Hire an Au Pair and Discover As Much About Your Own Country As You Will About Theirs
Hire an Au Pair and Discover As Much About Your Own Country As You Will About Theirs
When they go, they leave behind some rich memories, that usually arise through cultural differences.
Our Italian au pair Maria took a weekend break to Britain's western county of Cornwall. It is a rocky, coastal region.
The weather was stormy, and upon her return she told us how the poor 'sheeps' suffered in the wind. We explained that the English word 'sheep' had no plural. One sheep, twenty sheep, there is no 's' on the end. Ah, she said correcting her English, 'The poor sheep were struggling in the sea!'
Now we were alarmed. Maria, the sheep were in the sea? Had they blown off the cliffs? Were they drowning? No, she replied, sheep are always in the sea. Where else would they be? And then we got the picture. Maria meant ships. Looking back we realise that she returned to Verona under the impression that the English don't have a plural for 'ship'.
Maria taught us a little Italian too. On one occasion she came with the family to a local Italian restaurant. The waiting staff was made up of young traveling Italians, earning some money with casual work as they passed through London. Our order was taken and when the waitress brought our food she paused to ascertain which plate belonged to which diner. Her colleague yelled instructions to her across the restaurant in Italian. Maria is pale and doesn't look particularly southern European. But of course, Italiano is her mother tongue and she understood every word.
"Cornuto" she said to the waitress while pointing to my husband "is having the vongole" and pointing to me "Cagna is having frutti di mare." The waitress reddened, served the food in an awkward silence and disappeared. Maria translated for us. The waiting staff designated my husband as the cuckolded man and I was, well, let's say the female dog.
Maria used to make a heavenly Bolognaise. To me, this is a dish that requires some 45 minutes from start to finish. She wouldn't consider starting to make it any later than 10 in the morning. Maria's Bolognaise needed to simmer all day. I just can't get it as good as Maria used to make it, though I wish I could.
One dish I have successfully recreated after the au pair has long gone is a Serbian recipe for pork that starts with a marinade of dry cider. It takes on a slightly bitter, almost marmalade-like taste in the oven, and is absolutely delicious. We don't know the official name for this new family favourite. If our old au pair is reading this in Belgrade, I hope she's pleased to learn that we call it 'Dragana's Pork'.
Then there was Frdrique, from France. When she took a break from London to visit her own family for a week, we asked her what she was looking forward too most. In an expression pure longing, she simply said 'Our bread'. We reflected on the tasteless, cotton white loaves we buy in Supermarkets here, and felt a little ashamed.
Steffi from Bratislava astonished us when she joined us on a trip to Brighton, a popular British seaside resort. Visiting the fair at end of the pier, Steffi was drawn to the rail at the pier's edge and stared for minutes out into middle distance. It was in the car going home that she told us that as Slovakia is a landlocked country, she had never seen the sea before.
We suspect she had never seen a fair before either. Steffi and younger daughter said they would like to go down the Helter Skelter. They took a mat from the attendant and mounted the stairs. At the top, Steffi settled onto the mat with little daughter in lap, then off they set, down the spiral slide at what would normally be an exhilarating speed. Our foreign guest simply did not understand the conventions that apply to Helter Skelters. With her backside on the mat, the soles of her shoes were planted firmly in front of her, and with one foot after the other, she progressed down the slide at less than a walking pace.
Now Christmases aren't complete with getting out the family video of Steffi's hapless misconception of what descending a Helter Skelter entails, and our then four-year-old daughter's face screwed into evident frustration.
If you decide to employ an au pair as a childcare solution you'll discover as we did that it is an enriching experience. For Mum, Dad and children alike, the sheer foreignness of your guest expands your understanding of the world. The cultural exchange brings new ideas, new insights and even some funny times that your family will share, long after the children have grown.
Jane Kind
http://www.videoaupair.com London Calling Lesson Christmas in Washington DC - Which Places to Visit? London Links - Best Present for Christmas 2009 Will Treasuries Continue to Sizzle This Summer? Triple Strength Omega 3 Supplements On Sale 20% Off Top Universities in Jaipur - The Right Knowledge Destination Get Ahead Of Summer Chaos Now Worldwide parcel delivery deliver a parcel to Australia on time Sending Parcels to the Colder Countries and Surviving the Snow and Ice Avoiding Ticks In The Warm Summer Months Why Buy Land in Arizona and the Pacific Northwest ? Denmark couriers sending parcels to a prosperous country Kelly Clarkson Returns to American Idol - The Original Winner of the Most Popular Show on Television