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Hi.
I would like to tell you how was my experience in England last year.
I was there working as au pair in a vegetarian family (lucky me) for around seven months. At first I didn't speak a word, I was so brave because my English was completely bad.
In the beginning I was lazy about learning it. I mean, I was like feigning when I was with the family, but then in my room and in my mind I was completely "Spanishized".
I went to the supermarket and I tooked any product, and I looked for the instructions or ingredients in Spanish. I listened to my Spanish music in my phone. Each day, when I finished to work I came back to my Spanish world.
That was a big mistake, but I woke up. I made a Portuguese friend, and she spoke a good English. Our chats were so hilarious, because she barely understood me and I barely could express myself.
In my host house, with the children I looked after, I didn't put so much effort, it was always the same "eat that, please", "pick it up, please", "have you washed your hands/teeth?", "oh, seriously, do you think I'm the better au pair in the world?". But with my new friend I had to explain her my life, my thoughts, my dreams or whatever and that helped me lots.
We talked for hours, we laughed, we got on very well, we discovered a lot of beautiful places around there, we interchanged music... Well, believe it or not, I had never listened English music in my life. Now I'm listening to Patsy Cline, I met her there.
She made me change, my mind was in an English mode. I listened to lots of English music, to English radio (oh, my God, you can't imagine my excitation when I understood my first sentence in the radio), English movies with English subtitles (not Spanish any more). When I had to search something in Google I put it in English, I started to looove English. Yeah, I enjoyed it. I made lots of exercices in my host house (in that small town there wasn't any English lessons) and I was excited about it, listening, speaking, improving...
Well, I must confess I'm very thankful to my Portuguese friend. She was my Heidi and I was her paralitic Clara. She taught me how to walk and she left. We are in touch, and if I had have money I would be in Lisbon right now, you can believe me!
My friends visited me in London (7 or 8 hours by bus) and there are lots of Spanish people, I was shocked. Besides that, I didn't meet any Spanish, because I was in a small town. Although Newcastle was not far (less than an hour) and I knew that there was a lot of Spanish I didn't try to meet anyone. All by myself, you know?But yes, I got excited each time I heard a word in Spanish. Even when I saw a Santander bank. Or when I heard in the radio an advertisement of Porcelanosa. I have never been so patriotic.
My experience was very positive, I would do it again without doubt. I grow up a bit, I learned lot of things, I was far from home (I needed it) and I told me: "you could do it". Also, my kids were lovely and the whole family were very respectful with me. I can't complain.
I came back a year ago and I wanted to keep improving my English, because I know I didn't seize all I could (but it was OK, anyway). The family wanted me to be their au pair again the next year, but I was a bit saturated and I wanted a place crowder, where I could do lots of things, meet lot of people, go to English lessons and... Maybe as au pair, or maybe with a 'real' job. But then, my mind changed another time and I started to look in Italy, because I really wanted to know it.
When I have found a family (last Christmas), they wanted me to be their next au pair (they spoke English too, and well, the Italian is not a problem). They lived in the Alps (so, another small town) but they seemed so nice to me, so I was just about to say "yes, wait for me"... But... What happened? What?
Don't you imagine it? I fell in love with a marvelous person I met in this forum, so I can't leave him... at least at the moment! Because my mind always wants to fly a little bit.
Well, sorry for my long story... if anyone wants to correct my mistakes for me it would be a pleasure. And if anyone has any doubts I can follow telling you my life, I don't mind.
