So, as you probably remember, I’m headed to Germany in a couple of weeks to take up a position as an au pair.  In anticipation, I’d like to share a story from my last trip to Germany (in ’07, when I worked in a lab there for a couple of months).

Last time I was in Germany I had fun trying to pretend I actually knew German.  Sometimes this worked quite well… and other times not so much.  But as a result of my efforts to invent translations for everything around me, I often felt too proud to pull out my pocket dictionary.  It was simply too embarrassing and tourist-like to need *help* in figuring out the language.

This usually didn’t cause any serious issues.  One sunny afternoon, though, I spent a few hours wandering around some city near where I was staying.  By around 5 pm, I had been walking all day and was ready to head back to the train station.  But I realized that I had somehow gotten turned around, and wasn’t quite sure where the station *was*… and I didn’t have a map of the town to guide me.  Now, there are plenty of English-speaking Germans, so the easy thing to do would have been to ask someone for directions.  I decided this was too embarrassing, and instead started looking for some kind of street sign.  I was thrilled when I spotted one—it was large and had an arrow and had the word “bahn” in it, which I knew had something to do with trains (obviously… because “Deutsche Bahn” was the name of  the German rail company.)  So I decided that this sign must be pointing me back to the train station, and I followed it.  I was even more thrilled when I spotted another one—Germany and its wonderful signage!  Surely I would arrive at the station soon, with all of these clear signs.

I kept walking and following the signs (there were so many!), until I looked around, and realized I was not really getting anywhere.  I didn’t seem to be getting any closer to the train station… which was worrisome and puzzling, what with the clear arrows and all.  In fact, it seemed as though I had gone in a circle or two (how odd?!).  Nevertheless, I kept walking for a little while longer.  Finally, I thought to question these supposedly-wonderful signs.  I swallowed my pride and pulled out my German phrasebook, and looked up the “bahn”-word that I thought indicated “to the train station.”

Well—surprise, surprise—the word on the sign didn’t mean “to the train station.”

“Ein” – one
“bahn” – way
“straβe” – street.



I had spent at least half an hour following one-way-street signs!  Thankfully I was all by myself in a large-ish city… I was horrified, but at least nobody had witnessed my foolishness!

Needless to say, that was certainly enough to put an end to my feigned knowledge of German… and to my embarrassment at seeming “too touristy” by reading my phrasebook…

(image courtesy http://www.orgelseite.de/Sonstiges/Kurios/Einbahnstrasse.jpg)

I can’t imagine I’m the only one out there who has been unable to find a satisfactory job given the current economic climate.  Although I haven’t actually started work as an au pair, I figure now is as good a time as any to share some of what I’ve learned in stumbling upon this opportunity.

1.  What is an au pair?

Unlike a nanny, an au pair does not provide full-time, specialized childcare.  Instead, an au pair is generally expected to fill more of a “big sibling” role, incorporating into the family and providing stimulation and supervision for children.  Unlike full-time nannies, au pairs typically work a more limited schedule of around 30 hours per week.  The au pair’s schedule typically adapts to the family’s needs for assistance, and may include evening and weekend babysitting, morning preparation, and afternoon supervision.  While au pairs are generally not required to perform extensive housekeeping or cooking, some meal preparation and light housework are often part of the au pair’s duties.  In most countries, the au pair receives room, board, insurance, and a small living allowance as compensation, and may also receive assistance with language courses or tickets for public transport.  Typically, the au pair must pay for her own arrival to / departure from the host country.

2.  Who can be an au pair?

Au pairs are generally 20-something females, although male applicants of similar age range are sometimes also accepted.  Other applicant requirements depend heavily on the particular family and host country laws.  Advanced knowledge of English (or sometimes another language) is often a requisite, though, as many families employ au pairs in order to bolster the multilinguality of their children.

3.  Why be an au pair?

You may enjoy being an au pair if you:

-Enjoy spending time with children
-Would like to spend time abroad / learn about another culture / learn a different language
-Are flexible and adaptable to new situations

You may not enjoy being an au pair if you:

-Dislike children
-Get homesick easily
-Are uncomfortable adapting your schedule to meet the needs of others

4.  Is it difficult to get a job as an au pair?

If you are a 20-something female who likes kids, has an open mind, and wants to see the world, I’d posit that it’s not all that challenging to find a host family that may be right for you.  While past experience with childcare or teaching are useful attributes, many families look for open-minded, motivated, energetic individuals instead of those with many years of experience as caretakers.  I think demand for au pairs varies pretty significantly among countries, but I’ve found a ton of listings for Germany, Spain, France and Great Britain as well as Australia and other places.

5.  Sounds great!  How do I find a family?

There are many websites that offer au pair matching services.  Some cost money and/or are plagued by scammers.  Although the best sites differ by country, I’ve had great luck with http://www.aupair-agency.com/. The website offers au pair matching, free for both families and prospective au pairs, in countries worldwide.  Although they say that you won’t get contacts without photos, references, and a “dear family” letter, I posted my simple profile and heard from families in my chosen countries within a day or two.  They also offer the option to browse family information and apply directly to those that interest you.  Your full application and contact information are never posted publicly (they mediate all contact through very polite “are you interested?  find out more…” emails), and I have only received legitimate contacts through this agency.

Have other questions?  I’m happy to talk further about logistics pre-departure, though I can’t offer any extensive insight into the job itself for a few more months.  Feel free to email me (see the about section) or post a comment!

Ever since I took a rolling suitcase that nearly reached my shoulder to church camp when I was ten, I have pretty much vowed off of packing anything but the bare necessities.  But when departure for Peace Corps rolled around, and I realized that I was planning to spend 27 months very far away from the USA, WalMart and Target included, I did get a little nervous.  How on earth can you pack everything you need for two years in a camping backpack, a small duffel, and an overnight bag?    The answer is that I found it surprisingly easy to do… and, with a renewed multi-year trans-continental departure looming, now seems to be the perfect time to attempt to recall whatever packing insight I can.

Here goes:

CLOTHING

-Consider seasons.  Be sure to pack clothing that you can wear anytime of the year (t-shirts, jeans, socks of normal thickness), clothing for layering (long-sleeved, sweaters/sweatshirts/jackets etc.) and clothing you can wear if you’re twelve inches from the sun (shorts, skirts).

-Consider laundry.  No need to pack 20 t-shirts, even if leaving for 20 years.  People in all parts of the world buy and wash clothing, you can always purchase something new when your clothes begin to wear out, or if you find you can never do laundry more than once monthly.  That said, always bring enough underwear… you can wear most things multiple times.  Underwear, not as easily, though it does wash and dry faster than the clothing you typically wear on top of it.

-Consider dress code/ cultural norms/ personal comfort.  If you know you need to wear a suit every day, bring suits.  But don’t bring only sarongs simply because that is the culturally accepted dress code where you are headed.  It is important that you balance your personal level of comfort with your adherence (or lack of adherence) to socially imposed dress code wherever you plan to go.  So, do your research!  Then, take it with a grain of salt and dress the way you want or need to.

-Get more for your money.  Don’t pack the thick wool sweater from grandma as your winter-wear, even if it’s your favorite in the whole world.  Pack things that aren’t bulky and compress easily, where possible– this may seem like simple logic, but, it’s important logic.  You can fit more stuff if the stuff you are fitting is small.  This general principle also applies to non-clothing items.

SHOES

-(Number of days of trip in which shoes will be seasonally appropriate AND useful for planned activities) / (Total number of days in trip).  The rough magnitude of this calculation should give you a useful scale by which to grade your shoes.  The larger the number, the more useful your shoes are… shoes that give you a “1″ on this scale should never be left at home, the “1/365″ shoes probably should stay in your closet.  To calculate per-pound or per-cubic-foot usefulness, divide by the shoes’ weight or volume.

TOILETRIES

-Don’t bring them.  If you can’t find some local version of hygiene products upon arrival (or, worse, you won’t use the local version), then perhaps you should pick a different travel destination.

-Buy a diva cup.  I’m serious– if you are a woman and you use tampons, don’t.  They are bad for the environment and for your body, and you will also save a lot of money in your travels with one of these.  http://www.divacup.com/

-Do bring a small towel.  You save space by only bringing a hand towel, and you can always buy a body towel if you crave one upon arrival.

TECHNOLOGY AND ENTERTAINMENT

-Think hard.  Yeah, that’s useful advice, right?  I mean it.  What will you be doing on your trip?  You might be sure you want a digital camera, but is it worth bringing the computer and ipod and all as well?  You can always bring some extra memory for that camera.  Particularly if you usually use your computer just for the internet, look into internet accessibility where you’ll be– it may only be found in internet cafes, rendering your precious PC useless.  Also think about crime rates and environmental factors… both have a habit of destroying gadgets in many parts of the world.

-Consider juice-free entertainment.  Often small, cheap, and easy to pack, you may want to bring things like a deck of cards, set (http://www.setgame.com/) or trade paperbacks.  If you’ll have a lot of down-time, think about bringing a how-to book on something you’re interested in, but don’t know much about.

MISCELLANY

-Will you need tools or gear?  Depending on your destination and planned activities, think about size/weight conscious choices for things like a multi-tool, flashlight, sleeping bag, tent, etc.  A multi-tool is useful anywhere, but only bring things like a sleeping bag if you actually plan to use them.

This should be enough packing wisdom to get started…. we’ll see how this advice shapes up as the next departure approaches!

So– I left Peace Corps on December 10.  Things sort of snowballed into a grand realization that I couldn’t live in the campo for two whole years and teach health education.  It was definitely the right decision for me, albeit a tough and sad one.

In the past 2 months (two months?  holy shit.) since I returned to the states, I have been frantically trying to find a job, as well as allowing my psyche and digestive system re-adjust to the American way of life.

Long story short, there are no jobs for B.A. computational chemists who really don’t care for biology!  The job search, at least domestically, has been an epic failure (really, unsurprising).  But, I’ve made some progress in the soul-searching department, and decided to take off again for a while, until I start grad school in Fall of 2011.

So, here’s what you have all been waiting for.. right?  The next far-off destination I’m headed to is…. Germany!

I’m going to work as an au pair, learn german, try to get a science internship, and see what I can do to sink my teeth into a country that has far better materials chemistry programs than the US could ever fathom.

Right now I’m chilling with my best friends on earth in Philly, then I’m going to swing up to Buffalo and maybe thru NYC to see my bro and some other people, then back home for a few days before my next grand departure.

Excited?  You bet I am.  More interesting things to come, perhaps more coherently and frequently, as I will actually have *internet* this time!

Today is Dia de los Difuntos/Muertos/Almas.  Here, as far as I can gather, people mostly spend time with family, visit the cemetery, drink colada morada and eat pan de guagua to celebrate.  I am downright fascinated with colada morada (slightly less so with Pan de Guagua (=”wawa”), which is kind of like a giant gingerbread person).  Anyway.  Colada morada is a very thick, dark purple drink made from black corn flour, cinnamon, anise, clove, blackberries and other fruit.  It´s yummy.  You should try it.

In other news… tomorrow is the celebration of Cuencan Independence.  The ninth graders at one of the high schools I work at did a cute re-enactment the other day, which basically involved the king listening to protests for rights from the people, and then being dethroned and the people self-governing (is that not the story of most independence?  well, this re-enactment surely told it like it was, and was pretty comical at that).  Because of all the holidays, all the schools are closed until Wednesday… yay for a three-day work week?  But since all government is closed for the holidays, I still can´t go check my mail

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween– I have to say that it´s not so bad being in such nice warm-temperate weather here when I know up north it must be heading sharply in the direction of frigid…

Reasons I´m excited:

• Got a two month old kitten yesterday.  She is adorable, tan, tiny, blue eyes, and incredibly well-behaved.  She learned to use a litter box in half a day, and loves to sit and purr on my lap or curl up around my ankles.
• My dad and brother and grandfather seem to have gotten me a membership to ACS and a JACS subscription for my birthday, and are planning to print and send me articles on a regular basis.  I am reconnected to chemistry!  This is very exciting.
• I am probably going to visit Garupamba, for real, sometime soon.  The last time I saw Sandra, one of the directors, she was wearing the most awesome hat– it said “La mitad de ti es mujer”, o sea, “Half of you is woman”, with stick a stick figure man and woman that had XX and XY circumscribed in them.  It was pretty cool.  I can´t wait to find out how I can work with them.
• I´m practically overwhelmed with work and loving it

And random cuento for the day:

• So, I was walking in Cuenca yesterday, which is a big city with a fair number of gringoes.  I was wearing a baseball cap and tight sweatpants that I bought here in Ecuador and are pretty typical dress for Ecuadorian women, and I was carrying a backpack and a shopping bag that had a bucket in it.  And some older guy on the street called me “suca”– which is what light-skinned or light-haired ecuadorians get called in this part of the country (but never gringas!)  I was quite amused.  Someone actually thought I was a suca!

The teachers´ and indigenous groups´ strike finally made some sort of headway today… although I have no idea what happened, the road is now reopened and apparently things are simmering down around the country.  For the past week and a half, schools have been closed at random intervals for the paro… I showed up at the elementary school in the upper part of town yesterday morning, expecting to teach two health classes and my first English/World Wise Schools Exchange class, only to find that they had decided to close for the day.  Nobody around seemed to know whether or not there would be classes there today, which is unfortunate since I was scheduled to teach there again, and had no better way of figuring out whether there are classes except showing up (which meant waking up, getting dressed, and walking the twentyish minutes to the upper part of town to look at the school compound and see whether there are padlocks on all the doors.  There were, in fact, no classes yet again).

In the meantime, since there have not been classes or much work to do lately, I´ve been doing a lot of cleaning.  I seem to have a problem with bedbugs or fleas or mites or something along those lines.  They seem to have lain claim to my entire apartment as their own, actually.  So, I have been doing a lot of washing and such to try to get rid of them (albeit, thus far, rather ineffectively).

I had a nice chat on the phone with my mom and brother last night– actually, I was sitting with a candle in a power outage, pouring out all my bottled-up distresses about the paro and bedbugs and the like to Joy when suddenly, call waiting on my phone beeped and it was my mom and Danny on Skype conference call.  It was great to talk to them, even though Danny only said about two words the entire time…

In the conversation, my mom implored me to share/send more of the details of daily life and such here, because apparently I have not done enough of this.  Admittedly, it does seem that my blog is increasingly becoming just another place to keep track of my daily Peace Corps work accomplishments and less a place to note observations or whatever (perhaps this is partly my fear of offending someone, because, Peace Corps has continually forewarned that our blogs are read by staff and will basically be censored if they find anything objectionable, despite the mandatory disclaimer).  In any case, I will make more of an effort henceforth to share a more broad view of my experience in Ecuador.

Starting now:

Ten aspects about taking a walk in my site that are different from my hometown

10.  You usually catch a strong whiff of eucalyptus on the way, especially on the stretch of road between  upper and lower town (eucalyptus should win the “most appealing semi-invasive species award”).

9.  The primary form of litter in the road is cow and horse dung… plastic bags, bottles and wrappers follow in a close second.

8.  There are no street signs.  Really, not any signs, except those outside the schools, and some stores.  Everyone just knows.

7.  Not all the streets are paved.  In fact, there are exactly two paved roads here… the main highway, and the main road between upper town and lower town (which is really only half-falling-aparty-paved, or maybe just really dusty).

6.  There are no ugly chain stores.  In fact, there are almost no stores at all.

5.  You can usually smell/see at least one large wood furnace firing bricks (the primary industries in this town are brickmaking and farming).

4.  There are usually cows, horses and/or pigs tethered to the side of the road, eating.  There are always chickens, dogs, and sometimes quail, roosters, turkeys, ducks, geese, or other animals wandering untethered.

3.  If you don’t return home with a month’s worth of vitamin D, and covered in a healthy layer of dust, you have done something wrong.

2. It is quiet.  With the exception of the occasional rumble of a car, distressed animal mooing or barking, or someone who is blaring the radio, it is very, very quiet.

1.  You are obscenely rude if you don’t say some form of ‘hello’ to everyone you see in passing.  Seriously!  If you ever plan to visit, better start exercising your “buenos dias” and “buenas tardes” muscles now!

I wrote a nice long blog entry, but then forgot to bring it with me when I came to the internet today.  That´s kind of how my day has been going… oops.

In summary, since I plan not to rewrite the whole thing… there was a big fascinating forest fire here on Friday.  I was teaching and all the teachers ran out of the school yelling ¨¡¡INCENDIO INCENDIO!!¨ (FIRE FIRE!) and then all the students ran following them up the mountain, and I could see the giant flames burning most of the night from my window, and it smoldered until Sundayish.

There are also lots of strikes of teachers and indigenous groups going on throughout the country.  Since the teachers have been striking, the schools here haven´t been in normal session all week, and since the strike still isn´t over they might continue next week, I don´t really know.

In other news, I found an awesome class of kids for my World Wise Schools correspondence, I´m going to teach them English one day a week, and do WWS as part of their cultural learning or whatever.  Want to help?  In all the work I´ve been doing with the schools, I am in desperate need of the following:

-kids songs, esp those with corresponding motions (thing ¨head shoulders knees and toes¨-esque)

-kids playground games from the states

-healthy, nourishing and filling recipes for a school lunch program (with cheap ingredients… more along the lines of jambalaya and less along the lines of philly cheese)

If you have any ideas for me, email or comment, please!!  Thanks in advance!!!

It is rather odd that I was able to use the internet only four days ago.  In the time since then… well, work has continued to pick up.  I’ve given more charlas and have, surprisingly enough, booked myself solid with various types of work at the schools in the area for about the next two weeks.  Today I had to come into the city for vaccines… and to buy guts for my bathroom…yay. 

Some things that I have been especially thankful for in the last few days:

-The fact that my bathroom should be fixed within 24 hours (YAY for having a shower again)

-Independence and self-motivation

-The fact that school has started and that everyone at all of the schools are SOOO excited to work with me

-My new housing situation, with all its personal space! (And the fact that I now have some things to make it feel a bit more ¨homey¨!)

-The fact that I have an outgoing, personable and sociable sitemate

-The two awesome packages that I got from my Mom!

-Sleep

-My brother (that one’s random, but he’s just a cool kid.)