Being an au pair in Exeter

... which is also the title of my facebook album.

I have so much to tell but there is just not enough space to say it all! I've seen so much, I've learned so much ...

2 weeks to go :)

Shopping nightmare a.k.a. the never-ending story about a coat.

The allusion to Nikolai Gogol's "The overcoat" is merely coincidental. :P
You know, when you go somewhere and pack lightly, because you want to do some shopping there? That's what I did when I came to England. I decided to leave my jacket at home, I'll buy one here anyway.

YEAH RIGHT.

I have a weird body. From the waist down: Size not so small. From the waist up: Size tiny. I can buy t-shirts quite easily. I have trained myself to find trousers that fit me, but coats! I think I have been buying a proper winter coat for the last three years! No luck.

So, here's my story:

1) Went to Primark, find a lovely jacket, listened to my friend's advice to check other things and when I came back there it was gone.


2) Went to a hundred other stores, tried on a thousand different jackets, all too big.


A week later:
3) Bought an emergency coat (too big) to avoid freezing.


4) Went to Next to try on some children sizes. It turned out they only have sizes 1-12 in stock. I'm 23 but I think I might need a 14.


5) Went to BHS, found a coat for girls that fit me in the shoulders. Wanna know the size? 11 years! And guess what, the sleeves were a bit too short.


( 6) Almost gone crazy)


7) Went to New look and abracadabra, found a coat in size six that actually fits! I couldn't believe my eyes! And I also got a students' discount, yay. 34 pounds for a coat, not bad.

8) Enjoyed the rest of the day in the company of my new German friend, with a smile on my face and a lovely Cornish pasty in my hands! :)

Life is good. :)

TEN FACTS I’VE LEARNT ABOUT ENGLAND

1) It's not cheap.

2) They drink a lot of tea. (d’ooh) Cornish cream tea below. :)


 
3) They have washing machines in their kitchens!


4) English guys are hot. English guys with a proper English accent. H O T!


5) You can have trouble finding non-ready food. In most cases you just have to put it in the oven/microwave and ignore it for a while. I like fresh food. 

6) Students’ parties are CRAAAAZYYY! Yes, they are. The reason might just be the beginning of the year, freshers week and everything. I really sympathise with the lads who had to clean that flat the morning after. :P

7) People are very nice and helpful! I got a little lost in the city centre. (I know, how is that possible, right?) Someone obviously noticed my confusion and he asked me If I needed any help. Awww! I do, thanks! J ... which would never happen in Slovenia ...


8) I don't know about 8, 9 and 10, but I like it here. :)

Homesickness

Do you get homesick when you go away from home? I don’t if I know I’ll be home soon, but this time is a little bit different.

It's my fifth day in Exeter, UK, and from time to time I'm still working hard to resist tears coming from my eyes. There’s nothing I could do, I'm a crier. Nothing helps. J

Exeter is a very nice city and the weather has been great for the last few days. Cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon. Perfect for catching a cold (which I did) but oh well. I'll survive. City centre is great for shopping, all women love that. I've met some moms at school, where I take the kids to, the people are all very nice and helpful and I’ve met some new friends which is also perfect! I can't wait for that party tonight with our mixed nationality group made of Erasmus students, au pairs and others that found themselves living in Exeter. J

It’s the time when I come to my bedroom that is problematic. Or when I have nothing to do and no one is at home to care. Or when I make dinner and one of the kids says it’s horrible, then my tears are just waiting to burst out and I want to cry like a baby. Moooommmy! Come and get me!

Since everything else is great I think I’ll get over my tearing syndrome successfully, too. J

Packing frenzy

Two more days until Exeteeeeeeer!

Packing for two months ...

... where to begin? :)

EXAAAMS ARE OOOVEEEER!

Finally!

It felt like neverending exam story, aargh! But this is not a whining post, this is a bragging post. I'll just post 3 photos of my exams to do list.

February 21

June 7:

September 16:

I'm quite happy with my crossing-things-off job! ;)

A list of things I hate.

I'm a bit irritated tonight and you don't easily irritate me. I've been working in a bar for a long time now so I have nerves made of steel! Let me share a special list with you - a list of things I HATE! And I'm not a hater. I believe in karma, I try to do good thinks ant think positively. :)

• What bothers me THE MOST is when someone is trying to tell me how I think and how I feel. "Eat, you're hungry!" "It must be a very boring job." Come on! What do you know?! Speak for yourself, express YOUR feelings and thoughts, not mine, thanks.
  
  
• The second thing I really don't like is when someone is telling you how you SHOULD feel, what you SHOULD believe and do. I'm especially sensitive about religion conversations, since I don'r have one. Why is that so hard to accept sometimes? Argh! Here's something for people like that: (copied from a fb status, of course :P)

Don't like gay marriages? Don't get one.
Don't like abortions? Don't get one.
Don't like pre-marital sex? Don't have it.
Don't like drugs? Don't do them.
Don't like porn? Don't watch it.
Don't like alcohol? Don't drink it.
Don't like your rights taken away? Don't take away someone else's.

• And the last thing is a story about two people. Their names are "because-it's-the-right-thing-to-do" and "what-will-the-neighbours say". I'm allergic to that one. My answer is usually WHOOO CAAAREEEES? Why exactly should I eat lunch just because it's lunch time? Why should I turn the lights on when it's dark outside? Maybe I like darkness. Why should I wear black for the funerals? Why should I go to bed because it's time to go to bed? Why shouldn't I sing loudly and off-tune because the neighbours might hear? Who cares. I'm not one of those people who always try to be different from others, but please, my world is my world and I don't really care what others (people I don't care about) think about it.

Thanks for your time, I really feel better now. :P