Photo by Jana Rabenhauptova

I did return to Cork the following summer but not as an au pair as I could only spend two months there and that was not enough time to commit to a family as an au pair. I believe that 3 months are really the minimum a person should stay as au pair so the children and the family and the au pair herself/himself can build up rapport and relationship.

The family I au paired for the previous summer had a new au pair but they kindly allowed me to stay with them free of charge while I worked in a local guesthouse. I don’t think I have ever really thanked them enough for putting me up that summer. I should send them a card all these years later and tell them how I appreciated it and what a great help it was to a penniless student from Eastern Europe.

That summer I met a lovely Irish man and we could leave it here by saying ‘…and the rest is history’ but let’s rather say ‘…and the rest is the start of a second part of my journey through the au pair world’. I have returned to Cork again the following summer after finishing my university master degree and stayed till today.