also be an ideal way to travel and see the world since the majority of the positions cover your housing and food and include a weekly stipend. Still not thinking anything serious, I made a profile and started browsing families seeking an au pair...it's kind of like online dating but for finding a family/nanny instead. I looked mostly in Spain, New Zealand, and Australia and eventually came across the Handley family in Torquay, Australia. When I say eventually, it doesn't mean that it took very long, the whole thing developed quite quickly once I made a profile. While I spoke with a couple of other families in various places, the Handley family (Stephen, Claudia, and their three kids Liam, Veronica, and Dillon) seemed like the perfect fit for numerous reasons!
First of all, the whole au pair thing is a new experience for them too. They decided they needed the extra help with their 3 kids when their dream of owning a bed and breakfast became reality much sooner than they were expecting. They are the new owners of the Whitesbeach Guesthouse in Torquay, Victoria, Australia which will soon also be my new home. Check it out at http://whitesbeach.com.au/. Second, while Stephen is from Australia, Claudia is originally from Chile...and if you know me at all, you know how much I love Latin America and the Spanish Language...so, I have someone to help me keep up my Spanish. Not only that, but the two older children are in Spanish lessons and so that makes me their Spanish tutor! Last, what better place to meet people from all over the world than at a bed and breakfast? It just seemed like the perfect fit!
After a couple of Skype sessions and a meeting with my advisor (I get internship credit for my Masters since I will also be helping with Bed and Breakfast operations and not just the kiddos), my Australian adventure was all set! I got a crazy good deal on my ticket to Melbourne and I fly out on June 8th! A bit of a different feeling knowing that I am on my own when I get there and will not be met by a study abroad director and immersed into a group of students but I am excited for the trip nonetheless and I am looking forward to my time "down under!"
So here I go again!
I leave for Australia in..ooohhh about 3 weeks or so..for an adventure a bit different than my previous ones! In January or February I decided to just out of curiousity look at a couple of websites for opportunities to be an au pair. I know a girl that was an au pair in France for about 10 months and I wanted to see what all opportunities were available. It didn't take me very long to decide that being an au pair would also be an ideal way to travel and see the world since the majority of the positions cover your housing and food and include a weekly stipend. Still not thinking anything serious, I made a profile and started browsing families seeking an au pair...it's kind of like online dating but for finding a family/nanny instead. I looked mostly in Spain, New Zealand, and Australia and eventually came across the Handley family in Torquay, Australia. When I say eventually, it doesn't mean that it took very long, the whole thing developed quite quickly once I made a profile. While I spoke with a couple of other families in various places, the Handley family (Stephen, Claudia, and their three kids Liam, Veronica, and Dillon) seemed like the perfect fit for numerous reasons!
First of all, the whole au pair thing is a new experience for them too. They decided they needed the extra help with their 3 kids when their dream of owning a bed and breakfast became reality much sooner than they were expecting. They are the new owners of the Whitesbeach Guesthouse in Torquay, Victoria, Australia which will soon also be my new home. Check it out at http://whitesbeach.com.au/. Second, while Stephen is from Australia, Claudia is originally from Chile...and if you know me at all, you know how much I love Latin America and the Spanish Language...so, I have someone to help me keep up my Spanish. Not only that, but the two older children are in Spanish lessons and so that makes me their Spanish tutor! Last, what better place to meet people from all over the world than at a bed and breakfast? It just seemed like the perfect fit!
After a couple of Skype sessions and a meeting with my advisor (I get internship credit for my Masters since I will also be helping with Bed and Breakfast operations and not just the kiddos), my Australian adventure was all set! I got a crazy good deal on my ticket to Melbourne and I fly out on June 8th! A bit of a different feeling knowing that I am on my own when I get there and will not be met by a study abroad director and immersed into a group of students but I am excited for the trip nonetheless and I am looking forward to my time "down under!"
Comments
Post a Comment