Arrivederci Milano

3 days in Milan was very much needed. My first 5ish weeks in Paris had been amazing but I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit trapped; Paris is a bit of bubble, like every city I’ve been to, and I just needed to spread my wings (cringe) and experience something and somewhere new.

We stayed in a cute little apartment in the north of Milan (my sister Georgie, our friend Jenny and me) and did the usual touristy stuff. I loved seeing the Duomo – the outside, inside and roof were all incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a cathedral that impressive before – and I’ve been to A LOT of cathedrals.

I also really enjoyed hiring bikes and exploring the city; in Milan they have ‘BikeMi’ which is just like Barclay bikes in London or ‘Velib’ in Paris. The handlebars are super low and my saddle was wobbly but overall it was very cool. Over the 3 days we ate too much pizza and ice cream and despite my illnesses (I swear I get sick every time I go away, anywhere) I had a lovely little trip with the girlies. Finally, the weather was perfect for the whole weekend. And I love Italy.

G and Jenny left on Monday evening and my coach to Zurich wasn’t until Tuesday morning so I walked for almost an hour to get to my hostel which was a but nearer the Lampagnuno bus station. I stayed in Lumiere Hostel and it was so much nicer than I expected considering it was the cheapest I could find in Milan. I had my last true Italian pizza for dinner and went to bed. I walked for about 40 minutes the next morning, ready to board my coach. The coach was nowhere to be seen until 10:05 (it should’ve been there at 9:30). I took my customary back seats and fell asleep. I woke up twice; firstly when we drove through lake Como. It was so so beautiful, even though it was cloudy and grey outside. Secondly, to go through border control and have some very scary looking police check my passport.

Next stop, Zurich!

Mary, bacio

Moustache Party Photos – 11th October 2014

On Saturday I went to a moustache party (avec Judit et Yasmin) in Villejuif, Southern Paris, organised by organizus and I took some photos. I met some crazy and genuinely amazing people and had such a good night even if my fake moustache was too furry to keep on. Live reggae, a Michael Jackson impersonator, beer pong, table tennis and way too many dance battles; all right up my street so happy days. I hope you enjoy the photos! Bring on the next event.

Mary, bisous.

TBT – Zambezi Cruisin’

I have hundreds of photos and videos on my laptop that have never been uploaded to social media or my blog and I’d hate for them to be wasted on my eyes only sooooo I’ve decided to do a little TBT feature here to reminisce on the good old days (mostly in the past couple of years but you get the picture).

 

in case you’re really not with the times maaate.

So this weeks TBT is from April 2013 – Charlie, mum and I were on an evening river cruise on the Zambezi River. We watched the sun set and it was one of the most perfect evenings of my life. Big up Zambia and Zimbabwe for the crazy few days we had. I love this photo; the colours of the sky hardly look real.

If you ever go to Victoria Falls you have to do a river cruise! Fab times.

 

 

Child’s play

 

A sofa is a fort, a puddle is an ocean, a blanket is a cloud and your legs are a climbing frame. One of the biggest parts of my job is to play; learn to let go and have fun with the kids. Bring on another week of using my imagination and being a kid again.

Mary x

Pros to Traveling Solo

This is a bit of a different post today; I’m going to be writing about my experiences traveling or living oversees alone. Part 1!

Cape Town 2014, Sea Point

My first ‘travel experience’ (not family holidays or trips around the UK) was to Namibia and I was partnered up with a complete stranger, Fran, by charity Project Trust. Luckily for us we got on so well and I could not imagine a better travel buddy and friend for our year in Otjikondo. In Cape Town I knew Callum, some people at Penthouse and no one else and I pretty much didn’t know anyone when I arrived in Paris a week and a half ago.

 There’s a million reasons why it’s great to go traveling or live abroad with a buddy or a few friends but it’s not always possible and I’m sure I can convince you that going it alone can be just as fantastic.

Pros to traveling alone

Freedom! – to do what you want, when you want. Fancy getting pizza at 3am in your pyjamas? Go for it!

Money issues – there’s never the awkward moment of really wanting to do an activity or go to an event but your travel partner doesn’t have the funds. Go alone and have a wicked time without the guilt.

Accommodation – you’re more likely to find 1 bed available in a hostel thats nearly fully booked than 2. 

Safety in numbers – believe it or not, thousands have done it before you, thousands are doing it now. Probably in the places you want to go. You’re not alone; get out and meet people in the same position as you and swap stories and memories. 

Get out of your comfort zone – do things that scare you; whether that’s forcing yourself to meet people or going to something alone.

Go on a date with a hot local – if you fall in love then stay a bit longer than planned, why not?

Embarrassment free – there’s no one to remind you of that time you (insert horrendous drunken story here)… Once you humiliate yourself enough in front of one group of travellers, move on to the next bunch.

Spontaneity – Pick a place, go. No waiting around, no arguments over where to go. Don’t like a place? Move on. Fall in love with a city? Stay.

‘Find yourself’ – LOL

You’ll come out of it a thousand times more confident, open minded and eager to explore. Plus you’ll have probably made more friends than if you’d gone with someone you knew.  

If you’re at all worried about taking that first step to travelling alone, talk to people who’ve done it and take their advice. Be safe. Enjoy it 😀

Mary x

First week in Paris – 8th September 2014

I can’t believe I’ve only been in Paris for 8 days. I feel like I’ve settled in so quickly, met loads of lovely people and seen some cool stuff and can’t believe I’ve got pretty much a whole year to explore this amazing city.

As I’ve mentioned before, Au Pairing is a completely different world and it’s been a bit strange to fit into my role but I’ve found meeting up with other Au Pairs has been really helpful. Last Sunday I went to my first ‘meet up event’ in Paris; a big picnic organised for international students and au pairs in Champ De Mars, a park directly in front of the Eiffel Tower. I didn’t know anyone there so just sat down with the first group I saw and discovered a few English girls. We all chatted for hours over baguette and some amazing (my new trademark!) Blanc Peche wine. It might be Paris’ version of Lambrini (cheap and sweet) but I don’t care as it’s so yummy. I was so happy I plucked up the courage to go as I met some awesome people who I’ve already seen a few times again since then.

My actual ‘work’ has been enjoyable, I’m learning a lot about the children and they seem to be getting used to me as their new helper/playmate/friend.

One of the biggest challenges here is managing my time and motivating myself to work. Some of you know that I’m studying a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) course at the moment and I’ve completed the classroom courses so now the rest is online. It’s 120 hours split into about 7 different units; you learn each unit then have a review at the end to test your understanding. I’m in the early stages of it; it’s interesting but difficult to find the right time to do it. I’m also trying to re learn some french using the duolingo app and website, which are both fab. On top of these i’m supposed to be applying for french lessons at a language school for 1 day a week. I obviously want to learn more french whilst here but the cost of these language schools are a bit crazy so I’ll maybe do some more research before booking. So this is my ‘workload’ but there’s a ridiculous amount of other stuff I want to get done this year;

– I’d love to do some dance teaching as I hate coming completely out of the dance bubble

– I need to get my exercise on and stop being so lazy, the plan is to join a netball club

– More photography. I haven’t touched my DSLR in weeks (I always use my mini panasonic but actually setting up a photo is painful for me now) and that needs to change ASAP

– More diary writing as I love that feeling of reading back over great / average / crappy times, months or years later

– More fashion show, events, gigs, parties, meet ups etc!

– Less time worrying about not fitting it all in. And just doing it.

Mary 

x

today’s view from lunch

Playground Politics – 3rd September 2014

I’m now in that circle of mummies, nannies and au pairs. The playground is ‘the place to be’ and with that comes a whole set of rules, problems and politics.

The park opposite the children’s school is honestly the busiest park I have ever seen; hundreds of children are running wild and every bench or spare space is taken up by mums and older brothers and sisters. There’s climbing framey stuff, a football pitch, skate area, mini lake, carousel ride and candy floss stall. The place is hectic.

Yesterday the children’s mother left me alone with Jude as she took the girls to shop for school supplies. Left with just a plastic tricycle, Jude and I were told we’d have about 25 minutes to play before we all met up again to go home. 

25 minutes somehow became nearly 2 hours (ouch) and I witnessed how ridiculous it is to be a parent. These were my internal questions whilst at the park with Jude.

1. Why are children so loud?

2. Why does everyone come to the same park when it’s unbearably packed?

3. If I see another child fall down (in front of me) am I obliged to pick it up/ comfort it?

4. If my child loses his balloon is he allowed to pick a random one up from the floor?

5. If there’s unwanted food or toys lying around can my kid have them? please…

6. Is it an unwritten rule to just not speak to other mothers?

7. If I see another child eating dirt so I intervene?

8. How far do I let my kid venture before I panic?

9. Do I let a mini fight happen or do I separate the angry toddlers?

10. If my child pulls his pants down in the middle of the park and says he needs to pee pee do I pull the pants up and take him to the loo or just run, pants still down, to the nearest tree? (this may or may not have happened yesterday…)

I have countless more questions but I’m hoping they’ll be answered in my next few trips. The joys of being an Au Pair.

Mary xx

Bonjour new home and new job – 30th – 31st August 2014

Yesterday I left Welwyn Garden City for the third time for the next venture. This time I would be staying a lot closer to home and travelling for only 2 and a half hours to Paris.

The days leading up to the big move were hectic to say the least. I’m a huge fan of leaving things until the last minute but can do 3 days of work in 1 night if I need to. So after seeing Callum and some friends in St Albans I resided to my bedroom to clear the mess, finish up on work related (boring) things and finish packing. I managed to get an hour of sleep before leaving for St Pancras on Saturday morning. I said bye to mum, dad and Peachy and Callum stayed until I checked in. I went on the Eurostar for the first time in years and was genuinely impressed at how speedy it was to check in; I literally went straight from scanning my ticket to having my passport checked to getting on the train and leaving. I slept for pretty much the whole journey and woke up very confused in Paris. My bag weighed a tonne so I struggled getting it off and dragging it to the end of the platform, I then walked around looking lost before Jerome, my host father, spotted me and introduced me to his son Jude. We drove for about 15 minutes to their house in Asnieres sur Seine and I met Guillemette, my host mother and the other 2 children, Penelope and Faustine. 

I’ve now been introduced to this new world of ‘being an Au Pair’; there are a whole set of new rules and activities which you don’t really think about before doing it. I’m excited to start properly tomorrow as the children are lovely and my host parents are really kind.

Yesterday was spent unpacking, being shown round the house and taking a walk to the park and kid’s school. I gave Faustine a bath and read a few stories to the twins (Penelope and Jude) before going to bed. I woke up this morning to the voices of irritable 3 year olds screaming ‘mummy, muuuummy. mummy!’; it will be interesting staying in the bedroom next to the twin’s…

We took a quick trip into central Paris so my host parents could show me how to use the metro and trains; it all seems quite simple and not too different from London. Sunday’s are a bit dead as ALL the shops are closed so we came back for lunch and chill time at home. I gave the kids their presents – loom bands, DVD of The Croods, a Disney princess storybook and a sticker book before they went off for a nap.

Now I’m trying to plan my evening. I just hope I can remember my way to and from the train station as I really don’t wanna be lost and alone in Paris without a phone…

Mary x

 

Markets, Cake & making my way to Paris – 14th – 16th June 2014

On Saturday I barely left my bed as I felt so ill, I think my travelling was starting to catch up on me. I did eventually manage to leave at 4 in the afternoon to go to some cafes and let Nina get on with her work. That night we went into town and found a great bar to people watch from, the next bar was our chosen spot to watch the England/Italy match. Somehow we were in the perfect spot to see the game with a full room of enthusiastic men behind us and there was a table of English girls in front who needed to go out and smoke every 5 minutes because the game was ‘so stressful’. I decided England aren’t too great at football and they just want to constantly chase the ball; I can confidently say most of the boys at Otjikondo play better than them!

On Sunday I booked my travel to France(!!!) and then went to a vintage market in Mauer Park. I didn’t know the way when leaving the metro station so just followed the hipsters to wherever they went; like magic, 10 minutes later I was there. This place is a huge market; some stalls were just selling second hand clothes and unwanted things from home and others were selling handmade jewellery, badges, sunglasses, dog clothes and lots more. I could’ve walked around for hours as there was so much to hunt through but I knew I couldn’t spend too much money so I went to listen to some of the singers on the grass area next to the market. One singer told the audience how she lives in Cape Town for 4 months of each year and how much she misses it, basically, everyone loves Cape Town.

Next I went into town to catch a bus to see some of the more classic tourist sites. As I’ve been to Berlin before I wasn’t too fussed by the big buildings so just observed from the top deck of the bus… I wrote some postcards and bought a little sew on german flag which I did originally want to put on my jacket but I think I’ll get mum to put it on my camera strap and I’ll add flags from the other countries I’ve been travelling in. In the afternoon I arrived home to a hungry Nina so she took me to her favourite cake shop, Bravko, just down the road. I had a lemon pie whilst Nina had some fruity, crumble thing. We left, I packed and I said my goodbyes. It’s been awesome staying with Nina; we’ve got to know each other so much better, she has the cutest flat, she knows all the best places in Berlin, she prepares the best breakfasts every morning (fruit salad, german bread, smoothies woo) and is generally a fab host. So thank you Nina!

I rushed to the coach station, arriving there at 6:45, really smug that I managed to get there 15 minutes before the coach was due to leave. I was then informed that I had to stand in a long queue in order to get my boarding pass. As soon as the guy at the counter filled it out (he tod me to CALM DOWN) I grabbed it and ran to my stop. I jumped on the bus with 30 seconds to spare. Luckily I hadn’t started thinking about what I’d of done if I’d missed it.

As I write this I’m sitting at the back of a coach that’s travelled from Berlin, through Belgium and we’re due to arrive in Paris any minute 😀 I have a few hours before I’ll then catch the train to Saintes. I’ll be staying with my sister, Georgie who’s living and working in Royan at the moment. I know she’ll rub it in my face that she’s more tanned than and she’ll probably complain that I haven’t bought her any presents but I’m still excited to see her after nearly 5 months apart!

Mary x

Walking tours, Walls and Wedding dresses – Berlin 12th – 14th June 2014

Nina couldn’t join me on my first full day in berlin as she had to do some work for uni but she gave me instructions on how to get Alexander Platz on the metro and recommended I do the ‘alternative’ walking tour. We had a group of around 15 of us; people were from India, America, Germany, France, England etc and our tour guide, Ryan, was scottish. Instead of the traditional sites Ryan showed us more of the graffiti of Berlin and explained the stories behind them. We saw the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin wall and took a walk around YAAM, a carribean and african beach bar. The guys working there were asking ‘hey my sister, when you be back again?’, probably thinking I was a lot more Jamaican than I am…

I learnt loads from the tour and I didn’t lose interest even though it was 3 hours long, I definitely recommend it if you’re visiting Berlin, especially as it’s free! (You can obviously tip your tour guide if he did a good job). After the tour a few of us walked along the east side gallery, checking out the art work on the wall.

That afternoon I was desperate to visit some shops so I headed to Postdamer Platz for some retail therapy; I was in need of a jacket as I only have a bright red sports jacket with me, but somehow left with a dress and pizza… I got the metro to Kotbusser Tor and stopped in some vintage store still looking for a jacket. One place looked more like a scene from ‘how clean is your house’ rather than a shop; piles of clothes almost reached the ceiling and you couldn’t walk from one wall to another without stepping on books, toys, shoes etc. I left there with a bright green jumper, still no jacket. This is what happens when I go shopping alone; I lose focus!

The next day Nina and I slowly made our to Frankfurter Tor, on the metro and tram stopping off at a coffee shop where every customer (excluding us) was on macbook, looking very unsociable. Humana is this huge 5 storey vintgage shop; we were there to meet Nina’s friend Phillip to buy a drag outfit for a parade. Before Phillip arrived Nina and I had a spare half an hour to kill so decided to try on some garish looking vintage wedding dresses. By time we were in them we had a bit of an audience waiting for us, an old man took photos of us while some woman were telling us that the dresses looked great and we should buy them. After the excitement of the horrible, itchy wedding dresses Phillip arrived so we started hunting for bright and shiny outfits for him. I finally found a jacket and Nina bought some amazing salmon coloured long shorts whilst Phillip bought 2 amazingly bright jackets. We stopped at a photobooth and stopped on the street after seeing 4 guys just staring at a puddle. The puddle was luminous green and we joined them to stare at it, trying to work out what it was and how it got there; aliens, spray paint, the liquid from a glow stick. We didn’t have a clue but it was cool to watch and we saw 3 more green puddles as walked on down the road, weird.

 

We went to another cafe to eat paninis before heading home to sort out where we’d watch the Netherlands/Spain football match; Nina’s family home is in the Netherlands so it was essential that we saw the game. Watching it outside was ruled out as it was getting quite cold so we headed to her friend Thomas’ flat. Thomas is from Stevenage(-ish), about 10 mins from where I live and his friend Gordon visiting him is from St Albans, 10 mins in the other direction! Such a small world. We wanted Holland to win but we definitely didn’t expect it to be 5-1! German beer and a hilarious football match was enough to make Nina and I very happy.

Mary x