Bienvenue!

It was already winter and I was halfway through my freshman year in college when I was wondering what my next adventure would be. Paris for the summer? No... I need the beach. South of France for the summer, yes yes yes!! So in January I applied to be an au pair (live in nanny) through a reliable agency I found on Google. After a rigorous application and digging through old phone numbers to find the families I used to babysit for, I got placed into a family in the town of Roquefort les Pins in the South of France. Famille Maddens, was the name of the family and I would be staying with them for two months to take care of their two sons; Clement 7 and Valentin 8.

So here I am and here begins my summer adventure in the South of France with a wonderful family. On May 27th I arrived in Roquefort after a 7 hour flight and found myself struggling a bit with the French language. Sure I had studied it for 6 years but when you actually get to the country and you don't have your notes in front of you, it's harder than you think! Anne-Marie Madden picked me up at the airport, greeting me with a huge smile and open arms. We drove through Nice while my head was out the window and my jaw was to the floor and after about 15 minutes we arrived in the small, cute, quaint town of Roquefort. The house was amazing! Mediterranean architecture and a nice sized backyard with a great pool. Ok I was ready for this.

We sat down and she told me my daily duties. Mon-Fri but not Wednesday I would pick the kids up from school at 4pm. So from the time I woke up until 4, I could do as I please. Not bad, actually, GREAT! After school I would take them to karate and piano on certain days. I would make sure the homework got done after school activities and then I would make dinner for the kids. On Saturday I would do what the family did. If they went out I could go out with them or stay and travel.

The first week went by well! I am ready for a great summer of learning and growing. Bring it on Cote d'Azur!!!

The beautiful maison!




Ma chambre!


Valentin


Clement