It is the last day of August and, for the first time in almost twenty years, I will not be returning to school in September. For almost my whole life, September has meant back-to-school shopping, purchasing textbooks and worrying about who my teachers will be. But with kindergarten, elementary school, high school and even university behind me, I look ahead into my school-less future. *sigh* I like what I see.
As I am a compulsive plan-ahead-er, my near future isn't entirely unkown. In just one week, I will depart my beloved homeland of Canada for my new job as an 'au pair' in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, Great Britain. An 'au pair', is a sort of nanny. According to wikipedia, an au pair is a foreign-national domestic assistant working for, and living as part of, a host family... The title comes from the French term au pair, meaning "on a par" or "equal to", indicating that the relationship is intended to be one of equals: the au pair is intended to become a member of the family, albeit a temporary one, rather than a domestic servant. Well, that sounds pretty good to me!
My particular au pair position will be with a family that includes taking care of three lovely children. After summers of working at summer camps, I hope I have the experience needed to keep up with them!
To follow are my adventures in Birmingham!
