What to Pack for a Year Abroad

I was overwhelmed when I first realised that I was going to have to pack my life into a suitcase. It seemed like an impossible task - how could I fit in everything I needed? I could have bought two more suitcases, but instead I set myself the challenge of fitting it all in to one 20kg suitcase, and one 10kg bag. It's actually worked out very well, so I thought I would write a basic list of what to include in your packing.

Clothes:

4x t-shirts

3x jumpers

2/3x smart tops 

3x pairs of jeans/trousers (2x old, 1x smart)

2x skirts/shorts (I think shorts are better, they're much more practical)

2x jackets (one for summer, one for winter)

A scarf, a hat, a pair of gloves, sunglasses
2x smart outfits that you can mix and match (always good to have this option, it can seem rude if you turn up underdressed)

Shoes:
1x boots
1x trainers
2x flats

Technical:
You'll need your phone and whatever else you have, e.g. a laptop, and chargers
Headphones
You may need plug adapters depending on where you live

Extras:
Make up
Shampoo
Conditioner (don't bother saving space by buying the travel size ones, they're somehow more expensive than the regular size!)
Books (always take at least one thing that is written in your mother tongue, you'll start to really miss it after a few weeks)
A few photos from home
Postcards, paper, pens, envelopes etc. so you can write to friends and family (or you could save paper and utilise the tools of the 21st century and just send them an email instead)
Money. Always take a little bit of money out with you, just in case you need something before you get paid. Convert it before you go abroad to reduce the stress

And that's about it. If you're going to Germany remember to bring a pair of flip flops or slippers (or both) with you, as the Germans have a thing about bare feet inside, and always wear 'house shoes'. 

My First Week as an Au Pair

I arrived in Stuttgart and was delighted to see my host family waving cheerily at me. I am very lucky, my host family is extremely attentive and within the first two days they had set up a bank account for me, and helped me order a German SIM card.

I arrived in the evening, so all that was left to do that day was to unpack and get settled in. After a tour of the flat we ate supper, and then I played with Ben. The next day we all went to Ben's Kindergarten, and once we had dropped him off we had a little walking tour of the town. We stopped at the town hall so I could register that I was living here. My host family had booked a meeting in the bank for 10am, in which my bank account was set up and my first month's pocket money paid into it in advance, so I could pay for my German course and my SIM card.

Over the next few days we picked up the brochure for the German classes, as well as one for a dance school. Now I had my bank account set up I could apply for classes. I did an online test to help me work out which level I am in German. I was between A2 and B1, so we looked for classes at those levels. Naturally I chose the two cheapest. Mostly, the evening classes are cheaper than those during the morning, but I would rather save money and be a bit tired the next day instead of spending more money.

I continued to accompany the parents as they took Ben to Kindergarten and picked him up. He also does a few activities afterwards, but as it was the end of August none of the classes had started yet. My host family were very kind, and always asked me to help them with things, like the laundry, which meant I could see how the washing machine and dryer worked and so forth.

As I got the hang of things I started doing little things on my own, and then gradually the bigger things. Time passed incredibly quickly, and even though by the end of the week I was still finding my feet I felt settled.

Is anyone considering au pairing?

Choosing to be an Au Pair

These days there are several options for gap years. Volunteering, teaching English as a foreign language, and inter railing are all popular. I chose to be an au pair because it seemed like the only option which had a guaranteed pay check (albeit a small one), as well as the fact it was arguably the best way to improve my knowledge of German and get to know the country.

I also enjoy working with children. There is something quite relieving about working with children (as long as you have a balance between spending time with children and spending time with adults). The world becomes a little bit smaller, less terrible and more interesting when you spend time with children.

Au pairing is also relatively easy. My jobs include picking up the children, feeding them, waking them, helping them to get dressed and typical household chores. It is quite the opposite of slaving over essays, books and revision, it almost feels like a break or a holiday. I am not responsible for the 'bigger things' like food shopping and I don't have to pay taxes. It's like spending a year as an honorary teenager, before having to be a proper adult and wholly responsible for myself.

This means I have the chance to grow as a human being, and because of this I feel like I will be more prepared for when I finish au pairing and get a 'proper' job. I also get to make some wonderful friends, stay with some truly lovely people, and become a member of a new family. There is a One Tree Hill quotation about happiness, which says that happiness might be achieved through the "quiet nobility of leading a good life" and this is exactly what I get to do.

As lovely as it is to enjoy this, I also know that I could only do it for a short period of time, and thus it fuels my motivation to make something of myself, and to make a solid, successful career.

Did you consider being an au pair? What else have other au pairs noticed? Let me know.

Choosing a Gap Year

The majority of my friends were all heading off to university once they'd finished their A Levels. I was less keen on that option because of the high price tag and because I couldn't pick just one subject to study for three years. There is also a whole myriad of other reasons, including why go to university just for the sake of going?

I intended to study at RADA for two years since I was about 11 years old. It was quite a shock, even to me, when I changed my mind six years later. Stuck for ideas, I looked to other people as examples, and came across a friend who was au pairing in Germany. She loved it, she was staying in an apartment in Berlin, and her German had improved tremendously. That was what I would do for a year, at least. I would travel, stay away from home (very far from home) and improve my German. I also really wanted to go to Germany as I'd been learning the language for six years or so, but I'd never actually been to the country.

With my mind made up, I signed up to an online agency and quickly began messaging families. Lo and behold, I quickly started receiving messages too. My eye was temporarily drawn to a few other European countries, but the family I liked the most lived in Stuttgart, Germany. Perfect. 11 months staying with a four year old boy and a seven month old baby? Sorted. And that was that.

It was all fairly seamless, until my mum started worrying about 'empty nest syndrome'. I decided to use my ample summer break to have a taster, and headed to Italy, where I would be staying with two girls, aged 9 and 12, and a little boy aged 1. I really enjoyed it, and although the family wasn't as great as could be (I was their first au pair and so they weren't very well organised yet) I still loved being there, being with the children, and exploring the town. I knew I had made the right decision about going to Stuttgart for 11 months.

A lot of my friends were jealous of the idea, particularly as I get paid to do frankly very little, as opposed to having a big student debt. I think everyone should go on a gap year. I know they used to be frowned upon by employers but I really think it is a vital learning curve that everyone ought to experience. It's the best opportunity to grow up that you will ever get.