What are the things that make USA different from Finland? Or more likely, what makes Colorado different from Finland? This is solely based on my personal experiences, so no offense to anyone if you think differently. I can accept it.
1. People
As I probably stated in the earlier post, the people made a huge impact on my life in Colorado. Coloradans are way more laid-back people than Finns are. It most certainly can't be because of the cold, because it was almost as cold as in Finland. On the mountains, every single person I met, or talked to, were so nice. Without knowing me, no judgements. Everyone was truly interested in my story of coming to America and thought it was "a big deal" to leave alone. I always said that my personality made it really easy to leave, of course I was anxious but more excited than nervous. Maybe it's because of the sunlight!!!! They usually get approx. 300 days
of sunshine in ONE YEAR. So basically, the days it's not sunny, it's snowing. I bet it's because of that. It's so cold and dark in Finland, it reflects into our souls and we become very .... moody?
2. Surroundings
Again, I think I've mentioned this before, but I loved living on the mountains. I've never really experienced mountains before. Not anywhere. I'd skied twice in my entire life before I left for Colorado. It was so beautiful, so so so natural. Not like big, hectic cities such as New York or Chicago. I always did some exploration wherever I went, even in the last months, I went to places I'd never been before. The mountains, river, the small villages in between. Everything was so worth the time. Colors of the trees in Autumn were so bright, I didn't even know there could be colors that bright. Yellow and orange were not the same yellow and orange that they are in Finland, they were cleaner, somehow brighter. And the snow. I've never really loved snow, but during my time in Vail, I actually learned to love it. At least a little because the huge snow storm in the end of April was not fun. For skiing maybe, but driving no. Solely in two days we got 2 feet or 80-90cm. WHAT? I've never seen that much snow in my life. Whooaa.
3. Lifestyle
As you can imagine, people living next to the world famous ski resorts as Beaver Creek, Vail and Aspen are ski fanatics! That is so true. Everyone does it, and very often too. And why not when you can enjoy the prettiest view from the top of the Vail Mountain or ski down the Back Bowls in Vail. It was incredible. But besides skiing, people are very active in other sports too.
They take care of themselves, eat healthy and are active. A lot of the kids have several hobbies and the adults are crazy about working out. Not much junk food are consumed daily. Things are a little different down in the South of the USA, like Alabama, Texas, Mississippi etc. Lifestyle also includes very expensive ski gear, resort wear and other things such as real estate. People that I met and whose houses I saw had the most incredible houses ever. Luxury living if I would say so. Huge mansion-like houses right next to the slopes, must be a tough life. Those houses also require a lot of maintaining, so they need people to take care of them. Good employers I would say. The garden, pools, kitchens, offices whatever it is, there's people to help you organize stuff. You name it. Everything stated above lead to the point of all this ----- MONEY.
Man only the rich people can afford really living in that kind of houses in Vail, CO. So to say normal people share apartments/houses with some friends and share the rent. Most of them might even work two jobs just to live.
4. Healthcare
I would have tons of stuff to say about this but let's keep in some limits. As you might know (and if you didn't, here's a piece of info), I had to have a surgery in July last year. And no one told me about the costs before the surgery, or actually they did call me to inform me but it still remained unclear. Then turned out I got another bill, and the paperwork began. Constant emails and calls to my insurance company if they'll pay for it or no. It was hard because of the language barrier. I'd never really had to explain anything so complicated to anyone on the phone. Everything is easier in person but there simply was no other way for me to handle the situation but to discuss it on the phone. It is so EXPENSIVE to take care of anything in the USA, just saying before you want to go ahead and be an au pair. Try not to get hurt, not as bad as I did at least. I heard of my best friends too that their bills for a dentist and a dermatologist were also very high. Then you think about the great healthcare you can have in Finland, for a very little money. My surgery was super expensive -- I don't want to share any exact numbers but we're talking about tens of thousands of dollars here. Luckily, I got it all fixed and didn't end up having to pay much in the end. And my toe is also in a very good shape. Thanks Dr. Elton. And my host dad.
5. Bureaucracy - paperwork
Where should I start? This is another thing I could say one thing about. Or maybe more than one. Well, wherever you're gonna sign up yourself in, expect paperwork. Take for example the college every au pair has to attend. It wasn't as easy as I thought and was said to be. Questions that I could not even answer to because of not being an American. Different papers to deliver to places to show you're legally there etc. Of course, I understand that. In case of opening a bank account, it was actually very easy. I was so afraid to go there cause of my English and the issues I had to talk about were not exactly on my strong list. Banking in English. Yes please. Anyway, they just showed me where to sign without even reading cause they explained all to me in normal English. Going to the hospital and to a different place to have a doctor's appt. was interesting. Almost every time I had to fill the same kind of papers with almost the same questions. Even some extra questions were given to me on the last check with the doctor but when I had no clue how to fill anything besides my name, they realized "this is not for you, I'm sorry for the trouble" ......"no worries, I only stared at it for like 15min and only could write my name, but that's ok".
6. Variety of options (in everything)
Whatever you wanted you could choose out of so many options, let's say ski gear, food, drinks, sports, tv channels (!!!!) etc. They have literally anything you can imagine. Go to Walmart and you'll find basically anything you want under one biiiiiig roof. Even in the small mountain communities, it was very nice to have options. Food specially, was nice to try different things. I ate Chinese for the first time in my life while in America. When it came to drinks, it was very hard in the liquor stores because they never sold cider. I guess Americans are beer fanatics?
Some of the next listed things actually kinda have something to do with this subject.
7. American football ♥
The one and only, real American football. Loved it! Even seeing the high schoolers playing and listening to the national anthem before a game was really nice. And strange. But I knew almost nothing about it when I came, or barely anything. One year we watched Super Bowl with my friends here in Finland but no one really concentrated on the game itself. Plus it was really late night so maybe that's why. I never made a game which bums me out so bad!! Specially when "my team" Denver Broncos almost made it to the Super Bowl last year, almost. Hopefully this year again! They're facing next weekend Tom Brady's Patriots, and hopefully going to be able to win and get closer to the big finale, Super Bowl. I'm still following their way, and they're currently at 13-3 result which is pretty good.
8. Crazy workdays
At least my family of doctor's worked pretty hard. The schedules were sometimes similar and sometimes it changed cause the other one of them had a night shift. But anyway they left early in the morning, around 7.30 and came back home around 7. Of course, as I said, this is only my experience of the only ones whose schedule I really knew. But when I think of it, I think most of the people work longer days in average than the Finnish people.
9. Food
Ahh, I love food. I learned to eat really healthy in Colorado, could be cause of the local lifestyle. Or must be because of it. I was blessed cause every time I went grocery shopping, I could also get something I wanted. I could buy avocado as much as I wanted, and that's how I became obsessed. I knew that the family ate healthy, so I never bought any candy or chips. Only the parents did, sometimes. But I was trying to be an example for the kids, to look after what they eat. Anyway, the variety of fruits for example was so huge, I couldn't decide what to get. With the kids, specially in the summer, we always got such fruit that we could make smoothies ourselves. The last months I barely ate at home, I always had something with my girls. Almost every night. But we ate the normal stuff, burgers, pasta, oven potatoes, Chinese, Mexican or other stuff. I still have a 15% discount card for a good food place, and the best thing were their appetizers: the wontons and ........ beef something. So yummy! But the places you could choose out of were almost endless. Most of the time we ended up in our favorite food/hang out place in Avon, but it was good for watching Broncos, playing pool, darts or fussball, or just dinner and drinks. Also for a pre-drinking place :) :) I loved the sangria, and the girls almost knew what to give me. Regular and loyal customer I am. There are also a couple of bad things relating to that place, but it's past so who cares anymore. Love Bob's!
10. Bars
It's maybe not fair to compare but in my experience everything was so much more fun in a small bar that was packed full of fun-loving, open-minded people. Mostly Americans, plus me and T. Oh, usually we started either at the restaurant mentioned above or a live bar called Red Lion. The bartender, gosh I forgot his name already, anyway, he was my favorite! He made me drinks, and I always wanted him as my bartender. He always kissed my hand when I left and I was always called honey. He was older so nothing with that, but I got discount, even sometimes free drinks!!! Also one of the bouncers had some roots in Finland, which was interesting to hear. We never really talked, but he hugged me when I told him the last weekend that I'm leaving. Again the openness!! What. A true regular is someone who doesn't need to show an ID when entering a bar, when everyone else with her needs to ---- and this is ME! Whiskey Jack's.
In conclusion, the bars are quite small when you compare to the ones i.e. in Denver. But they're quite nice, specially being surrounded with right minded people it's super fun. So many friends made there, I can only recommend.
11. Guys
Not that I have too much experience with Finnish guys, but the guys out there were much more open and came to talk to you so easily. I didn't have to do anything EVER. You just sat there with a drink and someone would come up to you soon enough. To talk which is nice. Most of them were "tourists" so people from all over the country, but we were the locals there. That's kinda funny. I know now some people from NYC, D.C., Dallas, Denver, Utah (can't remember where) and California. Just to name some. But some of them we even stayed in touch with later too, like I visited some of them in D.C. In general, guys out there are athletic, cause most of them either snowboard or ski often. I don't know that many locals out there, but the things I can say is that the ones I know, are super complicated. It's a long story, but no one needs that much complicity in their lives, too much work. HAHA.
12. Weed
This is a never ending question. But, since it's now legalized in Colorado, they can have it. And everywhere you go, you smell it. It's very gross. I don't like it at all. And all my local friends said they use it daily. I just can't understand why.
I think that's all I can think of now. If you have anything, any opinions, just comment. This is what I saw/experienced/learned.
torstai 16. tammikuuta 2014
maanantai 13. tammikuuta 2014
my america
Since couple of my friends asked me about my blog and whether I will write about my experiences again, I decided to write this. It'll mostly be about my own opinions and about what I learned in America.
Being an au pair is not the easiest thing in life, and it most certainly is not for everyone. If you're wondering about becoming an au pair, I'd first think about your own personality. If you're shy and not necessarily comfortable being around unknown people, I'm not sure it's the best thing. But don't have to be brave! Not even the lack of knowledge in English should prevent you from doing what you want. You will learn. What I learned during my year in Colorado, was that being around other social people, friends, made my year way better. Just being with the family will drive you crazy, or being in the same environment where you work will. Being an au pair is not just about taking care of kids, it's being able to live and love life, explore, and discover new things. Open up. Loosen up. Most of the au pairs in the mountains were just like me, social, willing to do a lot of new things and meet new people. Maybe that's why I was so happy. Being surrounded by same kind of people made me feel more comfortable being just me. No pretending.
I'm not saying I'm pretending back in Finland, but I can feel the difference. I just don't feel the same as I was in America. I've gone back to who I was, or maybe not totally, for sure not totally, but in some level I feel it's hard being the same as I was in America. I think the culture makes everything different. Finnish people are way more shy and they have their own personal space that shouldn't be touched. If you come any closer than the space one feels comfortable at, you feel anxious. I hate that. I opened up so much. I feel like I wanna smile all the time while walking on the streets and give compliments to some random people just like the Americans did to me. But what would that make me here? A freak. That jerk who must be high smiling around. No, to me it just doesn't fit the Finnish nature of being. We're supposedly very serious people.
I miss Colorado and America in many ways. Not only the surroundings where I was blessed to live in, but also the people, culture and lifestyle makes me miss it. Vail was definitely a blessing for me. Not ever did I imagine it to be that awesome when I left. Not even in my wildest dreams. I didn't know anything about the place where I lived in. No one besides the family was there to help me the first weeks, I only had to count on my host kids and the parents when it came to setting up my bank accounts, or where to find a grocery store or how to find to the school etc practical stuff. But I figured it all out by myself and got credit for that. It made me feel comfortable about myself and gave me more confidence. The boost of confidence that I got from the family made my life easier in every other level. I didn't fear anything.
Of course, skiing was awesome!!! God I still wish I'd be there with T, go skiing almost every Saturday and Sunday and go out on Friday nights. That was a routine for us. And it was ridiculously amazing! Vail, a small village, was so beautiful in winter, full of active, fun people. Every weekend I met people both in the lifts, or the slopes, or in the bars. I remember those nights with all the afterparties. And it always turned out to be so much fun. Only one time I remember we didn't have a good night because we're expecting someone to show up. We learned that we can't expect anything, besides of course having fun, and then everything always turns out awesome. That's how it was.
The open-minded people I met in America made me happy. I could actually talk to people wherever I went, no matter if I knew anyone or not. Since I left Colorado, I've actually been emailing with the beautiful ladies at my bank, they were awesome. In the summer on my vaca weeks, I actually went to see them and just chat about life. How cool is that! You can't do it in Finland. .... Everyone would think you've gone mad. People would come to you on the streets or say something in the grocery store or wherever you went. After my surgery I got a lot of attention from people I didn't even know, everyone kept asking what happened and if I was okay. That'd never happen here, no way. Everyone would think you're a runaway from a mental institution.
Not only do I miss the bank ladies, I also miss my family. My beloved American family. Memories grow sweeter in time. We had our little misunderstandings and my mistakes but most of the time, it was fun and everything ran smoothly. The kids were behaving and towards the end it actually felt like a real relationship between them. The boys were always more quiet than the girls, but even with a 15-year-old boy I could have fun. Or then it was just pretending. HAHA. At least I had tons of fun with them. I miss the boys as much as the girls. But my littlest girl will stay in my heart forever. She was so sweet. We even had one week just the two of us, everyone else were gone. Then I sent her off to camp, and it felt like she was my own sister. We've still had contact and I'm really eager to see each other again. I miss the great days! I miss even the cat, and their lovely dog. I miss also time by myself. A house of 6 people plus me could be hectic sometimes. Now I can really appreciate it when NO ONE is screaming around for you. At first it felt really strange, actually it still does feel weird. No one running around and screaming. And even the time I was on vacation in the summer, it was strange being alone in the house just by myself. Of course, I had some responsibilities maintaining the house but that was little compared to the freedom otherwise. I could lay by the pool all day without getting any calls or texts. But at that time, I wasn't used to it and I couldn't really decide what to do with all the time I had in my hands.
All the friends I made I can never forget. Both the au pairs and locals/other Americans. The relationships between me and the two groups were a little different. I remember my hangouts on the mountain skiing, being in a hot tub relaxing watching the stars, going for just food and drinks or hanging out in Denver. I admit, most of the other people I met were guys and some of them actually I went out with. Usually being not more than just friends, but some of them had and still have a bigger place in my heart. Not like being exclusive. But still, it was way more fun to be with that kinda of fun people. I've still stayed in contact with the most important ones, which for me is something that I want to hold on to. Sometimes I remember the kids asking if I had a boyfriend, mostly the issue was brought up by my 10-year-old. I remember those funny conversations, where I was mostly saying nothing, just laughing and denying everything they said. Eventually, where did it get me? Well, the conclusion always was that I DO have a boyfriend. Admitting to the family that one has a boy one hangs out with or go on dates with was not the easiest thing because I always thought about what they think of me. And I always wanted to be discreet about my personal life in general. I even remember some jokes about finding me an American guy to get married to.
Rather than being homesick, I enjoyed my time more than I ever expected. Every aspect of my journey made me become the person I am now. I lost a part of the new me after leaving USA, but it's still somewhere to be rediscovered. I also left something of the old me in America. Old me vs new me. It's weird because I can't even describe in which ways I changed. It was just a growing experience in total. I never felt excluded, not with friends or with the family. I never really felt insecure. And I always was appreciated. I give thanks for that, to everyone that was part of my journey.
As I said, the memories grow sweeter in time and it's easier to look back and see how great everything was. It makes one miss the good times but also remember the not-so-good ones when I had a tough time at the house. Everything just seemed to be falling apart, walls collapsing on me. That was in January, about halfway of my journey. Before that I never really hung out with the girls, maybe couple times a week. After my quite short recovery from the bad times, I realized actually everything isn't as bad as I thought in my mind. Seeing my Finnish family on Christmas was definitely very hard and going back to work from a vaca that long and still having to work for another 7 months just didn't feel right. After I started really going out most of the nights on the week, I loosened up and learned to let go of the day and all the drama. It was way easier to concentrate on the good things; friends. But through relaxing, I could also appreciate the work. It was not only a one-way thing, but both affected each other. Like a circle. I also started working out a lot, the bad times really got to me. Usually I didn't eat with the family but left to the gym and outside hot tub to get everything off my mind. Sometimes it was just dinners with friends or movies. Or even just hanging out at one of theirs house. Whatever it was, it always made me feel good about myself. T, my Dutch friend, was a real boost of confidence for me.
I could say, it's one of the best chances I ever took in my life, if not the absolute best. In any case, I think everything made it worth at least trying. Language, friends, new surroundings, contacts and just general atmosphere, Colorado. I've had regrets about leaving, specially the last month was hard for me: there was nothing I could do besides just accept my decision and live with it, try to enjoy the life there to the fullest. I now wish I would've stayed. And I was lucky my family even asked me to stay, I had a good feeling about everything I'd done so far. They were also understanding of my decision to finish school. I helped my family with the new au pair for basically two days, showed her around and told about the routines. I wanted to do my part so that it would be as easy as possible for her to fit in and be comfortable in her position. As part of the family as I felt. But when the new au pair came the reality hit me and that was probably the worst feeling, and it meant I only had three days left. What should I say or do? I moved away from my room, so that she could move in. I said goodbye to the girls and most of the other people I met. Hardest goodbyes in my life, hundred per cent.
In conclusion of all this, I would definitely recommend this from the bottom of my heart. It was something to be experienced to everyone. There are good and bad times, but isn't that like life in general? For me, the journey was a growing experience and I have now so many friends and family there, I can never forget ♥ Colorado in my heart.
Being an au pair is not the easiest thing in life, and it most certainly is not for everyone. If you're wondering about becoming an au pair, I'd first think about your own personality. If you're shy and not necessarily comfortable being around unknown people, I'm not sure it's the best thing. But don't have to be brave! Not even the lack of knowledge in English should prevent you from doing what you want. You will learn. What I learned during my year in Colorado, was that being around other social people, friends, made my year way better. Just being with the family will drive you crazy, or being in the same environment where you work will. Being an au pair is not just about taking care of kids, it's being able to live and love life, explore, and discover new things. Open up. Loosen up. Most of the au pairs in the mountains were just like me, social, willing to do a lot of new things and meet new people. Maybe that's why I was so happy. Being surrounded by same kind of people made me feel more comfortable being just me. No pretending.
I'm not saying I'm pretending back in Finland, but I can feel the difference. I just don't feel the same as I was in America. I've gone back to who I was, or maybe not totally, for sure not totally, but in some level I feel it's hard being the same as I was in America. I think the culture makes everything different. Finnish people are way more shy and they have their own personal space that shouldn't be touched. If you come any closer than the space one feels comfortable at, you feel anxious. I hate that. I opened up so much. I feel like I wanna smile all the time while walking on the streets and give compliments to some random people just like the Americans did to me. But what would that make me here? A freak. That jerk who must be high smiling around. No, to me it just doesn't fit the Finnish nature of being. We're supposedly very serious people.
I miss Colorado and America in many ways. Not only the surroundings where I was blessed to live in, but also the people, culture and lifestyle makes me miss it. Vail was definitely a blessing for me. Not ever did I imagine it to be that awesome when I left. Not even in my wildest dreams. I didn't know anything about the place where I lived in. No one besides the family was there to help me the first weeks, I only had to count on my host kids and the parents when it came to setting up my bank accounts, or where to find a grocery store or how to find to the school etc practical stuff. But I figured it all out by myself and got credit for that. It made me feel comfortable about myself and gave me more confidence. The boost of confidence that I got from the family made my life easier in every other level. I didn't fear anything.
Of course, skiing was awesome!!! God I still wish I'd be there with T, go skiing almost every Saturday and Sunday and go out on Friday nights. That was a routine for us. And it was ridiculously amazing! Vail, a small village, was so beautiful in winter, full of active, fun people. Every weekend I met people both in the lifts, or the slopes, or in the bars. I remember those nights with all the afterparties. And it always turned out to be so much fun. Only one time I remember we didn't have a good night because we're expecting someone to show up. We learned that we can't expect anything, besides of course having fun, and then everything always turns out awesome. That's how it was.
The open-minded people I met in America made me happy. I could actually talk to people wherever I went, no matter if I knew anyone or not. Since I left Colorado, I've actually been emailing with the beautiful ladies at my bank, they were awesome. In the summer on my vaca weeks, I actually went to see them and just chat about life. How cool is that! You can't do it in Finland. .... Everyone would think you've gone mad. People would come to you on the streets or say something in the grocery store or wherever you went. After my surgery I got a lot of attention from people I didn't even know, everyone kept asking what happened and if I was okay. That'd never happen here, no way. Everyone would think you're a runaway from a mental institution.
Not only do I miss the bank ladies, I also miss my family. My beloved American family. Memories grow sweeter in time. We had our little misunderstandings and my mistakes but most of the time, it was fun and everything ran smoothly. The kids were behaving and towards the end it actually felt like a real relationship between them. The boys were always more quiet than the girls, but even with a 15-year-old boy I could have fun. Or then it was just pretending. HAHA. At least I had tons of fun with them. I miss the boys as much as the girls. But my littlest girl will stay in my heart forever. She was so sweet. We even had one week just the two of us, everyone else were gone. Then I sent her off to camp, and it felt like she was my own sister. We've still had contact and I'm really eager to see each other again. I miss the great days! I miss even the cat, and their lovely dog. I miss also time by myself. A house of 6 people plus me could be hectic sometimes. Now I can really appreciate it when NO ONE is screaming around for you. At first it felt really strange, actually it still does feel weird. No one running around and screaming. And even the time I was on vacation in the summer, it was strange being alone in the house just by myself. Of course, I had some responsibilities maintaining the house but that was little compared to the freedom otherwise. I could lay by the pool all day without getting any calls or texts. But at that time, I wasn't used to it and I couldn't really decide what to do with all the time I had in my hands.
All the friends I made I can never forget. Both the au pairs and locals/other Americans. The relationships between me and the two groups were a little different. I remember my hangouts on the mountain skiing, being in a hot tub relaxing watching the stars, going for just food and drinks or hanging out in Denver. I admit, most of the other people I met were guys and some of them actually I went out with. Usually being not more than just friends, but some of them had and still have a bigger place in my heart. Not like being exclusive. But still, it was way more fun to be with that kinda of fun people. I've still stayed in contact with the most important ones, which for me is something that I want to hold on to. Sometimes I remember the kids asking if I had a boyfriend, mostly the issue was brought up by my 10-year-old. I remember those funny conversations, where I was mostly saying nothing, just laughing and denying everything they said. Eventually, where did it get me? Well, the conclusion always was that I DO have a boyfriend. Admitting to the family that one has a boy one hangs out with or go on dates with was not the easiest thing because I always thought about what they think of me. And I always wanted to be discreet about my personal life in general. I even remember some jokes about finding me an American guy to get married to.
Rather than being homesick, I enjoyed my time more than I ever expected. Every aspect of my journey made me become the person I am now. I lost a part of the new me after leaving USA, but it's still somewhere to be rediscovered. I also left something of the old me in America. Old me vs new me. It's weird because I can't even describe in which ways I changed. It was just a growing experience in total. I never felt excluded, not with friends or with the family. I never really felt insecure. And I always was appreciated. I give thanks for that, to everyone that was part of my journey.
As I said, the memories grow sweeter in time and it's easier to look back and see how great everything was. It makes one miss the good times but also remember the not-so-good ones when I had a tough time at the house. Everything just seemed to be falling apart, walls collapsing on me. That was in January, about halfway of my journey. Before that I never really hung out with the girls, maybe couple times a week. After my quite short recovery from the bad times, I realized actually everything isn't as bad as I thought in my mind. Seeing my Finnish family on Christmas was definitely very hard and going back to work from a vaca that long and still having to work for another 7 months just didn't feel right. After I started really going out most of the nights on the week, I loosened up and learned to let go of the day and all the drama. It was way easier to concentrate on the good things; friends. But through relaxing, I could also appreciate the work. It was not only a one-way thing, but both affected each other. Like a circle. I also started working out a lot, the bad times really got to me. Usually I didn't eat with the family but left to the gym and outside hot tub to get everything off my mind. Sometimes it was just dinners with friends or movies. Or even just hanging out at one of theirs house. Whatever it was, it always made me feel good about myself. T, my Dutch friend, was a real boost of confidence for me.
I could say, it's one of the best chances I ever took in my life, if not the absolute best. In any case, I think everything made it worth at least trying. Language, friends, new surroundings, contacts and just general atmosphere, Colorado. I've had regrets about leaving, specially the last month was hard for me: there was nothing I could do besides just accept my decision and live with it, try to enjoy the life there to the fullest. I now wish I would've stayed. And I was lucky my family even asked me to stay, I had a good feeling about everything I'd done so far. They were also understanding of my decision to finish school. I helped my family with the new au pair for basically two days, showed her around and told about the routines. I wanted to do my part so that it would be as easy as possible for her to fit in and be comfortable in her position. As part of the family as I felt. But when the new au pair came the reality hit me and that was probably the worst feeling, and it meant I only had three days left. What should I say or do? I moved away from my room, so that she could move in. I said goodbye to the girls and most of the other people I met. Hardest goodbyes in my life, hundred per cent.
In conclusion of all this, I would definitely recommend this from the bottom of my heart. It was something to be experienced to everyone. There are good and bad times, but isn't that like life in general? For me, the journey was a growing experience and I have now so many friends and family there, I can never forget ♥ Colorado in my heart.
Tilaa:
Blogitekstit (Atom)