I realize it's been ages since I've written a blog. That's because the point in me writing this blog in the first place was so that I could keep a record of what I was thinking/feeling/experiencing while I was traveling as an LC. Now that I'm finished with that I've stopped writing. I've decided that I am going to start writing again and share my experiences about my next chapter in life.
Last week I accepted a job as a full-time live-in nanny in the The Woodlands, Texas that starts July 1st. The Woodlands is a really nice part of Texas like 30 minutes outside of Houston. I am very excited about this and very nervous also. I am nervous because I am going to be living with a family that's not mine for the next year (maybe more). I am going to be the outsider trying to fit in. I'm nervous about little things like what it's going to be like at dinner time (will I eat with them, will I eat on my own, what kind of foods do they eat, will I need to start eating meat again, will I still be able to eat healthy?), what it's going to be like in the evenings when I'm off (does the gym in the area have the classes I like to take, if I stay in and hang out at the house will I need to stay in my wing of the house or will the family and I get along well enough for me to hang out with them some, will they be offended if I spend time alone in my room?).
Also, the family is British and has only lived in America for two years. This is exciting for me and a little scary. They do things differently than Americans do and they also treat/view their nannies differently than Americans do. Americans tend to offer more benefits/take care of their nannies a bit more and treat them like a part of the family while Europeans tend to view it more as a service to the family like a housekeeper. This is just what I've observed from talking to families in Europe when I was thinking of being an Au Pair and from interviewing with families in America. I am excited that they're not American because Europeans seem to have higher standards for their children. This excites me because the children are much more well behaved than most American children and also because their parenting style is different than what I'm used to and I LOVE to observe different parenting styles. I feel like the more parenting styles I observe and learn from before I have kids, the better chance I have at being a great mom when the time comes. Hopefully that proves to be right.
I guess the only things I'm nervous about are living with another family (I like them so far and think I'm going to like it, but there's no way of knowing for sure until I move in) and whether or not I'm going to be able to afford all that I need to based on what they're paying me. I broke down what all of my expenses are each month and what my pay is going to be and it looks like I'm going to have about $40 spending money each week. That's not really a lot. I could easily going out with friends for dinner and drinks one night and spend that, so I guess I'll have to be careful not to, or at least not to do it often. I'm trying to seriously save money so that I can get a new car in October. Mine broke again yesterday. The car runs just fine (no engine problems or anything like that) it's just crazy little things that keep breaking. One of the bolts that holds my front tire to the axle came off yesterday so my front tire just about fell off my car while I was driving. Not cool and not safe. I don't know how much it's going to be to fix it yet but I'm seriously tired of spending money to fix this damn car. I also need to start paying back some of my student loans because at this point it's predicted that it's going to take me so long to pay back my loans for one company alone (I have loans through three different companies) that after I pay back the $22,000 I own them I will have paid $26,000 on top of that in interest. That's effing ridiculous. And that's IF I start paying the recommended amount right now, which I can't afford. And, like I said, that's just for one of the three companies I have loans through. It looks like I'm going to be broke forever :(
Hopefully I will meet some other families in the area that I can babysit for on weekends or evenings and make some extra money. Babysitting might be the last thing that I want to do after working as a nanny 40+ hours a week but I'll have to just suck it up. I really don't think I'd mind though. Different family, different kids. I could handle that. Domi (the British mom I'll be working for) said that there's also some nanny groups in the neighborhood that she's going to get me hooked up with so that I can make friends with other nannies in the area. I'm excited about that because it's good contacts for me to make and also because the only person I know in the area is Emily. I love Emily tons and I'm excited to get to hang out with her lots but it would be nice to make more friends in the area, especially because homegirl wants to get a house in Houston.
So those are the things that I'm nervous about concerning the job (money, friends, living situation) but there's lots that I'm excited about too! I am excited that I get to move out of my parents house and still not have to pay rent. I'm really looking forward to being on my own and having a place of my own one day but for now I'm excited to not be living with them (I think they're excited too, and it's nothing personal for either of us) and still being living for "free". This will allow me to focus what money I have coming in on buying a car and paying loans and not have to worry about rent, groceries, utilities, etc. They're also going to fill up my gas tank for me for the driving that I do while I'm working so I only have to buy gas if I go somewhere. I'm also excited to be living in another city. I LOVE Austin and I am pretty sure that I will never want to live in the Houston area but I'm still excited to get to experience another area for a while. And The Woodlands is a really nice area to get to experience :)
I am also excited about the family that I'm going to be working for. Like I said, they're British, which is really exciting for me because I will be getting to experience another culture while staying in America, which is fantastic. They have 3 kids right now (a boy who's 19 and living at home for now, and then two girls who are 11 and 9) and Domi's pregnant with triplets that are due in September (one has a genetic disease though and so they're expecting that it will just be twins and won't be born until October). I start July 1st so the first three months I will be helping to take care of the girls, run them to their summer activities, etc. and just get used to the family and get comfortable with them before the babies come. Domi is a stay at home mom so we'll be working together on everything and her husband works from home. She is very involved with her kids and wants to stay that way but doesn't feel like that will be possible on her own when the babies come. Once the babies arrive the older girls will be back in school so the babies will be my main responsibility. My room is right next the nursery upstairs and the two rooms are kind of in their own wing of the house (the house is HUGE). Domi is planning on getting a night nanny for the first six weeks so that none of us have to get up with the babies at night so that we have enough energy to devote to them during the day. I won't have to do any housework or anything besides the babies laundry/dishes because she's also got a housekeeper. I am excited about getting to watch these babies grow up! At first I though "Wow, me and two infants together all day, everyday for a year. What fun". But then I thought about it as me getting to help and watch them grow throughout the first year of their lives. I like that. Domi also said that she's willing to pay for me to take an infant care class and will probably take it with me. We both have experience with infants (obviously she does) but could both use a good refresher!
The part of this job that I am the MOST excited about is the travel opportunities with the family. They're from England and have only lived here about two years so at Christmas they're going back for like 10 days and I'm going with them! The family would like me to go with them any time they travel, which from the sounds of it is fairly often (at least compared to most families in America). I believe she's already started booking our flights for Christmas so I'm going to be gone from around December 19 through New Years. I'm so excited! I am a bit sad that I won't be with my family for Christmas, especially since this should be a fun one for Jacob and Ryan, but there are many more Christmas's to come that I can spend with them. This family also has a house in the Bahamas and we might be going there in October. It's not like a vacation house that they sometimes go to either but rather another house that they sometimes live in. Right now that's where their dogs are and two of their cars (they haven't decided if they're going to leave those cars there and buy new ones for here or get them shipped over). When I was interviewing with them, Tony (the dad) said that sometimes they'll just decide to pick up and go somewhere fun for the weekend so it's very important that if I work for them that I have a passport and like to travel. I DO!!
This family clearly has a lot of money. The house that they live in right now is enormous and is in a gated community. When I showed up for my interview I had to tell the security guard my name and who I was there to see. He said "Yeah, you're on the list but I still need to call the family and verify. We're very tight with security around here". When I pulled up in front of the house the two houses across the street had big, fancy fountains in the front yard and there were about eight men working on the front yard of the family's house. When she was giving me a tour of the house she said "Now, this is your wing of the house. Here's your room (it's huge with my own bathroom, walk in closet and flat screen TV) and it's right next to the nursery which is actually supposed to be a game room (so it's also huge with it's own little kitchen/bar area for us to make bottles) and outside your room and the nursery is your own little living room (also with a huge flat screen TV). The kids all have TVs in their rooms and we have a family living room that we all watch movies in together so no one should ever be up here really so this is your area to just unwind and relax".
I will have off every morning from like 10:30-12:30, which will be nice and hopefully I'll get to go to the gym then, and then I should be done in the evenings by 7:30 or so. I also get every Sunday off. I don't know what my Saturday's are supposed to look like yet, but when I asked she did assure me that I would get the occasional full weekend off. That's good since Austin is 3 hours and 45 minutes from their house and that's not really a trip I want to make there and back in a day to go home and visit. I also earn two weeks paid vacation. I don't know how quickly I earn it yet but I know I'm not going to want to use it all at once anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem.
I am also a little bummed because John and Kristi are both moving to Austin in August and I'm not going to be around to play with them. Cafe Monet is also opening a second location sometime late summer/early fall and I really wish I was going to get to be a part of that. However, I am still very happy with the choice that I made and feel like the experiences I'll gain through this job will definitely make up for the little bummers that come with it.
This job is a one year commitment so I still need to figure out what I am going to do afterwards. I believe that if the family and I get on well enough together and are both interested then I could work for them longer than one year. As long as I like the kids, the travel is still great and they increase my pay, I think I'd be completely fine with that. The little ones will be older then and my favorite age for kids is between 1 and 4 years anyway. Other options are The Peace Corps (I still love the idea of it but don't love the 27 month commitment of it. That's a long time.), being a YAV, being an Au Pair or doing something completely different that I haven't thought of yet (we all know I change my mind and come up with new ideas more often than some people change their underwear). I feel like I have plenty of time to think it over and weigh my options before making a decision (hell, it took me long enough to make this decision, I definitely need some time before making another). My hope is to do something next year that will give me unique life experiences and not just get a job and apartment. However, there is a part of me that likes routine and being settled. I hope I can keep pushing that part of me aside for a while though.
As for my distant future, I think I like the idea of opening my own daycare. That isn't something great that's going to change the world like I was hoping to do, but it's the first career idea that I've had in a really long time that actually appeals to me. I thought about it a few years back when Nick and I were dating but then kind of dismissed it and never thought of it again. Lisa and I were talking the other day and she mentioned her and Danny joking about opening a day care, which made me think that it sounded like a great idea! I won't go in to details now about the ideas I have for it because it's all surely going to change before it ever really happens, so for now I'll just leave it at this: I really like the idea of one day opening my own daycare. We'll see what happens from here.
So this is the update/introduction on what is to be my life come July 1st. I don't know that I'll write anything between now and then but once I start the job I'll try and write more and keep people updated on what it's like being a nanny in real life.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Here we go round the mulberry bush
During my time as a Leadership Consultant I visited 21 different collegiate chapters of Alpha Sigma Alpha across the country.
Clayton State Colony, Clayton State University in Morrow, GA
Psi Psi, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA
Rogers State Colony, Rogers State University, Claremore, OK
Delta Nu-A, Kettering University, Flint, MI
Beta Theta, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI
Zeta Rho, University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL
Beta Mu, Henderson State University,
Psi Psi, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA
Rogers State Colony, Rogers State University, Claremore, OK
Beta Gamma, Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK
Alpha Beta, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
Beta Sigma, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
Zeta Alpha, Missouri Southern State University, Joplin, MO
SEMESTER TWO
Rogers State Colony, Rogers State University, Claremore, OK
Gamma Gamma, Northwest Oklahoma State University, Alva, OK
Epsilon Epsilon, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS
Rogers State Colony/Theta Eta, Rogers State University, Claremore, OK
Beta Beta, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
Zeta Pi, Colorado State University - Pueblo, Pueblo, CO
Zeta Beta, University of Wisconsin - River Falls, River Falls, WI
Alpha Gamma, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
Beta Pi, Concord University, Athens, WV
Theta Beta, Roanoke College, Salem, VA
Zeta Zeta, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO
Gamma Pi, Missouri Valley College, Marshall, MO
FAVORITE CHAPTERS
Psi Psi - The perfect first chapter visit. Had a blast with them and we instantly bonded. They took me great places to eat and we also had fun hanging out during the hurricane.
Zeta Alpha - The girls I stayed with were so much fun. I went out with them a couple of nights and had a great time. And they cut my hair!
Epsilon Epsilon - They fed me lots of ice cream and took me to a creepy, haunted bridge. I had so much fun just hanging out with them at the house that I stayed an extra day with them.
Beta Pi - These women made a point to come and hang out with me in the chapter lounge where I was staying. We also took a trip to Hobby Lobby and spent forever picking out fabric for shirts.
Gamma Pi - The funniest women I have ever met.
LEAST FAVORITE CHAPTERS
Beta Mu - Didn't feed me at all, left me in the dorm alone, didn't care about anything that I had to say
Beta Sigma - Lied to me, rigged elections, didn't give me a blanket, forgot to feed me a few times
Zeta Pi - Not motivated or passionate about Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Gamma - Very fake and superficial, always late
FAVORITE MEMBERS
Psi Psi - Krystal Smith (Treasurer, Secretary, Parliamentarian, Ritual Chairman) and Whitney Rivett (President)
Rogers State/Theta Eta - Hope Chitwood (VP of PR and Recruitment and then President)
Beta Theta - Melissa Tucker (VP of PR and Recruitment)
Beta Gamma - Leanne Williams (Secretary)
Beta Beta - Sarah Groth (President)
Zeta Zeta - Annie Devine (VP of Panhellenic)
FAVORITE ALUMNA
Sue Zorichak, Boulder, Colorado
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Germany, Sweden, America, Chasity
So are you all ready for the latest update on what I might be doing with my life for the next year? Because of course it's not the same as it was just a week ago.
Last week I applied for lots of jobs and I have heard back from several of them. I have a job interview to be a day camp counselor for the summer for when I get back in to town and I also received a phone call today to set up a time for an interview for a job as a gymboree teacher. I wasn't able to actually set up an interview time for that one yet because I don't get a cell phone signal in the town that I'm staying in this week. I'm going to venture out tomorrow in search of a spot with a signal so I can call her back and set up a time. I'm more hopeful about the gymboree teacher job because it pays a little better and they have a location in south Austin whereas the day camp is much farther north (although that one is a lot of fun field-trips with the kids).
I've also heard back from a few different families about being a nanny. I heard back from the one with the possible travel to Europe and they said they're going to call me to talk to me further. That was several days ago and I haven't heard back from them yet so I'm a little nervous. I've also heard from another family that is looking for a full time, live-in nanny in the Westlake area in Austin. I have not been able to talk to them on the phone yet because of the limited cell phone service I have this week, so that's really frustrating for me. I am going to call them when I get to Indy this weekend. When I first started looking at being a nanny my plan was to stay in the Austin area but then I decided to broaden my search to anywhere in Texas. With the grad program at Schreiner to get my teaching certificate, I can do that from anywhere as long as I can make it to Kerrville one weekend a month. So I decided to keep my options open.
I don't remember if I mentioned in one of my other blogs the jobs that I applied for with KISD. I was talking to Elaine a few weeks ago and she mentioned that they have a few openings, one of which is for the job that her fiancee has at the moment. I talked to him about his job and decided that it was something I'm interested in and so I filled out an application and sent it in. I also applied for a couple of other jobs they have open in the district as well, just in case. Sam (Elaine's fiancee) also put in a good word for me with his boss. These jobs don't really pay that great though and there's a chance that I'd make more money as a nanny. But, like I said, I'm keeping all my options open.
In addition to contacting families in Texas about being a nanny, I also created a profile with greataupair.com, which is a website that connects families with au pairs (nannies) both domestically and internationally. I did this just to browse the site and see what kinds of families in other countries are looking for au pairs. Today I had two different families contact me to tell me that they viewed my profile and are interested in learning more about me because they feel I'd be a good fit for their family. This caught me a bit off guard (in a good way).
The first family is a family with 3 kids in Germany and the second is a family in Sweden that has one little girl now and they are expecting twins in September. Both families would pay for me to take classes to learn their respective language once I get there. The German family is super nice, sent me a really long email and is putting me in contact with their current and past au pairs so I can talk to them about their experiences. They're looking for someone to start sometime between the end of July and beginning of September. The Swedish family is going to call me this weekend to talk more and I can't remember when they said they need someone to start.
So that totally messes up the plans that I thought I had at this point. I thought that I wanted to stay in the country (more specifically in Texas) for the next year and then embark on some journey to another country next fall. But I love kids and I'd really like to be a nanny, so why not go and do it in another country? I see no good reason why not. If I do this I would not be able to get my teaching certificate, but I think I'm ok with that since I'm not even sure that I want to be a teacher. Other things that might be an issue are Elaine's wedding (I'm letting the families know about it though and that I need to come back for it) and me applying for a program like the Peace Corps or YAV (how does the interview process work if I'm not in America?). Also, the going rate for a live-in nanny in America with my level of education and experience with kids is between $450 and $600 a week. For an au pair in another country the going rate seems to be $100-$200 a week. I'm not really sure how I am going to make that work with having loans that I need to pay back and such. Hopefully the German family's au pairs can tell me more about all of the money stuff.
So once I started thinking about the au pair thing and how I wouldn't be able to get my teaching certificate, that got me thinking about whether or not I really want to get it at all. It'll cost me another $11,000 in student loans and my only reasons for getting it are to give me something extra to put down as a qualification when applying for the Peace Corps and as a back-up plan for my future. Is that really worth $11,000? I'm not so sure. Plus I'd have to spend $180 to take the GRE as soon as I get back to Austin and I don't really have that money right now. I'd also like to have some time to study for this test before spending that much money on it and I don't really have that option either. So now I'm trying to decide if I want to apply for the program at all and I have to make up my mind soon (like in the next few days) because applications are due May 1st and I need to get my letters of recommendation in by that time too.
So at this point I have no certainties about my future holds for me but I'm really excited about all of my options at the moment. I've finally decided that I am going to do something with my life that makes ME happy and not worry about what other people think of it. I was stressing out so much about my future because I felt like I had to decide on a career right away now that I have a degree. I felt like because I went to college that my next step had to be to get a "real job" because that's what's expected of a college graduate. I felt like the only way I would be considered successful in the eyes of other people would be if I went on to graduate school or immediately started a career. The pressure I was feeling from others was overwhelming. Once I thought about it though I realized that no one in my life was actually putting this pressure on me and it was all in my head. All of my friends and family have been supportive of the ideas I've had for my future, especially lately. This is very encouraging.
I've now decided that I don't care if the rest of the world views me as a success or not. This is MY life and I am going to do what makes ME happy. I went to college because I wanted to continue my education after high school and because having a degree would put me a head in the game of life and open more doors for me. I did it because it was something that I wanted to do, not just because it was what was expected of me. Now that I have my degree it's up to me to decide if I want to use it and how. Even if I don't end up using my degree I know that I will never look back on my time in college and the money spent there as a waste. I learned a lot about myself from the experience and of course from the classes as well. I am not saying that I'm going to just dabble in things the rest of my life and float from one thing to the next, whatever happens to make me happy at the moment. I'm just saying that I'm not going to do things because that's what expected of me or because that's what people my age usually do. I enjoy learning and would really like to go back to school one day and continue my education, I just don't know when or in what. I also know that I want a family one day and that's going to require some stability in my life, especially financially. That day is not today though.
So this is my plan:
1. Experience as many things as I can
2. Do something that makes me feel like I've given of myself and impacted the world in some way
3. Start a family and be completely devoted to them and making sure they have as many experiences as they can
At the end of my life I want to feel as though I lived my life to the fullest and experienced as many things as I could during my time on earth.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Little convo
A conversation between Nicole and I on google chat today:
me: Today I got really sad when I realized that is the last chapter I'm going to visit as an LC
me: I almost cried during their chapter meeting thinking that they're the last group of women I'm going to get to impact like this
me: I thought I was. But I really do love feeling like I make a difference and getting to help these women, as individual members and as officers
me: I want to go on to help those less fortunate than me. I know that sounds cliche. but I want to help those who have been dealt a really bad hand in life. I know what its like and it sucks and I hate that they often get over looked or pushed to the side or written off as being fuck ups when it's not always their fault (especially kids of fuck ups). but student affairs is my second choice!
Nicole: hahaha. Definitely.
Almost done
I am visiting my very last chapter right now and it's great! It's great for several reasons. First off, I really like these girls a lot. This is the most comfortable I've been with a chapter this soon in the visit and I'm having a lot of fun with them. We went roller skating last night! Secondly, it's great because it's my last visit!! I'm almost done! Yay!! While I was in their chapter meeting tonight it really hit me that I'm almost done with this job and it made me quite sad. This is the first time that the thought of being done has made me sad. Up until today whenever I think of being done with this job I get a feeling of relief. Tonight I realized that this is the last chapter that I'm going to get to help. I almost cried right there in the middle of their meeting. This once in a lifetime experience is almost over. It's really hard for me to believe that. It's also hard for me to believe that I graduated from college almost a year ago. It just doesn't feel like it.
I mentioned in my last blog that I've been keeping up with my list of all the books that I've read this semester and my good friend Alex read that and recommended a website to me www.goodreads.com. That's where I'm going to be updating my list of books read from now on. It lets me rate the books I've read and keep a list of books that I want to read. I can also see what books my friends have read and plan on reading. It's pretty nifty. You should all check it out and join so I can see what books you've read and use it to add to my list of books! I'm not adding all the books I've ever read, just the books I've read in 2009 plus a few others.
The book that I'm reading right now is really interesting. It's called Smashed by Koren Zailckas and it's about her struggles with alcohol and binge drinking. She went to Syracuse University and it's weird reading about it because she'll mention a park where she used to walk her dog and I realize that's the park I used to go sledding at in the winter, or she'll mention a street she went to a house party on and I realize that's a street that I used to live on. It's really weird for me. I can also relate to some of her stories and feelings (not all of them, but some) and that part makes me kinda sad, and not in a nostalgic kind of way. She was also in a sorority when she was in college and I'm happy to report we did not really have the same sorority experience while we were in college -- I like mine a lot better.
I wrote a blog titled "Aspire, seek, attain" a little while back and for those of you who read this who are members of Alpha Sigma Alpha, I'm sure you saw it and didn't think much of it besides "Oh yeah, that's our open motto". For those of you who are not in Alpha Sigma Alpha, I'm curious to know what you thought about it and it's significance, or if you even thought anything of it at all. I used that as the title of my blog because I think my sororities open motto is really a great motto for life and I don't think that I think about the meaning of it often enough nor apply it to my life as I should. I was in a meeting with a collegian a couple of weeks ago and I made reference to it and all of a sudden it just hit me: Aspire. Seek. Attain. I stopped for a minute and thought about those words and the meaning behind them, individually and together. I also used our creed as the title of several blogs last semester because I love it. I don't often think about each sentence on it's own but have gotten in the habit of just reciting it without much thought at all.
To fill my days with satisfying activity
To find dominant beauty in art, literature, nature and friendships
To know the peace and serenity of a divine faith
To love life and joyously live each day to it's ultimate good
When I really stop and think about all of the things that Alpha Sigma Alpha stands for, the things we promote and the standards which we ask our members to try and live up to, it really makes me proud to be a member of this sorority and to be working for it now. It's a really nice feeling to have.
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