Catch-Up-Date

2013 into 2014 has been quite crazy for me.

December is always the busiest time for the Non-Profit I've worked for since January 2012. Since the program is focused on training disabled adults to bake gourmet cookies order on the internet, the holiday season tends to be the biggest time of the year for customers to send treats.
On top of that, I moved out of the house I was renting with my brother on Christmas Eve, since I had a flight out to see my family in California on Christmas Day to celebrate the Winter holidays.

Even with all that chaotic planning, the idea of becoming an Au Pair (a cross-cultural Nanny) in Europe was strong in my mind and before 2013 came to a close, I tried to find as much information as I could - between my friends working as Au Pairs who sparked the idea, the websites dedicated to providing accurate information to those interested, and the countries that I was eligible to apply for.
Something else that had kept Europe at the front of  my mind was my dear Dutch friend's spring wedding. She became engaged December 2012 and kept me updated on the projected wedding date. There was no pressure to attend, but she said if it made sense for me to be in the area, I would be most welcome to join in the celebration. When I was given the official date as 4th April 2014, it really kicked everything into high gear inside my head to which options I could pursue to stay in Europe surrounding this exciting event.

Once I was back from my California trip, I took the leap to sign up on the recommended Aupair-World.net and created an Au Pair profile. It was advised to choose multiple countries as options, but less than 5. Based on the fact that 2014 was the year of my 25th birthday, I had to focus on ones with a higher age limit. Luckily for me, among several countries across the world, The Netherlands (Holland), Belgium, Luxembourg, and Austria were still possibilities. I needed to take action quickly, though, because the longer age acceptance only allowed me a little extra window of time.
Within 24 hours, a family in Belgium asked to know more about me. A week later a family in Austria. The same day the Austrian family messaged me, the internet went out at my family's house so, as inconvenient as that was, it allowed to think more over the information I had looked over regarding the different countries and which culture would be the best fit.
The Belgium family didn't work out, but I'm grateful for that boost in confidence from their inquiry when I was still nervous about the whole process. The Austrian family was very patient with me as different details would pop up unexpectedly, such as where to store my car, if I needed to go to a consulate in America before arriving in Austria, what to do about insurance, etc.
We Skyped to make sure our connection was a real thing and it went really well, with plenty of laughter and excitement to continue. Once I cross-referenced 3 official websites regarding the paperwork for living in Austria, it was determined that it was allowed for me to come to Austria on the USA Travel Passport and have the sponsor family help me fill out the paperwork for a Residence Permit.
The term "Au Pair" is French for "On Par" which means you become a part of the family like an aunt or a big sister to the children, so it's not a position that needs a Work Visa and a salary, but that of living in the culture with  the family who gives you an allowance to cover you necessities outside of the room and board provided. The allowance/pocket money is determined by the government in each country with a standard minimum allowed.
With just over 2 weeks until my friends wedding, I got the official OK from the family to join them in April and they were supportive of my plan to go to the wedding first, before continuing on to their home in Austria.

But wait - there's more! My parents were growing restless in the house we had moved into at the end of 2010 when the job that had brought them to Florida came to an end. The same time I was trying to solidify a Host Family to be an Au Pair with, my parents were checking out houses and looking for the right one to completely purchase and be their permanent home, especially with retirement coming to them in 15-20 years. It was a strange scenario -on one hand allowing a guaranteed piece of land to store my car, but on the other having to keep track in my head 2 different kinds of packing and moving. They moved the majority of things on March 29th, with the official move from the rental on April 1st. My flight was for April 1st. My mind was in marathon-mode, trying to make sure everything I needed was timed properly to arrive before I left and my parents moved, while also have the correct updated information on my official paperwork. (The "Mail Purgatory" story is to be detailed in a future installment.)
Through it all, I tried to soak up every moment I could with my "normal" routine of work, family, friends, and especially boyfriend. He was the first one I spoke with when seriously considering pursuing being an Au Pair and has been supportive through the whole process. I'm grateful for his patience and kindness, especially as I would have freak-out moments when trying to juggle everything. Definitely miss him while I'm away.
Oh and my birthday was a week before my flight, so that helped with trying to meet up with friends, though it did not help with going to bed at reasonable times since most of those meet-ups ended up being late at night. I also received a lot of free birthday bonus email coupons that took care of meals. The home kitchen was not the most reliable in the final week in regards to not wanting to purchase more groceries  or unpack that which was ready to be moved.
Through everything, my brain did not implode. So I consider it a triumph.