I moved about six hours ago to Palma de Mallorca to au pair for a Spanish family here, and have jumped right into the lives of one amazing family! There are three little girls, two, five, and seven years old, and then the parents. The dad captains a boat, so he's gone most of the summer and we have yet to meet, but the mom is really fantastic. They've never had an au pair, I've never been an au pair, and we're figuring it out together!
They met me at the airport with the cutest sign that the two older girls had made, and they warmed up to me pretty quickly. I've been really surprised how short a time it's taken for them to adjust to me and initiate me into their lives as a jungle gym item, but I'm glad. I'm much more keen on skipping over the warming-up phase and just getting right into it. After all, I'm living in their house.
I was really surprised when we were flying into the airport to see how big Mallorca really is. I think that in my mind, an island is generally a small place, and I didn't consider that some are not-so-small. From the plane I could see a mountain range, and then lots of landscapes where there are villages and towns. Then there is Palma, the city, with a population of about 400,000 (there's seven or eight hundred thousand people that live on the island), which is where we're located. But, seeing the mountain range, and knowing that on all sides of me in any direction if I go far enough it equals ocean, made me squirm in my seat and praise the good Lord above. I am SO excited for this experience!
Where I'm living is pretty ideal as well, even considering it's not at the bottom of the mountains in a village. It's at the end of the walk that runs along the marina, ocean, and all the stuff I assume people come to Mallorca to see. So, overall, God's got my back..again. (Or better, like always. Like He always does with each of us, so long as we just let Him!:) I'm really looking forward to going out and adventuring around the island over the next couple months. There are loads of hikes that I can do, so I'm going to try and fit in one each weekend. We're going on a "hike" tomorrow with the girls, and the friends and parents of one of them, so that will be great!
I can already tell that I'm going to have my hands full with these ones, as their moods can shift from happy to crying in an instant, and they've got a lot of energy. But, I also have a lot of energy, and love to play, so I think we'll fend just fine! And I'll figure out how to handle the emotional break downs as the time passes. They're the cutest little girls, and I've already fallen in love with them, and learned some lessons. Such as...
There is no such thing as personal space with children. People that know me, know that I generally always have my purple Bassnectar Klean Kanteen with me everywhere that I go, and this place is no exception. Except that after I brought it into the living room and it got passed around by the girls to drink water, I might change my pace with that one. Haha. And, I forgot what it's like to be a little girl, where every single thing that it pretty and fun, you play with, take, wear, and assume is part yours. And considering how much jewelry I always wear, these kids are having a good time. I think that probably was the initial ice breaker for them..all the stuff I wear. But, for sure, seeing a five-year old rock the sh out of my heart-shaped shades was icing on the cake for me.
The 7-year old wearing half of my outfit from today. haha <3
And, I have now learned what the two-year old signal for, "I have to pee so badly, and I waited until the very last possible moment that I could to tell you/go, so now, I'm clutching my crotch while I dribble, and now we must RUN to make it, before it goes on the floor" is. A lesson I will only have to learn once before I know what to do. (Done and done.)
Lastly, if it can be climbed on, it will be, including your person, so it's best to not wear jewelry or things that you might not want to see break. (Thank goodness I thought about this ahead of time, and brought all my sunglasses with me, knowing there are a couple pair I'm willing to sacrifice.)
Before I came, it all seemed too good to be true. My interactions with the mom were great, she was super nice and accommodating, and I was really thinking of how I would escape the "Taken" situation I was surely entering. So when I saw that it really was one really nice mom and three really adorable little girls waiting for me, I was thanking God like He'd just prevented me from getting hit by a bus Mean Girls style. I feel so, so blessed, grateful, and happy, and cannot wait to continue this adventure! Expect to see a lot of heart-melting photos of little ones over the next couple months, because clearly, I'm already obsessed. ^_^
Many blessings to you all!
- Love & Light -
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