Leaving Home

After a series of many unforeseen events, life seemed to be handing me many obstacles, ones that nearly broke me down completely. So, when confronted with a rather depressing period in my life, I thought back to some of the happiest times of my life, many of which took place in this very country; in Italy. 

So here I am now, living as an au pair for the second time. If you don’t know what an au pair is, I’ll give you a short breakdown. You get the chance to stay with a local family in their house, free of charge, in exchange of helping their child, or children, with English. It’s becoming more popular as jobs become more scarce and the ability to receive jobs is highly dependent on being able to speak and understand English. So it’s perfect for people who want to live in a foreign country or those like me who are delaying the process of adulthood and need more time to figure out what they want to do with their life. It should be treated like a job, therefore it’s not always easy, but it is so rewarding and worthwhile. 

If anyone asks, I will always recommend trying it, even for just a few months. The first time I was an au pair was for the duration of three months last summer (May to August of 2016), in a small town called Recanati in the Marche region of central Italy. During that time I was in yet another uncertain time of my life and wanted to find a way to combine two things that I love most, travelling and new experiences, while having a sense of security, which made it the ideal choice. It was truly one of the best times of my life, I met so many people (including some who I remain close to even today), had some romances, many adventures and new experiences, and had so much delicious food. Seriously, come to Italy, even if just for the food! I had the best cacio e pepe in a small local restaurant, tried fresh octopus salad on the sea, the best florentine steak right in Florence, and affogato on hot summer days! So it only made sense to come back to the place that gave me so many wonderful and new experiences.

Arpino; I fell in love with Italy after visiting my family's hometown two years ago so I've come back as an au pair twice