My Post College Decision

Three months ago, I moved to Paris, France to be an au pair for a year. Six months ago, I graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelors in Business, Language, and Culture with a concentration in French, and a certificate in International Business. I had no clue what I wanted to do after college. I had to opportunity to continue working with the amazing company I had been working with for the past three years, but something was pulling me back to France and I couldn’t explain what it was.

Ever since moving back to the United States after I studied abroad in Lyon, I deeply missed living in France and knew I needed to move back. Even though I didn’t have a set plan of how I’m going to pay back my student loans or what type of career I would eventually have, somehow that didn’t throw me off the path. I realized this is the best time for me to move abroad because I don’t have a career or anything tying me down. Thus, I decided that I would become an au pair for a year to improve my French and hopefully pass the DELF B2 exam, and also make connections while I’m here to hopefully find a job once my contract is up.

One of the main factors in why I chose being an au pair is because most of my expenses are payed for by my host family, including housing, food, and public transportation. Also, I essentially get to choose where I live based on the family I pick. For me, I didn’t have to be in Paris, I just wanted to be near a bigger city so I’d have plenty to explore. The family I found happens to live right outside of the péripherique of Paris so for me this was perfect! These details made my decision easy because it allowed me to move to Paris without worrying about finding a job to sponsor a visa, and also without having to go through the dreaded search for an apartment.

I took the time to search for a family that I connected well with and had similar interests, and I’m really glad I did because my host family is very generous and inclusive and I feel very welcome living here!

Settling In

I moved to Paris at the end of August, so I have been here for just over three months. This move has definitely been the hardest move I’ve made so far. Normally I adjust well to new places quickly, like when I moved to Arizona for university or Lyon for studying abroad. But for some reason this time it was different.

I think I struggled more with this move because I wasn’t immediately surrounded by peers as soon as I arrived. The two other times, I was enrolled in a university so I was always around people my age. This time around I had to (and still have to) put in more effort to make friends since it’s not as easy as seeing them everyday in class. This made me feel homesick for my friends and family, and made the transition harder.

Additionally, I underestimated how taxing it can be to only speak in French. I was confident in my French skills when I arrived, I was probably around a level B1+ or B2, but I think the combination of only speaking French with my host family plus the how mentally and emotionally tiring it can be being an au pair made only communicating in French much harder.

The kids can also be very exhausting! I spend most of my time with the 9 year old, he has a lot of energy so we spend a lot of time playing, but since it’s the middle of the school year, now we do mostly homework together. Often times he is very tired after the school day so he puts this on me since he’s only 9 and doesn’t know how to express fatigue. Sorting through these mood swings and tantrums is draining for sure, and dealing with this in French really puts me out sometimes. Recently it’s been better because I’ve talked with the parents and we are implementing new strategies to help, so hopefully this will last!

Before their fall break at the end of October (La Vacances de Toussaints), I was really burnt out and struggling with the transition. But during this time off I took a solo trip to Nice (blog coming soon) and honestly this turned my mood completely around. There’s a joke that goes around saying travelling cures depression, and honestly this is a good example of that. Spending 4 days solo in Nice, meeting other solo travelers in the hostel and exploring the Côte d’Azur literally left me feeling healed of any stress, depression, or lack of energy I was feeling. I came back after the break feeling completely refreshed!

Thoughts Going into the New Year

Even though the first few months were very tough, I am actually really enjoying living here and I think it’s worth it! I’ve already been able to discover so many cool places, meet amazing people, and my French has already improved so much! To me, that makes it all worth it.

Also, I’ve started to put my mental health back as a priority with exercising more since I hadn’t exercised much since arriving. I’ve started doing yoga about twice times a week and even started running about twice times a week as well. This has really helped me manage any stress and I also feel so much happier.

Apart from some of the hurdles that come with being an au pair, I really enjoy and appreciate my host family! They take the time to introduce me to their French culture through specialty dishes and also include me in family activities so we have time to bond. We even put together a whole Thanksgiving dinner for our family and their friends!

I’m feeling more confident heading into my fourth month here as an au pair and can’t wait to see what the rest of my year has in store for me!