Hola, qué tal? Cómo fue tu vuelo? – Those were the words that marked the beginning of my six-week adventure in Spain. I have to admit that even though I was really excited about it, as soon as I got off the plane in Valencia I felt this strange tickling in my stomach. I’ve never done this before, what if I mess up? What if they don’t like me? But you love kids. And you love experiencing new things. Of course you can do this! So I picked up my luggage and headed towards salida (exit) and my first au-pair experience.
My family was already waiting for me and as soon as they spotted me in the distance…well, everybody at the airport knew I was coming. But they were really nice and probably even more excited than I was. They immediately treated me like a member of their familia and all my worries suddenly disappeared. Just like that. They were a family of four; Ana and Oscar were the parents, and Martina and Mauro were the kids. Martina was a five-year-old girl, a sweet little princess with big brown eyes and the cutest childish laugh I’ll never forget. Mauro was a ten-year-old boy, friendly, good-hearted and always in a good mood. First few days of my stay we spent in their apartment in Alcoy, a small Spanish town only 50 km away from Alicante, but then we moved to their beautiful summer house in a nearby village called Planes de la Baronía. I loved it there! Surrounded by hills and hundreds of olives, so quiet and peaceful that you could hear your own thoughts. Every day was simply awesome. Martina and Mauro took me for their older sister and we spent all days playing games, or swimming in the pool, and when Ana and Oscar returned from their work, we often went on excursions.
Thanks to them I also visited a lot of beautiful places, learned something new about Spanish culture, tasted their typical dishes, met amazing people, and of course, improved my Spanish. I will always remember Villajoyosa, a picturesque costal town where we spent our first day at the beach and where I tasted my first paella, a typical Valencian dish from rice and sea food which is regarded as one of the identifying symbols of Valencia. I will also never forget Alicante or Benidorm, amazing places with busy streets full of tourists and the scent of the sea in the air, or Isla de Tabarca, a small island where they took me for our last trip - and where I saw a real life performance of mariachi singers!
But all good things come to an end and so did my six-week adventure. When we were saying goodbye before I headed to Barcelona to enjoy vacation with my sister, I knew that I’ve found my second family and we promised that until we meet again, we will stay in touch, but the sooner the better. I also miss tinto de verano, the most amazing drink ever!
So any girl (or even a boy) thinking about being an au-pair, but have doubts, I just say go for it! No more words needed.
Renata Longauerová
