After I finished my A-levels in Germany in 2008 I decided to spend half a year as an aupair in the UK. When I sat in the plane I was extremely nervous and I would never have imagined to meet such a wonderful family and that they would always make me feel part of the family from the second I arrived in Stansted.
I arrived in January and I think it was only about 8 weeks later when Nat told me in the morning she didn't feel well and she might have to go into hospital. In the afternoon Dan came home and told me Nat was in hospital and would have to stay there overnight to get checked through by a doctor. I was really worried because I didn't know how Nat felt and I was struggling to understand all the "medical" English. I remember being told days later that the doctors had to rush Nat in an emergency surgery just weeks before their wedding in May.
When Nat came back from hospital I remember that she sat down with me to explain me like a 3-year-old what was going on. I never really knew how to help best and just tried to look after the kids as best as I could. It sometimes gave me a hard time because the kids didn't understand what was going on but still felt that something was wrong. And even though I knew they loved me they would sometimes just want their mummy. Big Girl was already perfectly potty-trained when I came but all of a sudden she started wetting herself again every now and then. Big Fella was just about to start talking when I arrived. It sounds weird but sometimes I was worried he would struggle to speak "proper English" because what he heard most of the day was his German aupair. But I think his English is fine :-)
One morning I came downstairs to get the kids ready for nursery only to find Nat's parents on the sofa in the living room. They had come down from Nottingham in the middle of the night because Nat was very poorly. It makes you feel helpless and all I could always do was to look after the kids and support Dan as much as possible because he always had to work hard.
In May Hunby and Nat finally got married and it was a very emotional wedding. I felt really sorry for Nat because she couldn't enjoy her wedding the way a bride should. When Hubby and Nat went on their honeymoon for a few days Nats parents took me and the kids to Nottingham. I always felt very welcome by all of their family and friends and I still enjoy seeing them when I fly to the UK.
I had booked my flight home for the end of June already when Nat had to go into hospital again at the beginning of June. She just got home and a couple of days later on Camerons 2nd birthday I had to fly back home to Germany. I felt terrible because it felt like leaving them behind and I knew I wouldn't be able to help them anymore. Although I was looking forward to be back in Germany with my family and friends, I cried my eyes out in Stansted - something which still hasn't changed in the last 5 years when we say goodbye at the airport
I was also very worried that the kids might forget me because they were still so little. But that fortunately never happened because we've visited each other quite often since I went back to Germany. In February 2010 they came to visit me and my family near Stuttgart. My family was really surprised what a strong woman Nat is and how much energy she has because they expected to meet a very poorly woman.
People hardly ever understand that we have such a strong bond because from what I've heard that's quite unusual for aupairs.
Thanks to skype, whatsapp and facebook it is easier to stay in contact and it's always lovely to skype with the family. But there have been times when I didn't like to go on facebook because all I usually saw in the first place was that Nat was in hospital again. I can hardly believe how often she had to go into hospital.
When Nat and the kids visited me in April 2013 (Hubby unfortunately couldn't come because he had to work) Nat told me that she would have to go into hospital at the end of the year for a few weeks and she would have to have 2 big surgeries. I offered to come over and look after the kids because I knew they really struggle to make sure the kids are being looked after. So last September I spent a week in England and was aupair again. It was very hard to go back to Germany because Nat was in hospital and felt very poorly (by then I think she had already spent nearly 5 months in hospital). It's hard to leave the kids and Hubby behind because I know they worry a lot about their mummy/wife. I really think it's amazing how Hubby copes with everything because he still has to work, do the household, look after the kids and on top of everything he's worried about his wife. It always shows me how small my own problems are and that you shouldn't complain regarding what Nat and her family have to go through since years.
I think one good has come out of all this crap and that's how strong our bond is. It's always a pleasure to spend time with my aupairfamily that I love so much and I enjoy every minute I can spend with them.
At the beginning of this year Nat asked me if I would like to join them on a family holiday to Devon. This holiday is today so that's why it's a good day for my guest blog!
Liddy x
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