u/Downtown_Volume7529

Hi everyone! How are your plans going? 😊

I wanted to share my bad news of the day with you…

A week ago, I finally matched with a host family that I had been talking to since the beginning of May. I was so happy because I had finally found a family! 🥹

Since last week, we had started planning my arrival for next month. The date was supposed to be September 20th, but it could change because she only gets her schedule at the end of the month. She had already looked into the car insurance, I sent her the contract, and she had even started preparing my room. Everything was starting to feel real! 🥹

But she messaged me earlier today, sincerely apologizing and explaining that, because of a personal issue, she would have to postpone my arrival…

By four months. 😭

I honestly find that huge, and it changes all the plans I had made. I’m now trying to find another Spanish host family from September to January, but I’m really scared that it’s too late to find one. 😕

What do you think? Do you think it’s too late to find a family for September? Or do you think I still have a chance? 🤞🏼🇪🇸

Any advice or encouragement would really help right now! ❤️

Hi everyone!

I’m here because I have a few questions. I’ve finally found my host family after two years of searching, and I’m so excited! 🥹

They have two children, one who is 4 years old and one who is almost 1 year old. I’ve often seen au pairs mention giving gifts to their host family as a way of thanking them, so I was wondering what you usually give.

For the 1-year-old, I was thinking about getting a small Sophie the Giraffe toy. For those who don’t know it, it’s a very famous baby toy in France, my home country, and pretty much every French baby seems to have one 😂

For the older child, I was thinking about colouring books, a book, or something related to France.

But I honestly have no idea what to get for the parents. Is it actually necessary to give them something, or is it completely fine not to?

I’ll be arriving in Galicia at the end of September, probably around the 20th, and I’ll be staying until June.

I’d also love to hear anything you can tell me about Galicia: what life is like there, the cost of living, tourism, places I should visit, things I should know before arriving, etc. Basically, I want ALL the information! 😂

And since I’ll be there anyway, I was wondering if there are any au pairs living near Lugo for the coming year. It would be really nice to meet some other au pairs! 😊

Thanks in advance! ❤️

Hola a todos,

Llego a España a fin de septiembre. Seré una chica au pair durante un año, cerca de Lugo. Quiero saber si hay algunas cosas que son irrespetuosas y también costumbres típicas de esta región.

¿Qué os parece?

Hi everyone!

I have a slightly weird question to ask 😅

I started working out again about 3 weeks ago, mainly by doing planks (my goal is to eventually be able to do a push-up 💪). Since I also want to change my body and get fitter, I started swimming again too. I used to swim competitively when I was a teenager, but I stopped several years ago.

So far, I've been to my local indoor public pool twice in the last two weeks.

But here's the thing: I’ve now come down with a pretty nasty cold. When I say “sick,” I mean a blocked nose, sore throat, fever spikes… basically something between a really bad cold and the flu.

So here's my question:

Has anyone else ever gotten sick shortly after getting back into exercise? Do you think getting back into sports can have something to do with it, or is it most likely just a coincidence?

I’d love to hear if anyone has had a similar experience! 😅

Hi! I’m a 19F preparing for an au pair experience in Spain, and I would love to hear your opinion about my situation.

After several months of searching (and a first profile that didn’t really work), I completely redid my profile. I finally found a family that I really like and with whom I’ve had a great connection.

Yesterday, they told me that they weren’t talking to any other au pairs and that they were no longer looking for anyone else. From that, I understand that they have decided to choose me, which makes me really happy.

The only problem is that they still can’t give me an exact starting date for my stay.

Originally, I was supposed to leave at the beginning of September, but they have had some logistical issues. Their house is currently being renovated, and they are also considering selling their current houses, so they still need to organize a few things before my arrival. They should know more within the next two weeks.

I’m really happy because I finally found a family that seems like a great match for me, but the waiting and uncertainty are a little stressful. Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? A family choosing you as their au pair but not being able to confirm a start date yet?

I just want to clarify that, no matter when I leave, I really want to join this family and have this experience with them.

Thank you so much for your advice! 😊

¡Hola! Soy una chica de 19 años y estoy preparando una experiencia como au pair en España. Me gustaría conocer vuestra opinión sobre mi situación.

Después de varios meses buscando una familia (y de que mi primer perfil no funcionara muy bien), decidí rehacer completamente mi perfil. Finalmente encontré una familia que me gusta mucho y con la que el contacto ha ido muy bien.

Ayer me dijeron que no estaban hablando con ninguna otra au pair y que ya no estaban buscando a nadie más. Por eso entiendo que han decidido elegirme, algo que me hace muchísima ilusión.

El único problema es que todavía no pueden darme una fecha exacta para empezar mi estancia.

Al principio estaba previsto que me fuera a principios de septiembre, pero han tenido algunos problemas logísticos. Su casa está en obras y también están pensando en vender sus casas actuales, así que todavía tienen que organizar algunas cosas antes de mi llegada. En principio, deberían saber más dentro de unas dos semanas.

Estoy muy contenta porque por fin he encontrado una familia que parece encajar conmigo, pero la espera y la incertidumbre me generan un poco de estrés. ¿Alguien ha vivido una situación parecida? ¿Una familia que os elige como au pair pero que todavía no puede confirmar una fecha de llegada?

Quiero aclarar que, independientemente de cuándo pueda irme, tengo muchas ganas de unirme a esta familia y vivir esta experiencia con ellos.

¡Muchas gracias por vuestras respuestas! 😊

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share with you my pride in discovering that I went below 80 kg (176 lbs)!! And while I’m in the middle of my period, on top of that!

All the walking and paying attention to my diet is finally paying off!

This is only the beginning, believe me!!

Bonjour à tous !

J'ai passée mon permis ce matin et je suis dans le doute. Je l'ai passer à 11h et nous avons suivi un chemin que je connais très bien. Au moment de m'insérer sur la rocade, l'examinatrice me dit juste "Faites attention à la ligne blanche". Selon moi, je ne suis pas passée loin mais je n'ai pas roulée dessus. J'ai parfaitement réussi mes 2 manœuvres et répondu correctement aux 3 questions. Elle n'a pas eu besoin de toucher le volant ou les pédales. De plus, ma monitrice avaient un grand sourire et me paraissait enjouée.

Je n'arrive pas à savoir si la remarque de l'examinatrice était une simple remarque ou si ça voulait dire "Vous avez roulée sur la ligne". Et dans ces cas là, c'est une faute éliminatoire et pas de permis.

Vous en pensez quoi ?

Foot pain after walking for 10 minutes — is this normal?

Hi everyone, how are you doing?

I have a question and a little problem. I’ve been posting quite a lot because I’m a beginner, so feel free to check my other posts if you’re interested!

Anyway, I started walking regularly about two weeks ago. The problem is that after only 10 minutes of continuous walking, my feet start hurting — not my thighs!

I don’t know if this is normal because I feel like, in the end, I’m not really working my thigh muscles.

What do you think? Do you have any idea why this could be happening? Or any advice to help me improve?

Thanks! 😊

Hi everyone,

I’m a 19-year-old French girl currently looking for an au pair family in Spain.

Here’s my situation: I’ve been talking with a family with two children who live in the northwest of Spain for about a month and a half. We’ve had three video calls, and honestly, every single one went really well! We really clicked.

About two weeks ago (July 4th), I sent them a message asking if they already had an idea of when they would make their decision. They told me they would give me an answer within the month and that there were only two candidates left (including me).

The thing is… I’m so impatient 😅

We talk very often. I tell them about my life, they tell me about theirs. We exchange lots of pictures and videos, and we can literally talk for hours. It already feels like we have a really nice connection.

But today is July 16th, and I feel like their decision is still far away (they are supposed to welcome their au pair at the beginning of September).

What makes it harder is that I know nothing about the other candidate, but I guess that’s just part of the process! My brain keeps imagining both scenarios: them saying “We would love for you to be our au pair” or “Sorry, we chose the other candidate.”

It’s honestly so frustrating because there are still about two weeks left where I’ll wake up every day wondering if today is the day I get an answer.

For those who have been through this: how did you manage this unbearable waiting period? 😅

Good evening, everyone! 😊 How are your goals coming along lately?

I have a quick question. I'm a 19-year-old woman and I weigh around 80 kg.

I've always thought people who can do clean, proper push-ups look really impressive. Unfortunately, I'm still at the point where I can't even lower myself once without collapsing. 😅

My idea is to start by strengthening my core. What do you think about adding 10 seconds to my plank every day?

Once I can comfortably hold a plank for 3 or 4 minutes, I was thinking of starting to work on the actual push-up movement. We'll worry about that when I get there. 😅

What do you think? Is this a good idea? Do you have any other advice?

Hi everyone,

I’m slowly but surely starting to take my life back into my own hands.

I recently started an internship where I walk a lot every day. It’s good for me, even though I’m tired, and it’s helping me get back into exercising.

Now I have a question about tracking progress. How do you usually monitor and manage your progress? Do you keep a journal, take pictures, use the scale, or something else?

I’d really appreciate any advice you can give me.

I’m excited to share my journey and my progress with this community!

Hi everyone,

I’m a 19-year-old French girl who wants to become an au pair in Spain at the end of August or in September.

Since I started looking for a host family, I’ve had around ten calls, and overall, they have always gone really well.

Today, I had a call with a new family, and I’m feeling a bit unsure about it. The mother was really nice and understanding, but I struggled with the language. I was getting stuck on sentences, even on words that I usually know. It really didn’t show my actual level of Spanish!

Now I’m worried that the family might think I’m not able to communicate properly or that we won’t understand each other.

I don’t really have a question, I just needed to share this feeling. Thanks for reading!

Hi everyone, It’s my first time here. I’m 19 and I’m French. I would like to lose weight because I weigh around 80 kg (176 lbs) for 1.60 m (5'3"). I have a lot of fat around my hips, inner thighs, butt, and a bit on my stomach. Basically, a bit everywhere. I would like to lose weight and get under 60 kg. I don’t have a specific weight-loss goal or timeframe, but I know I want to lose it. We don’t really have a balanced diet. Easy meals at lunch and snack-style dinners or ready-to-heat meals in the evening. Also, my family and I are not sporty at all. I already lived alone for 6 months and I ate well, exercised, and managed to lose some weight. But I keep gaining weight again since I’ve been living with my parents. I feel a bit uncomfortable telling them that I want to eat healthier. I live in a small village without sports facilities. The nearest one is 20 minutes away by car and I don’t have a driver’s license. Has anyone ever been in my situation? How did you deal with it? I really need advice… 😭

Hi everyone, I need your advice and experiences. I’m a 19-year-old French girl and I’m currently in the process of becoming an au pair in Spain. I’ve been in contact with a family for about a month now and we’ve had two calls. The first call was quite chaotic because both children were present (a 4-year-old and a 6-month-old baby). The mom was feeding the baby while the older child was crying in the background. I had some doubts about how serious/organized things were, but I decided to give it a second chance — and I’m glad I did. The second call went really well. The older child wasn’t present, and the baby was also there but everything was calm and we were able to talk properly without interruptions. It reassured me a lot. Now, if I match with this family, I would leave in about two months (end of August or early September). My question is: would it be appropriate to ask them where they are in their decision process, and whether they see me as a serious candidate? I don’t want to sound pushy or impatient, but I also don’t want to stay in uncertainty for too long. What would you do in my situation?

Hi everyone! I'm writing a novel, and one of my main characters is an au pair. I'd really like the story to feel as realistic as possible, so I thought the best way would be to ask people who have actually lived it. What were your biggest difficulties when you first arrived? What surprised you the most? Did you experience any unusual situations, misunderstandings, awkward moments, struggles, or funny stories with your host family or the children? I'm interested in everything: culture shock, language barriers, homesickness, daily life, first days… even small or seemingly insignificant stories are very welcome! Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to share their experience. It would really help me bring authenticity to my story. ❤️

Hey everyone, This is my first post here, so sorry in advance if I’m not following the rules properly or if anything isn’t very clear. I’m a 19-year-old girl from France. I’ve been babysitting regularly since I was 15, and I’ve always helped my parents take care of younger children. I really want to work in the childcare field, but I’m still not totally sure about the exact career path I should take. I’m going to be an au pair in Spain in about a month, and I’d also love to go au pair in an English-speaking country afterwards to improve both my Spanish and English. Since I know being an au pair can’t be a long-term career, I’ve started thinking about becoming a nanny. I was wondering how people actually become professional nannies? Are there specific qualifications or training needed? What are the career progression options like? Any advice, information, or personal experiences would really help me out. Thank you!

Hi everyone, I'm in a bit of a dilemma and would love some outside opinions. I'm currently looking for a Spanish host family, and I've been talking to one family in particular. So far, everything has been going really well. We communicate easily, they send me photos of what they're doing, and I send them photos of what I'm doing too. It no longer feels like a formal conversation between strangers, but more like talking to friends. However, there's one thing that's making me hesitate. We recently had a video call, but the timing wasn't ideal. The mother was feeding the youngest child while the older one was screaming in the background. Because of that, it was difficult to have a calm conversation or discuss important topics in depth. The youngest child seems absolutely adorable and very calm, but the older one appears to have quite a strong personality. Of course, I know it's impossible to judge a child based on one call, especially when they might have been tired or having a bad day. I really want to keep talking with this family because I genuinely like them, but I'm wondering if I'm ignoring a potential red flag. I'm also not sure whether we'll be able to arrange a call without the children present so we can have a more focused discussion. What do you think? Have any of you been in a similar situation? Am I overthinking this, or is it something I should pay attention to? Thanks in advance! 😊