My official visa just arrived yesterday!!!
It was very unexpected. The visa officials told me that it would take about two weeks, and the website says to allow for four weeks during the summer, so I wasn't expecting mine to come in until at least next Wednesday. But it came yesterday!!! It only took one week, which means that the French Consulate in LA is AWESOME.
Now that I'm allowed to legally live in France for the next year, I have to finish preparing for my move. Lots of lists and advice to come! Less than a month until I leave! It's all starting to feel very real now.
Showing posts with label au pair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label au pair. Show all posts
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Almost there!
Wow, time flies so quickly! I haven't posted in quite a while. I've been so busy figuring out logistics regarding my flight and visa. It's been a wild ride, but I'm happy to report that I'm almost there!
Before going to my visa appointment, I had to have my au pair contract approved by the employment agency in France. My poor host family was put through the ringer! I had sent them all of the correct papers and they dropped it off at the agency, but the agency lost the whole file. The WHOLE thing. Thankfully I had sent them copies of all of my documents, but they had to scramble to put the file back together so I could have the approved contract in time for my visa appointment. Now that it's over and I was able to get the contract in time, we can laugh about it, but at the time it was pretty stressful (mostly for them).
After that whole thing, I had to prepare for my visa appointment. If you are going through the visa process yourself, I highly recommend staying overly organized. I had a nice file folder that I used to keep my necessary documents in order. I had them arranged by type of file, and I double and triple checked everything days before my appointment to make sure I didn't have to worry. This saved me a lot of time and stress. Also, make sure that you double check the requirements for visa papers regularly before your appointment, just in case the requirements change. Mine didn't, but you never know, and they reserve the right to change them at any time. It would suck to go to your appointment, only to find out that the requirements changed just the week before and you didn't know! Don't let that be you!
My appointment day came pretty quickly. On Wednesday, I headed to LA early in the morning to the French consulate. I'm very fortunate to live close to LA, because this consulate serves all of Southern California plus New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado (I think? I'm pretty sure it serves most of the American Southwest). I feel bad for people from Colorado who have to go all the way to LA for their visa appointment! It saved me a lot of time and money to only have to drive from Orange County.
Traffic to LA is awful though, so I left at 7:30 for my 9:45 appointment and got there in 2 hours (without traffic, it takes about 1 hour). Before I left for LA, I had to get a FedEx US Airbill. This was an adventure in itself. I got there believing that it would take five minutes, but it took the sales associate (who had no idea what I needed for my visa appointment and had no experience with the mailing requirements for visas) and me an hour to figure out exactly what I had to get and how I had to pay for it. Gah! I was a mess because I was afraid I would be late for my appointment or bring the wrong document. Thank god for smartphones, I would have been in serious trouble if I couldn't have googled what I needed exactly from FedEx. I'm very thankful for the associate's patience, and she did throw in a free color copy of my passport, but she wasn't very helpful or knowledgeable about what I needed, and it turns out that what I insisted that I needed (and she insisted she couldn't get for me) was actually what I really did have to do in the end. I didn't even have to spend that extra hour in the first place if she had known that.
*IF YOU NEED A FRENCH VISA: get a FedEx express US airbill, put yourself in as the sender and recipient, and have it billed to the recipient (you need to create a FedEx billing account beforehand to do this). This will save you a lot of time at the FedEx store. I also recommend getting the airbill the day before, or padding extra time in your schedule the morning of, because if I hadn't left as early as I did in the morning (I got to the FedEx office at 6:30am), then I would have missed my appointment.
The visa appointment itself was surprisingly a lot easier than I thought it would be, in large part because the employees at the Consulate were so friendly and helpful and because I was extremely organized and prepared. I was 15 minutes early, but they were running late on appointments and there was even a couple who arrived an hour late and still was able to attend their appointment, so I wouldn't worry too much about about being very early if you have a visa appointment at the French Consulate. The security guard was SO nice, and we had a great little chat before I sat down to wait to be called to one of the two windows. The lady at my window was very professional yet friendly, and asked for my documents one at a time. I gave them to her in the order she asked, then she took my picture and my fingerprints. After that I paid the fee ($130 for an au pair visa), and then she told me it looked like I had everything in order and the visa would take about 2 weeks to be approved. This was great news to me, since the website said it could take up to 4 weeks. Then I went home!
So now all I have to do is wait. I know that I had all of the correct papers and that there is no reason for my visa to not be approved, but I'm still a little nervous. I hope the news comes in sooner rather than later!
I hope this is helpful to anyone else getting a visa from the French Consulate in LA. Don't be afraid, as long as you stay organized and on top of things, everything should go smoothly.
Before going to my visa appointment, I had to have my au pair contract approved by the employment agency in France. My poor host family was put through the ringer! I had sent them all of the correct papers and they dropped it off at the agency, but the agency lost the whole file. The WHOLE thing. Thankfully I had sent them copies of all of my documents, but they had to scramble to put the file back together so I could have the approved contract in time for my visa appointment. Now that it's over and I was able to get the contract in time, we can laugh about it, but at the time it was pretty stressful (mostly for them).
After that whole thing, I had to prepare for my visa appointment. If you are going through the visa process yourself, I highly recommend staying overly organized. I had a nice file folder that I used to keep my necessary documents in order. I had them arranged by type of file, and I double and triple checked everything days before my appointment to make sure I didn't have to worry. This saved me a lot of time and stress. Also, make sure that you double check the requirements for visa papers regularly before your appointment, just in case the requirements change. Mine didn't, but you never know, and they reserve the right to change them at any time. It would suck to go to your appointment, only to find out that the requirements changed just the week before and you didn't know! Don't let that be you!
My appointment day came pretty quickly. On Wednesday, I headed to LA early in the morning to the French consulate. I'm very fortunate to live close to LA, because this consulate serves all of Southern California plus New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado (I think? I'm pretty sure it serves most of the American Southwest). I feel bad for people from Colorado who have to go all the way to LA for their visa appointment! It saved me a lot of time and money to only have to drive from Orange County.
Traffic to LA is awful though, so I left at 7:30 for my 9:45 appointment and got there in 2 hours (without traffic, it takes about 1 hour). Before I left for LA, I had to get a FedEx US Airbill. This was an adventure in itself. I got there believing that it would take five minutes, but it took the sales associate (who had no idea what I needed for my visa appointment and had no experience with the mailing requirements for visas) and me an hour to figure out exactly what I had to get and how I had to pay for it. Gah! I was a mess because I was afraid I would be late for my appointment or bring the wrong document. Thank god for smartphones, I would have been in serious trouble if I couldn't have googled what I needed exactly from FedEx. I'm very thankful for the associate's patience, and she did throw in a free color copy of my passport, but she wasn't very helpful or knowledgeable about what I needed, and it turns out that what I insisted that I needed (and she insisted she couldn't get for me) was actually what I really did have to do in the end. I didn't even have to spend that extra hour in the first place if she had known that.
*IF YOU NEED A FRENCH VISA: get a FedEx express US airbill, put yourself in as the sender and recipient, and have it billed to the recipient (you need to create a FedEx billing account beforehand to do this). This will save you a lot of time at the FedEx store. I also recommend getting the airbill the day before, or padding extra time in your schedule the morning of, because if I hadn't left as early as I did in the morning (I got to the FedEx office at 6:30am), then I would have missed my appointment.
The visa appointment itself was surprisingly a lot easier than I thought it would be, in large part because the employees at the Consulate were so friendly and helpful and because I was extremely organized and prepared. I was 15 minutes early, but they were running late on appointments and there was even a couple who arrived an hour late and still was able to attend their appointment, so I wouldn't worry too much about about being very early if you have a visa appointment at the French Consulate. The security guard was SO nice, and we had a great little chat before I sat down to wait to be called to one of the two windows. The lady at my window was very professional yet friendly, and asked for my documents one at a time. I gave them to her in the order she asked, then she took my picture and my fingerprints. After that I paid the fee ($130 for an au pair visa), and then she told me it looked like I had everything in order and the visa would take about 2 weeks to be approved. This was great news to me, since the website said it could take up to 4 weeks. Then I went home!
So now all I have to do is wait. I know that I had all of the correct papers and that there is no reason for my visa to not be approved, but I'm still a little nervous. I hope the news comes in sooner rather than later!
I hope this is helpful to anyone else getting a visa from the French Consulate in LA. Don't be afraid, as long as you stay organized and on top of things, everything should go smoothly.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
$$$!!!
Ah, money. Money, money, money. I wish I could say that I didn't care about it, but I kind of need to pay bills and eat food, so yeah. I care.
I am completely freaking out over money right now. Being an au pair is EXPENSIVE. They do not tell you how expensive it is. Not only do I have to pay for my flights (over $1000), but I also have to pay for my own language lessons for an entire year (about $1400), my visa and residence fees (don't even get me started, that is a whole other post), my phone, and God knows what else. It is all adding up way too quickly for me to be comfortable with.
It's times like these that I get frustrated with life. I am frustrated that I work so hard and yet I see so little return for it. I am frustrated with living in debt (because there is no way I am affording this without a loan and a credit card). And I am afraid.
It seems like I've been saying that I'm afraid a lot lately. Which is strange, considering that I wrote a post a while ago about bravery and how I was not afraid to go to a new place and live there. I didn't lie about that. I really am excited for this new journey. It's not living in a new country with new people that I'm afraid of. It's not being able to live my life fully because of money and debt.
Yet here I am, still going through with this au pair business. It might seem foolish to some people. After all, I could stay in the US and work and gain savings rather than lose money to debt and interest rates. It's definitely more practical and sensible, and I appreciate that. I've always thought it was important to be practical about things.
But I'm young. I've just graduated from college (well, next week, anyway). And I don't want to be stuck. The only thing I'm more afraid of than being a slave to debt is being stuck. If I were to stay in the US, I would continue to live with my parents (which is problematic in quite a few ways, but necessary because of the next point). I would find an average job that would pay barely anything. Art history majors don't have many good-paying options. I would remain in the place I have been since I was born. And life would be debt-free, for sure. But guess what else it would be?
Monotonous. Empty. Soul-crushing. These may seem like dramatic words, but I'm not exaggerating. I'm not one who tends towards drama. Staying in the US would be good for my pocketbook, but wildly damaging to my self. If there's one thing I've always wanted, it was to be independent, to experience new things, and to make my way through the world.
Sure, as an au pair, I will still be making next to nothing. I will be in debt. But you know what? I'll be stretching my mind in beautiful ways. I'll be learning a language in the best environment. I'll be experiencing new things, traveling to new places, and growing as a person in ways that I probably never knew I could. I highly doubt I could get that by staying in the US. Actually, I know I couldn't.
So while it may be difficult, and I might struggle financially, ultimately this is the best decision for me. Here's to hoping that everything works out in the end!
I am completely freaking out over money right now. Being an au pair is EXPENSIVE. They do not tell you how expensive it is. Not only do I have to pay for my flights (over $1000), but I also have to pay for my own language lessons for an entire year (about $1400), my visa and residence fees (don't even get me started, that is a whole other post), my phone, and God knows what else. It is all adding up way too quickly for me to be comfortable with.
It's times like these that I get frustrated with life. I am frustrated that I work so hard and yet I see so little return for it. I am frustrated with living in debt (because there is no way I am affording this without a loan and a credit card). And I am afraid.
It seems like I've been saying that I'm afraid a lot lately. Which is strange, considering that I wrote a post a while ago about bravery and how I was not afraid to go to a new place and live there. I didn't lie about that. I really am excited for this new journey. It's not living in a new country with new people that I'm afraid of. It's not being able to live my life fully because of money and debt.
Yet here I am, still going through with this au pair business. It might seem foolish to some people. After all, I could stay in the US and work and gain savings rather than lose money to debt and interest rates. It's definitely more practical and sensible, and I appreciate that. I've always thought it was important to be practical about things.
But I'm young. I've just graduated from college (well, next week, anyway). And I don't want to be stuck. The only thing I'm more afraid of than being a slave to debt is being stuck. If I were to stay in the US, I would continue to live with my parents (which is problematic in quite a few ways, but necessary because of the next point). I would find an average job that would pay barely anything. Art history majors don't have many good-paying options. I would remain in the place I have been since I was born. And life would be debt-free, for sure. But guess what else it would be?
Monotonous. Empty. Soul-crushing. These may seem like dramatic words, but I'm not exaggerating. I'm not one who tends towards drama. Staying in the US would be good for my pocketbook, but wildly damaging to my self. If there's one thing I've always wanted, it was to be independent, to experience new things, and to make my way through the world.
Sure, as an au pair, I will still be making next to nothing. I will be in debt. But you know what? I'll be stretching my mind in beautiful ways. I'll be learning a language in the best environment. I'll be experiencing new things, traveling to new places, and growing as a person in ways that I probably never knew I could. I highly doubt I could get that by staying in the US. Actually, I know I couldn't.
So while it may be difficult, and I might struggle financially, ultimately this is the best decision for me. Here's to hoping that everything works out in the end!
Sunday, June 2, 2013
And now comes the lemonade!
That's right, I have a new family!
I am very excited. I didn't end up going through an agency, but I am still very pleased with the outcome. This time I will have two kids who are a bit older, which is nice, and the parents seem like such lovely people. To top it all off, guess where I will be living?
Paris! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
It turns out that losing the au pair job in Germany truly was for the best. I already speak a bit of French, and I will be living in one of the best and most romantic cities in the world. I can hardly contain my excitement! We are starting the visa process right away, which makes me feel a lot more secure about the job. I can't wait to meet the family and get to know them, and to have amazing adventures in the city of light!
I am very excited. I didn't end up going through an agency, but I am still very pleased with the outcome. This time I will have two kids who are a bit older, which is nice, and the parents seem like such lovely people. To top it all off, guess where I will be living?
Paris! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
It turns out that losing the au pair job in Germany truly was for the best. I already speak a bit of French, and I will be living in one of the best and most romantic cities in the world. I can hardly contain my excitement! We are starting the visa process right away, which makes me feel a lot more secure about the job. I can't wait to meet the family and get to know them, and to have amazing adventures in the city of light!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
When life gives you lemons
...first cry your eyes out.
Then go make lemonade.
I found out some extremely disappointing news the other day: the German host family that I was so excited about is no longer able to host me as an au pair. I can't even begin to describe how upset I am. I had checked my email just before I had to give a presentation for a class, and promptly had to exit and miss that class because I could not stop sobbing.
I have dreamed of living in Europe since I was a little girl. Imagine that you get what you had always dreamed of, and have by this time invested a lot of time, money, and energy into that dream, only to have all of that ripped away from you with one email. So yeah, I was devastated.
I had no idea what to do. I was completely shocked and thrown. I don't think I've ever been that caught off-guard in my life. I was so excited to get to know them, to learn from them and have a great time with them. Then again, this was all happening so easily that I didn't honestly stop to think that something might happen that would throw a wrench in my plans. I feel pretty foolish now. I put all of my trust and an entire critical year of my life into one family that I don't even know. Somehow I felt kind of violated. So I let the floodgates loose, and they ran on and on for a while.
Once I calmed down, I stopped to assess my situation. I had lost valuable time job searching and had ignored or turned down great offers to au pair for other families because I decided to commit to this family. I had spent hours researching Cologne and moving abroad, time I could have spent looking for a family who would actually commit to me for real or doing my thesis work or looking for a job. By the way, I had already notified my work that I was leaving for good in August. So there you go. Adding insult to injury, I now had a one-way plane ticket to Germany that is nonrefundable, and not enough funds by the time of the flight to purchase a return ticket. Then I started sobbing again because seriously, this is not a great situation to be in.
After I spent some time feeling sorry for myself, I realized that I had the power to change things. I may not be able to control what other people do, but I can certainly control what I do and direct my own life. Attitude really is everything, so I decided that the pity party stopped there. It was cathartic and necessary to express my sadness over this awful news, but I had to switch gears. Now I must do everything in my power to make it to Europe for a year: no is not an option. I want this so badly, and I need to make it happen. And it will happen. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and this particular door closing just means that another door, an even better door, was waiting for me all along.
I've reopened my account on GreatAupair and am going to see what else I can find there, but I think I might just go through an agency instead. I'm a little afraid of this same situation happening again, and with an agency that fear is taken away. I may have to pay a bit initially, but I'll be guaranteed placement. I've also decided that if I go through an agency, I'll go to France or Belgium instead of Germany. I already know French, so I'll meet visa requirements for that (I would have had to do a bit of slightly-illegal maneuvering in Germany with the visa language requirement, which I can't do through an agency), and I will also be able to learn German in Belgium if I so chose (which will put me ahead in my graduate studies).
I need to stay positive. I can't give up now. I've wanted this for too long, and I know that if I let one setback get to me I would never forgive myself. I'm still disappointed and upset, but I need to focus those angry and negative emotions into constructive problem solving so I can actually move on with my life and do the great things that I've always wanted to do. So here's to hoping that everything works out this time around!
Has anyone else ever received crushing news, big or small? Did you bounce back?
Then go make lemonade.
I found out some extremely disappointing news the other day: the German host family that I was so excited about is no longer able to host me as an au pair. I can't even begin to describe how upset I am. I had checked my email just before I had to give a presentation for a class, and promptly had to exit and miss that class because I could not stop sobbing.
I have dreamed of living in Europe since I was a little girl. Imagine that you get what you had always dreamed of, and have by this time invested a lot of time, money, and energy into that dream, only to have all of that ripped away from you with one email. So yeah, I was devastated.
I had no idea what to do. I was completely shocked and thrown. I don't think I've ever been that caught off-guard in my life. I was so excited to get to know them, to learn from them and have a great time with them. Then again, this was all happening so easily that I didn't honestly stop to think that something might happen that would throw a wrench in my plans. I feel pretty foolish now. I put all of my trust and an entire critical year of my life into one family that I don't even know. Somehow I felt kind of violated. So I let the floodgates loose, and they ran on and on for a while.
Once I calmed down, I stopped to assess my situation. I had lost valuable time job searching and had ignored or turned down great offers to au pair for other families because I decided to commit to this family. I had spent hours researching Cologne and moving abroad, time I could have spent looking for a family who would actually commit to me for real or doing my thesis work or looking for a job. By the way, I had already notified my work that I was leaving for good in August. So there you go. Adding insult to injury, I now had a one-way plane ticket to Germany that is nonrefundable, and not enough funds by the time of the flight to purchase a return ticket. Then I started sobbing again because seriously, this is not a great situation to be in.
After I spent some time feeling sorry for myself, I realized that I had the power to change things. I may not be able to control what other people do, but I can certainly control what I do and direct my own life. Attitude really is everything, so I decided that the pity party stopped there. It was cathartic and necessary to express my sadness over this awful news, but I had to switch gears. Now I must do everything in my power to make it to Europe for a year: no is not an option. I want this so badly, and I need to make it happen. And it will happen. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and this particular door closing just means that another door, an even better door, was waiting for me all along.
I've reopened my account on GreatAupair and am going to see what else I can find there, but I think I might just go through an agency instead. I'm a little afraid of this same situation happening again, and with an agency that fear is taken away. I may have to pay a bit initially, but I'll be guaranteed placement. I've also decided that if I go through an agency, I'll go to France or Belgium instead of Germany. I already know French, so I'll meet visa requirements for that (I would have had to do a bit of slightly-illegal maneuvering in Germany with the visa language requirement, which I can't do through an agency), and I will also be able to learn German in Belgium if I so chose (which will put me ahead in my graduate studies).
I need to stay positive. I can't give up now. I've wanted this for too long, and I know that if I let one setback get to me I would never forgive myself. I'm still disappointed and upset, but I need to focus those angry and negative emotions into constructive problem solving so I can actually move on with my life and do the great things that I've always wanted to do. So here's to hoping that everything works out this time around!
Has anyone else ever received crushing news, big or small? Did you bounce back?
*also, if anyone reading this wants to be an au pair, just go with an agency if you want guarantees*
Friday, April 19, 2013
How I Became an Au Pair
Or really, how I am becoming an au pair (because I'm not actually there yet, sadly. Gotta graduate first!).
1) I researched what the best websites were for connecting families with au pairs.
I ultimately decided not to go with an agency because, while it is a secure option, I didn't want to have to pay a fee to join an agency and I wanted to be able to choose my own family. I have a pretty good gut instinct when it comes to people, and I wanted to make sure that I had more control over who I would be living with.
Over all of the options that I came across in my search, I ended up going with the website Great AuPair, which I highly recommend. It is super easy to use, is recommended by many different sources as a good self-serve website, and you can do pretty detailed searches when looking for families. I like that you can favorite families and they can favorite you back so you know who is interested, and vice-versa.
2) I figured out where I wanted to be an au pair and created a profile.
You can literally be an au pair anywhere in the world. As someone who has a very small list of places that I don't want to visit, narrowing down the areas where I want to work was difficult at first. I knew I wanted to live in Europe for sure, so at least I could narrow down the continent. Narrowing down the countries was the real challenge.
I speak French passably well, so I figured France would be a natural choice in the beginning. But I didn't want to limit my options, so I opened myself up to other areas as well. I know that for grad school, I will have to know two languages in addition to English, and German is highly desirable in my field, so Germany became a top contender as well. And I have always wanted to visit Italy, so I figured that country into my search as a minor option. As a bonus, all of these countries figure into my ethnic heritage, so I would be exploring my (long past) roots no matter where I went. So France, Germany, and Italy became my countries of preference on my profile.
In the end, I focused on Germany because the best families that expressed mutual interest were German families. This ended up working out really well for me because not only will I be learning a third language (so cool!) that is directly applicable to my future career, but the family that I will be working for also speaks French and Dutch (in addition to English and German), so I will have the opportunity to work on my French and possibly learn a bit of Dutch as well. Germany is also pretty centrally located in Europe, so I could travel nearly anywhere in Europe fairly easily and cheaply from my location. As an added bonus, the guy I am seeing lives in Germany, and the closer proximity makes me a very happy woman!
As far as the profile went, I just presented myself honestly and enthusiastically. I really want to get along with my host family, so it was important to me that we are truly compatible. The process was a bit long, but fairly easy.
3) I found a family that I am excited to join.
Finding a family is the hardest part, though it's definitely worth it. It involves a lot of back-and-forth communication, exploration, and thought. I went through families that I ultimately decided against and narrowed it down to a few families in Germany and one in France. When I video chatted with the family I will be staying with, however, I knew that I had found exactly what I was looking for. Thankfully they felt the same way!
I am so excited to meet and get to know my host family. They seem so warm and friendly, and I have a good feeling about them. And, like I said, I tend to be right about my gut feelings. It will definitely be a big change from living with my family in the US, but I'm up for the challenge and I know that I will really enjoy myself and have a great time with my host family. I'm actually really excited about hanging out with the kids, too. They seem super cute and fun, I can tell we are going to have a great time together! I'm currently trying to find them small presents that I can bring with me from California. I want to make a good first impression after all! And I love giving people gifts.
I know I will miss my family back home, though. I'll be gone for nearly a year, and the longest I've been away from home is two weeks. Despite our differences, I really do love them and they love me. The excitement and joy with living in a new place will keep me pretty occupied though, and I'll be able to video chat with them, which will definitely make me feel better. Thankfully, while they will miss me too, they are all very supportive of my decision, so I think I'll be leaving in a good place with them. Now I just have to finish my thesis and graduate so that I can focus on getting to Germany! I probably won't be able to write for about a week because of thesis work actually, but I'll be back soon!
1) I researched what the best websites were for connecting families with au pairs.
I ultimately decided not to go with an agency because, while it is a secure option, I didn't want to have to pay a fee to join an agency and I wanted to be able to choose my own family. I have a pretty good gut instinct when it comes to people, and I wanted to make sure that I had more control over who I would be living with.
Over all of the options that I came across in my search, I ended up going with the website Great AuPair, which I highly recommend. It is super easy to use, is recommended by many different sources as a good self-serve website, and you can do pretty detailed searches when looking for families. I like that you can favorite families and they can favorite you back so you know who is interested, and vice-versa.
2) I figured out where I wanted to be an au pair and created a profile.
You can literally be an au pair anywhere in the world. As someone who has a very small list of places that I don't want to visit, narrowing down the areas where I want to work was difficult at first. I knew I wanted to live in Europe for sure, so at least I could narrow down the continent. Narrowing down the countries was the real challenge.
I speak French passably well, so I figured France would be a natural choice in the beginning. But I didn't want to limit my options, so I opened myself up to other areas as well. I know that for grad school, I will have to know two languages in addition to English, and German is highly desirable in my field, so Germany became a top contender as well. And I have always wanted to visit Italy, so I figured that country into my search as a minor option. As a bonus, all of these countries figure into my ethnic heritage, so I would be exploring my (long past) roots no matter where I went. So France, Germany, and Italy became my countries of preference on my profile.
In the end, I focused on Germany because the best families that expressed mutual interest were German families. This ended up working out really well for me because not only will I be learning a third language (so cool!) that is directly applicable to my future career, but the family that I will be working for also speaks French and Dutch (in addition to English and German), so I will have the opportunity to work on my French and possibly learn a bit of Dutch as well. Germany is also pretty centrally located in Europe, so I could travel nearly anywhere in Europe fairly easily and cheaply from my location. As an added bonus, the guy I am seeing lives in Germany, and the closer proximity makes me a very happy woman!
As far as the profile went, I just presented myself honestly and enthusiastically. I really want to get along with my host family, so it was important to me that we are truly compatible. The process was a bit long, but fairly easy.
3) I found a family that I am excited to join.
Finding a family is the hardest part, though it's definitely worth it. It involves a lot of back-and-forth communication, exploration, and thought. I went through families that I ultimately decided against and narrowed it down to a few families in Germany and one in France. When I video chatted with the family I will be staying with, however, I knew that I had found exactly what I was looking for. Thankfully they felt the same way!
I am so excited to meet and get to know my host family. They seem so warm and friendly, and I have a good feeling about them. And, like I said, I tend to be right about my gut feelings. It will definitely be a big change from living with my family in the US, but I'm up for the challenge and I know that I will really enjoy myself and have a great time with my host family. I'm actually really excited about hanging out with the kids, too. They seem super cute and fun, I can tell we are going to have a great time together! I'm currently trying to find them small presents that I can bring with me from California. I want to make a good first impression after all! And I love giving people gifts.
I know I will miss my family back home, though. I'll be gone for nearly a year, and the longest I've been away from home is two weeks. Despite our differences, I really do love them and they love me. The excitement and joy with living in a new place will keep me pretty occupied though, and I'll be able to video chat with them, which will definitely make me feel better. Thankfully, while they will miss me too, they are all very supportive of my decision, so I think I'll be leaving in a good place with them. Now I just have to finish my thesis and graduate so that I can focus on getting to Germany! I probably won't be able to write for about a week because of thesis work actually, but I'll be back soon!
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