Neeews! (finally)

Hey!
Well it's been a really long time since my last message!

But I have really been busy these two weeks... and that also means I have been having a very good time! I have so many things to say I don't know where to begin... I guess I should start chronologically.

First Week : (or how to get started!)
Alrighty! So my first week here in Haslemere was a bit special: that week didn't really look like the other week because since I was new and I didn't know anything about the house and how everything works, Carolyn showed me everything!
She explain me what I'd have to do, my "time table" and where all the things are.
I'll post another message to explain my daily routine but basically she explained to me what to do everyday and so I had the impression that I'd have lots of things to do and that it would be hard to finish everything in time...

I discovered all sorts of things during that week!
- the children (and me) eat their "tea" (that's how they called the dinner) around 5pm and never eat with their parents... I thought at first that this was very strange but after talking with other au pairs, I realised it was typically British and that I had no reason to feel strange about that...
- they all do lots of different activities: art, ballet, swimming... Hettie is just so cute in a swimming pool! She's like a little mermaid and is only 5! It's so funny seeing her swim!! I also got the occasion to go to Abbie's swimming gala, a  swimming competition between the different houses in her school (Abbie is in the Blue House), where she ended first in one of the race!
- the mother, even if she's not working, always has something to do! Walking the dogs, driving the girls everywhere, socializing, calling all her friends... You should see her on the phone ("Oh Hi Penny it's Carolyn on the phone, I was wondering if..." and so on! Well obviously it's funnier when you actually hear it but still...)
- I also went to Hettie's first assembly which was really cute and fun! It's just a small assembly where the children have to do a little show in front of their family and the girls from the other year. The theme was "under the sea" and so they did a little play with the different fishes and sang different songs! They were all so cute and shy because it was their first assembly! I really enjoyed watching little Bumble (Hettie's nickname) trying to do her best to impress everyone!




I also love walking the dogs! It's a good way to go outside and exercise and discover the country and just, well, just enjoying being here!

I also had my first driving lesson on Tuesday, to see if I can drive properly and if Carolyn and Peter can leave me their car safely... Well that lesson turned out very well! I had some trouble at first because it's an automatic car and well, the English drive on the left, but in the end I was able to drive properly and the guy said that he thought I could drive alone and didn't need another lesson! So Carolyn took me in the town on Friday afternoon to show me the car park, the swimming pool, the station and all.

One of the good things of this first week was the fact that I was able to meet other au pairs: on Wednesday I met Marie,a French girl from Angers and Nancy who is an au pair in Haslemere too and in a family which is good friend with mine (Hettie is supposed to be Georgie's best friend...!) and we really got on well! So on Friday we met at the pub with other au pairs, another French one and three Germans, although two of them were leaving on the week end...
We decided with Marie to try and meet often and to travel together to London and Oxford!

And then came the WEEK END!!!
This is important enough to be underlined because you have to understand that is it quite tiring to be an au pair! You have to wake up early, take care of the kids, do some cleaning and prepare everything so that it's nice and ready... I'm not saying I don't like it but it is still tiring and I was really glad to be able to rest a little on the week end!!!
Well, Lottie woke me up around 9am but I was kind of awake anyway so I didn't mind... She wanted to play with me because she was getting a bit bored before going to her art lesson so ince I knew she was leaving soon I agreeg and got up... But then I did nothing of my morning and decided to come with Carolyn, Lottie and Hettie at the swimming pool and then to Guildford to buy a bag for Lottie (who had done very well on her exams...).

On the evening we all had barbecue, which was nice because it was the first time I was really eating with everyone and I really enjoyed it! Especially because the food was so good! (I'm really lucky with the food because Carolyn cooks very well and tries to do vegetables everyday)

On Sunday we went to Chiddingfold Fete, which a small village sort of party where the people go and try to raise money for local things... So I bought a teddy frog and a bracelet (all for a good cause! Yay me!) and had a tea with Carolyn and Peter while the girls were having a candy floss (barbe à papa). The Fete was really fun and the weather was so nice it was perfect! I put some pics of it because it is a real typical British thing and you often find that kind of things in small villages (which have a central field) in June. I think it can compared to the braderie and brocante in France although it is more about charity and local events.

I then went to Portsmouth because they all had to go to a lunch with their family and so I took the opportunity to spend some time in the "shopping" area, at Gunwarth Quay where there are lots of factory outlets (magasin d'usine) and I was able to buy a pair of trousers and a top at French Connection for only 24£ instead of 75£!!! I couldn't stay very long so I didn't really had the time to see lots of things but I'll definitely come back!




Second Week : (or how to get used to it!) 
This second week has been much calmer than the first one... First of all I really was on my one and I could do things the way I wanted to. I was realy much quicker than when I was with Carolyn although I really didn't have to because I realised that in the end I don't have that much things to do everyday!

I was thus able to meet with Marie around 11am to have coffee and to go to the pub on Wednesday night with Marie, Marine and her boyfriend and Stéphanie who had contacted me by mail way before I left! I must admit that I also would like to meet non-French girls to speak in English but it's also good to be able to talk in French and to share my experience with someone who is living the same thing...

Driving now has become much more easier because I'm getting used to it. I just love driving an automatic car and I think it will be hard to get used to a manual one once I'll be back in France... but well!

We are going to London tonight to go to a meetup meeting to meet other au pairs who live in London and the surroundings to party and talk and just have fun! We will then stay in a youth hostel in Piccadilly Circus (the Piccadilly Backpackers Hotel) and will stay in London to visit a little until 5pm because I have to be back early to baby sit...

So the next messages will be about thay exciting week end in London!!!

Can't wait!!!

=)