Think of the children

Today I got to venture into the city- this happens like 2-3 days a week not including church. As a nanny, your host family sets you up on friends dates. They are afraid that you will have no other way of spending time with anyone or making friends, so they have you hang out with their friend’s nannies. So today I went to Madrid with my host mom’s work friend’s nanny. We walked through the Retiro Park and people watched and then moseyed over to the Thyssen museum of art.

In Parque Retiro

Parque Retiro lake- it is supposed to be the central park of Madrid.

It’s funny how I came to Europe to experience something different, to get a little more culture, but I have been noticing a trend; every museum that is famous for having art by Van Gogh is missing it. I love Van Gogh, where could it possibly be? At every empty wall where a piece of Van Gogh’s art stood, there is a little plaque that says that it is on loan to a little museum in the U.S. called “The Philadelphia Museum of Art”. So while I am in Europe trying to see all of the paintings I thought I could only see here, they are actually 2.3 miles away from my apartment in Philly. I still really enjoyed the museum, I wish I could dedicate a class to art history or painting, I just don’t have room in my schedule. I will just have to teach myself or take classes during the summer.


Last week I got to go to the Madrid temple with my friend Camila. Afterwards, I asked if we could take a picture together and she ended taking a ton of pictures of me. Here is one of them:

outside of the temple!

 After the temple I went to Sol (super touristy area) with fellow Au-Pair Laure and church friend Laila to get some ice cream and hang out. The guy at the ice cream shop could tell I was American and decided to talk to me about the 76ers while scooping out my helado, he wouldn't speak to me in Spanish it made me kind of sad. 

Laure and Laila in Sol- life size mini-mouse is posing for a picture with tourists behind them. I thought disney world was in Florida?

Good news, the girl I am watching had her birthday last week. Bad news, I am in charge of her party tomorrow. To top it off, her mom just told me that she got called into Barcelona tomorrow and that she won’t be here for half of the party and her husband will also be gone. She invited 25 eight year old kids. It is also a swim party. I also don’t know how to scold children in Spanish yet. I just hope no one drowns. Tomorrow is going to be an adventure.