11 Apr Ask an Au Pair: Nyssa delights in discovering the places she’s only read about in books and seen in paintings.
This week, we asked Nyssa, a 23-year old from California. She lives with her host family in the 15th arrondissement. Here are excerpts from her responses:
What inspires you about Paris?
Paris is a city where it is easy to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Walking down cobblestone streets, you can turn your head and see a plaque that states that you’ve just walked by one of Hemingway’s former apartments. You can watch sheep graze on the grass outside the Hôtel des Invalides. You can see places you’ve only read about in books or seen in paintings and experience why those authors and artists were so inspired to share what they saw and felt with the world. Paris is full of passionate people, art, literature, history, food, and culture; but, most importantly, Paris is a city that encourages you to find your own space and enrich yourself.
What tools, information or tactics did you find helpful in supporting yourself and the children after the terrorist attacks in Paris?
The youngest children for whom I care are still unaware of the attacks, but the oldest boy, who is 11, was scared for a few days following the events. I was very shaken and scared and there are still days where I am, but I found it most important to assure him that it is okay to be scared but it is also important to keep doing daily activities until they feel normal again. I encouraged him to talk to me about it. For my own support, I have three friends who were with me most of that weekend. Having them close and being able to talk with them was nice because we were able to each support one another after the terrorist attacks.
How do you improve or master your French language skills?
Speaking French and reading French as much as possible are the best ways to master those skills for me. I talk with the children and the parents of my host family mostly in French, except for the oldest child because he goes to a bilingual school and the family prefers that I speak with him in English. When I go out, I try to only speak in French, even if a French person responds to me in English. I also keep a notebook of words to learn and words to use more often, and I try to incorporate at least one of those words into daily conversations.
What is your favorite neighborhood?
The Latin quarter
What is your favorite café and/or the best meal you’ve had in Paris so far?
My favorite café is Coutume Instituutti just across from the Musée de Cluny. It is a bright and open space, and the coffee is somewhat expensive but comparable to many other coffee shops. A latte starts at 4,20 euros but you can get a large for 5 and a loyalty card. They take a lot of care in making the coffee, and I think that coupled with the beautiful space and the people in the café who are always reading interesting books or studying make it worth the price tag.
The best meal I’ve had in Paris is a very difficult question, but I think it would be at Chez Ann on Rue Mouffetard. It is a Chinese restaurant and their noodle soup (I had it with short ribs) is phenomenal. The noodles are fresh, the bowl of soup is gigantic, and you can get the soup with your choice of meat/veggies and an appetizer for about 10 euros.
What is your favorite shop?
Nature et Découvertes, Mango
What is your favorite museum?
Musée du Jeu de Paume, Musée d’Orsay, Musée de l’Orangerie
What is your favorite secret Paris spot?
Parc des Buttes Chaumont
What do you dislike most about living in Paris?
I dislike the trash on the streets and the fact that the French really seem to enjoy honking their car horns at every option they get. I come from a city that is known for its “road rage,” and yet the amount of honking the French do surpasses that. After a while, it has become more funny than it is annoying. I think the cost of living would be the only other thing I dislike. Sometimes, to find a good deal, you have to figure out what neighborhood to go to for the better prices, and that can be difficult with how many places are considered “touristy.”
What advice would you give to incoming au pairs?
Do not come here only for the experience of living in Paris. Yes, that is a big part of why you should au pair, but you are also here to take care of children for a family. It is important to really enjoy the experience you have with the children and the family alongside the opportunity to live in such a magnificent place. Also, come into this experience with an open mind and a spirit open to change. You cannot live in another country in another language in another home without being changed in some way. This is my third time living in France, and I realize now how much these opportunities have allowed me to grow and better understand how much a language and place can influence your own person. Living in France and being an au pair is such an enriching experience because it is not only your language skills that improve, but you get the chance to see the world with a more developed sense of self and a better understanding of those around you.
ASK AN AU PAIR SERIES
Get to know Paris, from an au pair’s perspective. Our “Ask an Au Pair” series was so popular that we’ve decided to continue it with our next round of au pairs! We pose a dozen questions about the City of Light to those who are seeing it with fresh eyes and learning all of its wonderful intricacies. And, we decided to expand this series by adding a question about adapting to life in Paris after the 2015 terrorist attacks.