Over the summer, Fremont High School senior Mahlia Scantlen got an experience that many small-town Indiana high school students would never even imagine. She spent the summer as an au pair in Spain. So what is an au pair? Simply put, an au pair is someone who exchanges housework and childcare duties for room and board in a foreign country.
Scantlen’s experience was with distant relatives. She watched two young boys. Their mother is an Ohio native and their father a native Spaniard. Here are her responses to our reporters’ interview about the experience:
Why did you go and What were you doing?
I was an Au Pair for distant relatives. The two boys’ mom is from Ohio and their dad is a Spanard. They provided room and board for me and I looked after their kids for a part of each day.
How long? What date did you leave and then return?
I was there for four months from June 10th to September 30th.
What was it like?
On days I helped with the boys I would wake them up by 10 and feed them breakfast. Then we found something to do, usually swimming because it was so hot, till lunch. On my days off I would go exploring. This meant either taking a walk to a nearby dolmen or taking the bus to get into town to see a museum and find good food.
What have you learned?
The biggest things I learned were how to live with people other than my family and how to take care of myself. I also learned to just go for it. I had so much fun wandering around that I would not have had if I had just stayed at the house. While I did get lost a few times, I found that people were always really nice so I was never too far off track.
What are a few of your favorite memories/ events?
My favorite part of my trip was when my mom came and visited me for a week. I loved being able to explore various towns with her! The most fun I had was the two of us walking around Madrid exploring.
What were some cultural differences you felt?
The biggest cultural difference I experienced was the timing of daily events. People got up later, the boys I was taking care of started school at 9:30 am, lunch was around 2 pm and dinner was between 8 pm and 10 pm. There was also a time between 3-5 where everything closed. As a night person, I loved it! One of the other things I took advantage of was all the public transport. This was great because I don’t have an international license and I could just sit back and read my book
Did you bring anything home?
I went to El Rastro Madrid, a GIANT flea market, with my mom and got some clothes and a side shoulder bag made in Madrid that I use a lot now! Also the family I Au Paired for let me take home some of their olive oil that they make from the olive trees on their property.
Anything else?
Everywhere I went was stunning! Both the scenery and the architecture. Being able to see lots of old buildings that now house new businesses was really fun.
If you ever get the chance I would highly recommend studying, volunteering, or traveling abroad! It helped me find out new things about myself and broadened my understanding of the world.
