Nous Sommes Tous Parisiens.

I don't really know how to begin.

I have written and rewritten this so many times. Sometimes I want to make it funny, to try and lighten the mood. Sometimes I am angry. Sometimes I am so sad that typing the words brings tears to my eyes. Sometimes I feel as though my opinion is so insignificant in the great scheme of things that I shouldn't post at all. Sometimes I feel that it would be dishonest, considering the purpose of this blog is document my time in Paris, not to write about it. Most of the time I am so confused I don't know how to put the words down. So I will just write what I can see, what I can feel, and what I hope.

Image Credit - Jean Jullien (@jean_jullien )

Turning 26 - I'm an old au pair.

So yesterday I turned 26. Yes, the slow descent to 30 has begun. With the vast majority of au pairs being in their late teens and early 20s, I find myself firmly in the category of older au pairs. There's not much in life that you can be 'too old for' at 26, but au pairing can sometimes feel like one of them.

I have no sarcastic comment - this was a genuinely nice cake made for me by the kids.

Money Matters - How much is an au pair worth?

Money. No-one likes talking about it.

No-one ever said that being an au pair was a way to get rich quick. Yes you are paid, but part of your payment comes in the form of your bed, food, and use of the washing machine. While this is amazing and incredibly generous on behalf of the family, it is difficult to convert into cold hard cash. In a city like Paris, where life is pretty expensive, that can be a problem for a young person who wants to see it all. I was getting by on my payments, not seeing everything, but seeing at least one interesting thing a week, when I got a shock.

On one of my last blog posts, someone mentioned that they felt I was being underpaid for the amount of work I do. A quick survey of other au pair friends and colleagues on my French course confirmed that I was being paid at least 5€ less a week than anyone else, in some cases 10€ less. That's when I finally sat back and thought about money seriously.