Breaking the routine and start a new adventure in another country. The life as an au pair from an Italian perspective.
I have always been a dreamer and I still am nowadays. The dream to travel and discover the world and all its differences fascinated me since a very young age. I was like a bird in a cage not being able to go abroad and explore. I remember how
many times I pestered my mom asking her to bring me to a new places, but she wasn’t as passionate and excited to travel as myself. I spent a lot of days daydreaming in my room and picturing myself in some cool places such as: Australia with the Kangaroos, Japan wearing the yukata, Africa on a safari or Hawaii on the beach with a coconut. All these years were more like impossible dreams to realize until, one day, my mom came out with a proposal and said: Do you want to go abroad to experience and learn English? I couldn’t believe she was serious! And that was the day I decided to become an au pair.
At that time I was in my first year of University in Padua but things weren’t going well. I was depressed, disappointed, lonely and unhappy with my life. My goals in life were not academic so I couldn’t enjoy the experience like other people my age. I didn’t have anything to lose and decided to leave my old life in Italy and start a brand new one elsewhere looking for my happiness. But, was it that easy to leave everything behind? Yes and no.
Deciding to start something from the beginning, especially in another country, is not easy but not impossible. There are many factors which can affect your decisions to quit your routine and dedicate yourself to a new fresh start. In my case, as many other people who had the courage to do this, the key factors which have lead me to leave my old life (friends, family, school…) and become an au pair were:
YOU ONLY HAVE ONE YOUTH
You only live once so when making your decisions follow your heart and take the risk. An adventure is never a waste of time. Whatever your mind says, take every opportunity and live everyday to the fullest. Remember also: you are young only once in your lifetime so hurry up and do whatever you feel you should do and go wherever you want. To become an au pair has been something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time and now, 1 year into this experience I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I didn’t took the plunge. I think it’s important to remember that you’ll only regret the things you didn’t do!
DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY
There is no doubt that anything you set your mind to should make you happy and proud that you have done it. Don’t listens other people’s opinions, just follow your heart.
TAKE CHALLENGES, BE MOTIVATED AND BRAVE
This part is the hardest one to get through. Our mind is busy with a lot of things such as: insecurities, fears, concerns, expectations and influences from people around you. Motivation is the key to success. You need to be sure, motivated and brave enough to be able to not care about other people and take the first step to begin your new adventure.
DON’T GO CHASING WATERFALLS
Unfortunately we live in a world where people care a lot about people’s opinions, in fact most of our actions are based on them. As an italian citizen, I can confirm you that in Italy this issue is really strong. In a place built around the family concept, where family is the most important thing, people (especially the younger generations) are not able to leave the nest to create their own life by themselves. So how can we get through on this issue? Again, be motivated and brave. Think about you as the only person in the world, what do you do? Do you want to become an au pair and have the most exciting adventure of your life ? Then go for it! Don’t let anyone stop you.
With these little advices, I hope I have given you that little push you need to start a new chapter of your life. Keep your mind open and don’t be afraid to make mistakes, after all they are the most valuable lessons.
