Spain Series- Post 1
Deciding to be an Au-pair was never a random act, I had spoken about it to friends for almost year until I actually did it. And Spain was always at the top of the list. Finding a host family was quiet easy, www.aupairwold.com is amazing. I remember how fast I had to put my Spanish lessons into use while getting lost in that huge Madrid airport. I swear I went around in circles 3 times and almost missed my flight to Vigo. I arrived in Spain during the carnival week; it took me back to my first year rag in Tuks. Once I adjusted to my new environment, a small town in of Ponteareas in Galicia called Ganade, a true breath of fresh air, I fell in love with my host family. There were challenges of course, for example, in the first few days of the au-pair experience expect to live in the shadow of the previous au-pair(s). And in a week or two both you and the family will get used to each other and find your own rhythm.
My au-pair duties were light enough to be accompanied by a language course, which was so helpful and way to meet people- lots of Erasmus students. I had the weekends off which I used to explore other parts of Spain. I had a great time overall, however I have to say my trip to Porto (you have to try the wine! and the “Francesihna” was good too), 
Barcelona and Islas de Cies were most memorable. And then there was the “semana santa” holidays that I spent with the family in Baiona- incredible! Other than that I also visited Santiago de Compostela, of which the main attraction was going through renovations, like many other historical places I visited around Spain. However, I liked Santiago, very much like Hatfiled in Pretoria, but a lot more original, like old in a flirty way. That same day we caught the sunset in Pontevedra and later danced the night off at a concert in Ponteareas. The next day I joined couple of my classmates to explore Ourense, a small old town with soothing hot springs.
Then there was Gondomar, Riberia Sacra, Sevilla (this alone will need its own blog post!) and A Coruna. Spain is a big country as compared to other European countries, but it is even bigger tourist wise. There were still so many other places I wanted to visit, but 12 weeks was just not enough.
One thing that is always a constant in all my travels is that special person that you meet and more often than not, they instantly play a huge rule on your experience. Like Khrystyna in India, the twins in Botswana, Domingos in Namibia, and Andrea of Spain. 
She was the first person I met who could speak English well, the kind where you are able to have a real meaningful conversation. She had been an au-pair herself in France before, shared similar world views, open-minded, smart, creative and so humble, I mean it was a given we were going to become friends. I met with some other great people too, like the kids maternal “abuela”- coolest grandmother ever, Jacky the American English teacher, Alison of Brazil, the Sevillanas that lured me into dancing, aah Spain you tease!
I was going to summarize everything in one post, so far it is not working well. Anyway, my point is if you ever thought of being an au-pair do it. I have nothing but amazing memories and lots of lessons learned. Expect to be challenged, expect to be excited and fascinated, and expect to live moments that will leave you feeling nostalgic. And if you ever thought of visiting Spain, quit thinking and just book your ticket!
matshidisolp 