Well, I started this post months ago, so now that I'm back in the states it makes sense to finish. Though my schedule has changed over the months (I'd say my level of productivity over time would look like a bell curve), here is basically what I did during the weekdays:
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7ish: Wake up, get sufficiently ready, and do 6 minutes of yoga (ok I was good about this for a while at least)
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| 7:30 Help get the girls up, dressed, and fed.
Breakfast for Chiquita, and it seems all Spanish kids, is fresh squeezed
oj, toast with butter, and milk with Cola Cao (a chocolatey powder
that, until I just now googled it, I had no idea originated in the 1940s
and contains vitamins and minerals too. Huh) |
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| 8:15 - Take chiquita to the bus stop. This is usually when I try to start conversation in English and she looks at me like I'm crazy. Neither of us are morning people. |
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| 8:30 - Take Tessa for a walk. This picture looks so much warmer than it is now, sigh. |
Then daytime activities vary, based on the day of the week:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
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| Hit the gym! I've been into spinning, aerobics, and 'cuerpo y mente' classes. Ok, sometimes I get too lazy to go the class in the morning so just run and lift with the boys in the afternoon. Or don't go. |
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| 2ish - Delicious, delicious almuerzo at home. I'm lucky that we have a housekeeper who cooks and cleans every day. Yum. |
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| Then, whatever I want! Free time is glorious, simply GLORIOUS. Activities include painting... |
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| ... laundry... |
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... and sitting at my computer. I've given my resume a makeover,
completely cleaned out my inbox (omg it felt amazing), started the search
for the next job, planned lots of weekend trips, kept up with the news,
tried to keep up on photos and blogging, and reorganized my pinterest
boards (ok, maybe that was unnecessary).
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Tuesday and Thursday
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| Rush to head downtown. 4 minute drive to the bus stop... |
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| .... then a 35 minute bus ride.... |
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| ... to the metro. (which makes CTA seem ancient) |
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| 9:30 - Spanish class. This is the 'coffeeshop' of the center. My favorite thing about my classes was that every single student was from a different country - Japan, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, Sweden, England, etc. |
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| Then I'd usually do downtown things, like wander around randomly.... |
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| .... or meet up with other au pairs.... |
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| .... or go to a museum. Sometimes I met with a couple Spanish girls for 'conversation exchange.' |
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Evening
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| 4:30 or 5 - Pick up Chiquita from the bus stop or school. Now she's usually ready to be friends with me and speak in mostly English. |
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| We used to go to the park when it was warm (ok, usually she played with friends and I read, but HOW CUTE is this photo). |
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| 5:00 - 7:30 - Make Chiquita a snack then play with her (sneaking in some English), do crafts, help with homework, make Monster High videos, or just chill if she goes to a friend's house. (yes I chose this photo to show off my snowflake skillz) |
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| 7:30 - Bath time. Due to her increased desire to be independent, this evolved from me literally helping to wash her hair, to supervising and
leading "Math Class in the Bath" (yes we practiced math facts while I
pretended to be a crazy teacher), to sitting on her bed and facebooking
on my phone while she glares at me if I come near. |
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| 8:15 - Make dinner for Chiquita, complicated by the fact that she refuses to eat fruits or vegetables. Fried chicken is a staple. |
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| 9:00 - Book and bed time for Chiquita (this day we were reading online books). |
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| 9:30 - Adult dinner time, usually with conversation of culture or politics (unless I got hungry earlier and ate with Chiquita). |
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| 10:00ish - Just in time to "hang out" with people back home. |
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| Midnight-ish - Buenas noches! |
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