It all began roughly 10 days after my 18th birthday. Picture this: I’m lounging in bed, surrounded by darkness, scrolling through TikTok. Then, out of nowhere, bam! A brilliant idea pops into my head—or so I thought at the time. I decided I was going to jet off and work as an au pair abroad. But, to really understand why I was so gung-ho about it, you need some context, because there were two big things driving me.
Firstly, I was just starting my first year of med school in a country that felt like a dead end to me. And hey, I’m from Argentina. Also, I’ve always been determined not to rely on anyone else’s cash, especially not my mom’s.
Then there’s the passion part. I’ve always had this crazy love for being with kids and taking care of them. It’s not like I wanted to be a mom right away or anything, but being an au pair sounded pretty sweet and a really better idea.
Plus, I hadn’t really traveled much, especially not in Europe.
But I gotta be real—things didn’t turn out quite like I thought they would. Money was tight, my first host family didn’t work out (I ended up switching after four months), and let’s just say, the whole cultural experience was a bit of a shock.
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius