Клуб программы
Au Pair

Следующая история Au Pair полностью на английском, так что это хороший шанс потренироваться в переводе.Ольга уже четвертый год находиться в США, из них – 2 года по программе Au Pair. По окончанию программы, она осталась в США и теперь работает самостоятельно. История рассказывают о оперской жизни.

privet,
eto olga iz maryland,
here is a story about my families. sorry, but it’s in english, i had a
“chernovik” already- i wrote most of that to one pal. so it was easier to add
something also in english.

so, about families: 1st family was in VA, in a little town. i didn’t drive because they told me i need to receive a VA driver license first, so i stayed at home all time, it wasn’t cool at all. just sometimes i went with some girls to DC or another places, but very rare. there were 4 boys- 13,6,2&1 yo. it was so difficult, i felt myself as slave.

The mom there didn’t like to lost even several minutes from my work time- for example, i had to eat before work, don’t do laundry during work time & don’t speak on a
phone at all when I work!!! they were not bad, she was very “ulyb4ivaya”, but inside she was very hypocrite( “litsemernaya”). i think, she just didn’t like me at all, because we were very different- she liked to talk VERY much!!! & i’m not, especially with unknown people. also, i haven’t any experience with kids, but in application form i wrote - i was a helper, but in the agency they told me i need to write - babysitter. so when i came & she asked me to change a dipper i wasn’t able to do it(), & i explained her that i was helper, not babysitter. after that she began “nakru4ivat’ cebya”. for example, she told to LCC that she doesn’t feel herself comfortable when she’s leaving the house & leave kids with me!!!! although i stayed with kids alone already & everything was ok. also, she told that she doesn’t like my english, because sometimes i need a time to understand what she told!!! can you imagine that!!!
hello??!!! i’m in the foreign country & of course sometimes i need a time to understand, because or the person speaks fast either i didn’t know some words!!!
it’s not my native language & also she spoke very fast, & i got used to west accent, not east(i’ve lived in UT as a tourist 2 months one year before). in general there i didn’t feel myself good at all. but i was afraid to change a family, because they were rich, had a good house, many cars, i had to travel to Florida & Bahamas with them later that year.& some of my friends who came the same time as me didn’t have good houses(they lived in very dirty, small houses), & for me it won’t work- i get used to live in good big houses(sorry, I know it sounds like I’m so bad, so picky- but no, I can easily get used to everything, but if I have an opportunity to have something better then I want to have it!) . so i didn’t want to begin changing a family, but when they said that they want to do it i said - ok. After that she kicked me out very fast, i even wasn’t able to find a new family, so i lived in LCC’ house 2 weeks & didn’t receive any money for that time. i’m not happy about that!!!
also that time was very difficult for me because my mom had BIG depression- i’m the only one child, & i left, she didn’t have anybody to be with her) so i was afraid if she will do a suicide!! so it was really though time for me!!
& and also as i understand it now- everything was so difficult for me- because i’ve never worked before, never lived in a house with totally strangers & everything was so unusual for me. although i thought it will help me that i already have been in the states, but it was not a really big help.
as i think, the host mom just got used to the previous au-pair(she was the first one- i was really afraid that i won’t be good enough as she for them- & it came to be true!) so, the mom wanted somebody who will be also so good, with big knowledge about her children as that au-pair. but she didn’t recognized that that girl also had problems in the begging(her friend, another au-pair, told me) & that she became such wonderful au-pair with time & experience!! the HM(host mom) wanted to receive everything immediately. it’s mine opinion.  So, I stood with 1-st family 1 month before I left them.

2nd family, there were 2 boys- 15&12 yo, girl-9yo. they lived in DC, almost in the center, in huge old house. they were very rich too. The kids were great!! i liked to spend time with 12 yo boy- he’s awesome!! i still miss him very much!!! also they had a housekeeper, so i thought- wow, it will be great, i’ll have to do nothing. & really i didn’t do anything in the house. but it was so difficult to live with that housekepeer!! she’s mean & she “ctu4ala na menya” always. & the parents weren’t nice at all. father was abroad always, i saw him only 2 times, but he’s not very nice also. mother is just paranoiac, she is really need to go to a “psihoterapevty”. she yeld alot, especially at the kids, & last days at me. i cried so much. but we had problems from the beginning- she didn’t pay me after 1st week, so i asked her at Tuesday – “when will you pay me?” i thought it will reminder her that she need to pay me. she said - at Friday, but didn’t pay still & at Wednesday she left for a week out of state!!! so, i didn’t receive a salary at Friday again. i asked one russian man who worked for HD about that, & after that HD paid me, finally for 2 weeks, but less on $20!!!! after i told that it’s incorrect he gave me the rest, but… also that week i didn’t have any days off. ( later when i told it to HM she said- but i was out of town. huh-huh, is it my problem??? i need days off, i need to see my friends, just to be outside of that house!!) when she came back from that trip she was very rough with me about her bike, that i took it to go to my friends house, & EVEN didn’t take a locker!!! bike was on backyard!!! & that i always need to ask her about that!!! but i thought i can take it, because i asked before & she told me i can use it, so i even didn’t have anything inside of my mind that i need to ask all times!!!

& in general there were many little awful things. my friend told me that i need to run away from there, but to change a family 2nd time??!!! i decided to wait & to look how will everything be.
so, at Saturday on 3rd week i asked her about rules in the house, because i wanted to know everything, that not to feel myself as i walk “po octriu noja”. i asked her about days off, because she told me before i began to work there that i’ll be able to attend a church, but i wasn’t able to do it through the time i lived there. she began to yield at me & didn’t want to speak with me at all.  she spoke very rough & also she told me that i need to call her dr Walker, not Rondi.!!! can you imagine that!!! isn’t it ridiculous???!!!!!!!!! at Sunday they had to leave at a camp , so i thought i’ll not see them, because i finally went to the church, so i left a note about my salary- she didn’t pay me again!!!! & i didn’t want to see her, so after the church i walked long time, but when i came at home they still were there & i didn’t find any money! i asked her about that & she began to yield that in this country you don’t ask this way about salary & if i want rules then she’ll give me!! when i tried to say anything she began to say- don’t talk me back. don’t argue with me. i asked what am i talking back?? why you don’t want to have a conversation with me? you told me that you’ll pay me at Friday & today it’s Sunday. she yield- i don’t need in my house somebody how will argue with me. pack your stuff & go out of my house, you’ll go back in Russia.
so i packed, after that she came & gave me a check & said- it was long time in my wallet, don’t say i lied. i said- hh, i didn’t tell that, i said you didn’t pay me. she-"sh-h-h, you’re unemploed”
I was in this family 3 weeks only, but received memories for many-many years!!!
so, this is how i changed families, in general they changed me, but it was always better for me. of course 2 weeks, when i was waiting for a new family very nervous, but…
finally, i have a good family. there are 13 yo boy, 10 yo girl, 6 yo boy. they are good. parents are good too. i live here 1 month now. although i miss DC a little bit, because there you always can go somewhere, & here there is nothing to watch. but i hope it’ll better with time.

i wrote that in December, so now i will add something about 3 family.
yeas, in the beginning they were great, especially on the words!! some others au-pairs(who knew previous au-pairs in that family) told me that they are good only first
time, but later they become difficult people, but i didn’t believe that because i thought- how is it possible that they can be so good now, & change later?? but you know- it’s possible!
Everything started one time when i went to DC in December- first time after 1,5 months i didn’t see my friends. they said that they won’t give me a car first time, because they need to show me how to get there & where to park there & etc. so HD dropped me off there at Saturday & said that he will come to pick me up at Sunday at 9pm, but if i want him to come & pick me up from my friend’s house then i need to call.

so next day i came at that time at metro station, but nobody was there, i waited 30 min- it’s ok, i think, but after that time i began to worry. i wanted to call, but i didn’t have any money for that(i had only debit card, not cash) & i wasn’t able to go anywhere to find an ATM, because i was afraid that i’ll miss them. but at 10 pm i went to find an ATM, after that it took me a lot of time to find a place to change money for 25 cents, so i called them about 10.30pm. they were sleeping!!!!! can you imagine!! i was alone in such scary area, with alot of black people & they were just sleeping!!! when HM came i said- i’m sorry that i woke you up.-i think it’s just a usual thing to say that, but she said, don’t worry, but why you didn’t have a change & why you didn’t call us at 9.30, not 10.30??? HD said to you to call. she spoke with me as it was my fault!! i said he didn’t say that!! & i repeated what we spoke about(look up) & she said- oh, it was just a misunderstanding!! so, in general she showed to me that it was my fault!! although i definitely know what we talk about!! (of course my english isn’t perfect or close to that, but i can understand when somebody’s saying- see you tomorrow here at 9pm and call me if you’ll need a ride from friend’s house OR call in any case!!!!!! i’m not stupid & i don’t need you to make me stupid!!) also, I was, of course, stupid that I didn’t have any money, but I just didn’t think that they will do such thing, if they came as we “dogovarivalic’”, then “mne bi ne nyjni bili den’gi”!!!

a little bit later i blocked keys in the car accidentally, but i just called HM, she told me a pin to open the car without keys.
but after some time she told me that i can’t use the car as much as i want- because i’m not responsible- she told me those 2 “clychai"(look up)!! i was so shocked!! in 1 it wasn’t my fault at all- i was a victim- i didn’t know what to do at night time in that scary place, & in 2nd - it just happens with people sometimes!!

after 3 months the car broke & i stood at the house for one week without any chance to get out!
to fix the car cost $3000, so they decided to buy a new one. the funniest thing- they presented that car to their carpenter!! so i always had a question in my mind- what’s good did they receive of not giving me the car??? the car still had broke, but if they permitted to use it i was able to be more happy & they were able to be more happy because of that, but no- greediness can’t permit them to do it- they are jews. now i understand why people hate jews!!!!! (sorry, but it’s my experience with jews, I’ve never had such thoughts before)
so after some time i began to drive a minivan, & they didn’t permitted to me to drive it to the metro station to go to DC. so during 6 months i stood with them i was able to go to DC only 4 times!! & they still thought it was too much!!!!

one time after HM brought me home from DC i asked her if i can borrow a car to go shopping(after 2 minutes i’ve been at home) & i told her that i used a cell phone(they had one cell phone for au-apir and the oldest son together, , but i wasn’t really use it, because it cost money) she gave me it that time & that i will pay for that to them, just i didn’t have a chance to meet my friend without help of cell phone. & HM began to yield at me, that i’m not a apreciatiable person, because she just spent 3 hours in that weekend for helping me to go to DC & when i came at home i didn’t ask if she need help, but i asked to borrow the car!! that i used the phone that i had to use the
regular payphone & such stuff, that i have to find something to do here, not to go to DC, or to take a taxi to a metro station- i said yeah & pay about $50??? she said- yeas!! i was- aha- half of my salary just for taxi??? are you in your mind??? & after that i asked if i still can take a car & if i can be back at 9pm(it was 6 pm). she said - yeas, you can come back at any time, but the car has to be back in one hour!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yeah- i can walk anywhere!!! (to come out from only my neiborghood it takes about 30 min!) i was so shocked!! & why do i have to ask if she needs help?? it’s my time off, i want to have rest & to enjoy it, have they ever asked me during the week- Oh, Olga, do
you need a car, just for nothing- go & take it??? then why do i have to do something good in my free time??? (don’t think I never done something in my off time- I always tried to do something to help them, but just in that time I didn’t want to do anything- I had only several hours till the shops will close & I wanted to go to hang out with my friend there) also they always “lazili” in my room!! the funniest thing- they really liked to go through my trash can!!! i don’t understand that, but it’s true!! because i remember very good how my things “lejali” but when i came back it was different- i know 4 “clychaev” when i definitely sure that they were searching there!!!

in the beginning i told HM that i can’t eat some staff she likes to buy, i really don’t like it. she bought what i like several times, but after she stopped that & i had to eat what she bought. it was so bad!! oh, my gosh. i forgot what it is a whole milk!! i knew only fat free- when you even not sure - is it a milk or a water??? although they had a whole milk, but only for their coffee, kids told me one time when i took a whole milk for cereals- you can’t use the whole milk- it isn’t for you!! so i had to eat all that healthy cereals(chto mne daje trydno v gorlo zatolkat’, fat free milk & diet pepsi- all the things i hate!!!! )
so they cared about their health, but not mine- all time i lived there it was totally cold in a basement where i lived , but they didn’t do anything, even one time when i used a fireplace they came & said that i have to turn it off, because it’s too hot upstairs- of course, don’t they know physics??? warm air goes up, so, it was always warmer upstrairs, but very cold downstairs!!! “eto ochen’ cil’no otraziloc’ na moem zdorov’e”. the other time HD said that it’s too expensive to pay for a gas when i use the fireplace!!

so i always was freezing! even in April- i slept in a sweatshirt!!!
they have never told me thank you for all i’ve done. for work i hadn’t to do, but i did - vacuuming all house(except their room)(or maybe i was a housekeeper, not the au-pair?) for working over time sometimes, cleaning car, for a week i spent with their sick kid, & when i got sick by myself after that? did they? Duh-h-h!!!!! as i think they wanted me to fall down on my knees & was grateful to those great Doris &Alan, who paid for me to come in the states! - one time she told me that she paid for me to come here. it hurt me so much!! just as i’m a slave in “drevnim mire”!
& also one time she told to my mom whe she was visiting me- i want Olga to take some good course, not some unneeded courses as she took, i pay for courses, so I want her to take something for Master’s degree(i told her that i want to receive it). so, it was, like she’s spending her money for my education!! but it’s my salary, that cultural care takes from au-pair without asking!!
the only time i’ve heard 2-3 “thank you Olga” from Doris- it’s was on a week of April, 4-10!!!(Alan occasionally said it during all my time of staying with them, but not Doris) so, am i not appreciatiable person?? NO - it’s them!! & i had to say “thank you” all the time.
this is something from my letter to them when i left: “by the way- can you tell me for what i have to be so grateful to you??? hm-m, maybe for that i wasn’t able to use the car, & i had all the time to feel humiliation & ask you, if i can go even in library? or maybe thank you for yelling at me? or for my tears i dropped so many times?? or maybe for not giving a car to go to metro station with my mom when she was leaving back in Russia(although before you said-"oh, if you’ll take a car only for a day it’s ok” yeah, i see!!! you perfectly knew that there is nothing to use at Sunday to go to DC!!! or did you think we’ll walk there??????((it took me 4 hours to get back from DC to the house when I “provodila” my mom , although it will take only 30 min with a car- can you imagine that, guys?????)) yeah, on words you sound great!!” at the same time as my car was broken my comp died too. so, HD tried to fix it. & he reinstall Windows without asking me if i need to save anything from a disc!! & when i said -"what? i’ve had alot of pics there!! is it possible to receive it back?” he started to yield at me that it his comp & bla-bla-bla. yeah, but there were MINE pics!!!

& they liked to tell me sometimes (not often only maybe 4-5 times) that it’s their room where i live & their comp & their car that i use- but they always forgot that it’s a part of our salary, that we can use it, it’s like we rent it!! so, it’s ours for the time we work for them, we can have some privacy.
i don’t remember everything that happened during my stay with them- i wrote it in my notebook, but it isn’t with me now. but the biggest issues i told you. especially a month before last one was so difficult!! i cried so much!! i had a big nervous stress.
i’ll say that ofcourse they weren’t all the time so awfully, not every day. but if compare all the times i cried because of them or was “racctroena iz-za nih” & all the time they were nice to me- well, it is definitely not good times, but bad!!!
I left them after 6 months, & I felt so big relief after that!!!
There is something else for the whole picture about them- already after I left them, my friends called them to ask about me, &family just yield at them, even a girl, & “materilic’”. So… decide by yourselves.
of course, i’m not an angel too, at all. i’m a difficult person. but if you’ll be nice with me i’ll be nice with you too, & even i’ll do much more to please you.
by the way, the previous 2 au-pairs didn’t want to stay with them! & they had the same problems as me- i know it, i’ve spoken with people who knew them & their problems!!!
my advices for au-pair- not to be scary to claim your rights from the beginning & to discuss everything before you’ll agree to accept the family even. because there are alot of things that you think- or it will work that way, like- they will permit me to use the car, because it isn’t possible to live in the states without the car, but when you come- oops, no. or other questions - like your schedule, your duties, your room, what do they have close in your area to have fun & just to rest & etc.