Dear sybil

I am one of the nannies u sent to italy last year. i just wanted to write and say thankyou very much for helping me have the experience of a life time. Thankyou again for allowing me to have the time of my life and learn italian of course.

regards

Megan O, Italy.

 Hi Sybil,

Just a quick hello to tell you how things are going. So far I am settling in nicely with the host family, and am getting along well with Lauritz. Irina is really lovely, and I found out that she is indeed a midwife, but a slightly more qualified one? Somewhere between a midwife and an obstetrician, which I know is a big gap, but I can't seem to narrow it down. Her English is wonderful, as is Lauritz's (mostly). I live about eight kilometers from the centre of Nurnberg (by bicycle, at least), where I attended language school for the first time today. I was very nervous, as the entire course is taught in German, but there were other English speakers (including two Australian girls) and the class went along at a comfortable pace and everyone was pretty welcoming.

Nurnberg is filled with beautiful old buildings, and I've enjoyed spending time there. We (Lauritz, Bernd and I) went to the Bavarian mountains for a week during school holidays, to their second house. The countryside is really lovely there and I had a great time playing with Lauritz on the pirate ship his father made him (big and wooden, with sails and such). Also I think I will be travelling with them to Sylt, a small island in the North Sea at the top of Germany for a fortnight or so during the summer holidays in August, which I am very excited about.

Kind regards,

Isobelle in Germany

Hi Sybil,

Sevilla, is lovely I really like the city and I am getting slowly used to the Andalucían heat..the past week was over 40 everyday!! The family is very nice, I am developing a good relationship with the mum which is nice. The kids are all very nice, they have their last day of school tomorrow. Then they are on holidays. So my timetable will change a little I have been with the family to Cordóba it was a lovely city..very beautiful I enjoyed the day very much!! And next week we go on holidays to the beach - they didnt say the name. Before going to Cadiz.

The language barrier of Spanish and English..is still a little hard, but I can see that it is improving with the family. Which is a good feeling.

Overall..i am enjoying my time in Sevilla and the experiences with the family. Hope you too are well :)  Laura in Spain.

Sorry it took so long to get an e-mail back to you, but I have been pretty busy over the last two weeks since my arrival. And I have to say, thank you so much for helping find this fantastic family. It's been great here. Two weeks doesn't seem like a long time, but it already feels like this is my second home. Thankyou so much. Maddy in Germany

Hi Sybil,

With the help of Maria I've found my perfect host family!! We met yesterday and it’s been arranged for me to move in next week, I cannot believe my luck! The host mum is the nicest, coolest person ever and her son, who's 6 seems really sweet. I also got to have a chat to her current au pair and she said that this truly is the best family ever, I'm so excited! Thank you so much for helping me through a tough time and persisting in finding another family for me, I really feel like I've won the lottery right now. I will keep in touch with you throughout my stay and thank you again!  
Kind regards, Vanessa in German

 Hi Sybil,
Just sending an email to let you know that things are going great here in Holland! I spend lots of time with the children each day and am doing exactly what I came to Europe to do. In the process I have made some great friends and seen some amazing things so far. I feel like a real part of the family. The children are fantastic and speak both English and Dutch fluently which is a bonus!
Hope this email finds you well, Kind Regards, Lauren

 Hello Sybil,

 I hope this finds you well.

I wanted to write to you to say a big thank you for placing me with such a wonderful family! There are so great!! The children are wonderful and both parents look after me very well. They try and speak Spanish, as opposed to Catalan, in the house when I am around. I have met Mari Bell, and she is also very lovely.

I have not started Spanish classes yet as instead I am thinking of taking some Salsa lessons. I’ll let you know!

Anyway, a big THANKYOU from me. Kind regards, Sarah King.

Hi Sybil, I arrived safe and sound at Rennes airport the Parents were there to pick me up. I have been settling in well, and getting use to their routines very quickly.
They bought me a phone to use here to contact them, and we also set up an account for me through a French bank.
I have started learning 'la code' the equivalent of the road code. I have been studying for it during the day after the kids have gone to school and beofre they arrive back. It is very difficult, but hopefully I can slide in a pass by the end of Feb. They have allowed me to begin the driving part of the getting the licence also. My first lesson is tonight, this should be fine as I am comfortable with driving, however it the roads are very different and it will be in a manual.
I have also signed up for French lessons.
The two boys are great, I am getting to know them well, and yesterday I prepared them for school alone and it went perfectly.
A bientot! :)   Lillian in France

 Hi Sybil,
How have you been? I have been very well. I have been in France now for 9 months living with the Sadlier family just out side of Paris, au pairing for three children, Julien 10, Lucie 8 and Adrien 5yo. Paris is such a great city and I have also been on lots of trips to other parts of France too and my French is getting better. I love theFrench language!
 
At the moment we (ma mere d'accueil et moi) are renewing my visa so that I can stay with the family to the end of the school year and throughout the coming summer holidays. My current 12 month au pair visa expires mid May. I have been in contact a lot with Emmanuelle and she has said my visa can be extended a further 12 months (24 months in total).  
Thank you
Sarah in France

 Denmark is at it's best right now! The weather is glorious, everything is green and lush, the flowers are in bloom, the sun is shining, birds are singing. I am really enjoying the changing of the seasons over here. On our farm all of the animals are having babies and it is so much fun. And Copenhagen is just a quick train ride, it really is the best of both worlds. Country and City!

My Danish is still very basic, but everyone speaks fluent English so it is no problem. I am still waiting on my yellow card which allows me to take Danish lessons, but as soon as it arrives I will enrol for language class. I learn new words everyday, and I read the newspaper everyday to test myself. I can understand the general outline of the stories, but not specifics.

I have made some really fantastic friends. I have two Australian friends here who are also Au Pairs. And a big group of Danish Au Pairs, as well as some lovely Danes I have met in the area. Making friends has been easy and everyone is very warm and sweet.

My kids are wonderful. My 6 year old is going into school this summer, so there are a lot of changes going on. Everyone is always busy, the house is usually full of people and no day is ever like the one before. I like it that way!

I am going to Majorca with the family for 10 days next week. I can't wait! I will get a chance to work on my tan. I am also planning lots of trips as usual. Some driving tours of the other two main islands of Denmark, Jutland and Funen. Also some international trips to England and Ireland. I get a lot of time off work because the family travel on their own a lot too.

Anyway, I am happy and I love my job!
Love Jessica xxx (Copenhagen)   

Hello Sybil,

how are you, it s me Jonathan, the guy who is in the south of France. I only have another 3 weeks left here before my contract runs out.

Anyway, sorry I haven t written, but this year has been like a whirlwind for me, just totally off the plant (i m also very lazy when it comes down to it.) I can t really believe that it s over. I m going to miss this place so much, and this family, I absolutly love the boys I look after and Mirelle and Luc have been so good to me, I ve seen so much of this beautiful country and of this beautiful continent that I ll almost find it impossible to leave. I just love the way of living and the culture over here.

It has been the best year of my life, the hardest, but the best. I ve learnt so much about myself and other cultures, I ve meet so many peaple from all over the world, i ve been so lucky, although my French speaking is below par.

Anyway, I have you thank for it, so, thankyou very much for giving me the opportunity of an expirience that I shall never forget as long as I live.

I hope all is well with you
Jonathan.

hello sybill,
its Megan writting form Italy just wanted to say thankyou for all your help before i left.
the family i am living with and working for here are fantastic and i am quickly learning more and more of the language. havet had any problems at all and the children are energetic and fun. thanks again for all your help will contact you when i get back to australia if not before hand
sincerely

megan

Sybil,

Just wanted to let you know I arrived safe & sound.  I am getting to know the family - which is great and next week I start my French classes!

So there are no problems at all. (It even snowed for my arrival, which apparently is something very unusual in Le Havre!!)

All the best
Danielle

Hey Sybil, How are you i am good happy to be back in Australia. I had a wonderful year in amsterdam i made heaps of friends from all over the world and enjoyed everything Holland had to offer.

Thankyou so much for the chance to go oversea's though your agency as i had a wonderfull time. 

Elyse

hello sybil,
just a quick little email to say thank you very much. i am really liking it. my family is great. i have my own car, and my room is very nice. they area i live in is also very beautiful. They   live in a very big house and my host mum and dad are great. i have started   language school and it is a little difficult but i have only been 2 times.
I   havent made alot of friends yet but my host family have a daughter and she
is very nice so i do alot of things with her. driving...well at the start it   was so confusing and very difficult to convert to the other side, and get used to a car that was biggr than what i used to drive. but each day i drive more and more and i am getting alot better.   i have alot of free time and get paid very well. i have my own tv, dvd,   phone and it is very nice.   i havent been to home sick yet. i did have one bad day last saturday but I   think i was just really tired and very stressed.   i havent been to amsterdam yet i will be very soon. it isnt that different here to where i live at home. we eat the same food and do the same things and our next door neighbour is a farmer so i smell cows all the time and that is just like home on my farm in australia.   so i just wanted to say hi and let you know i was doing fine and enjoying myself, thank you for every thing.

Stephanie, Holland.

Elisabeth is lovely and we manage to communicate well between my pidgeon French and her pidgeon English. I basically spent all Thursday afternoon recovering. I met Phillipe that night and we spent the first half hour in front of an atlas pointing at parts of Australia, saying the places name, then nodding in agreement. Phillipe speaks as much English as I do French, around 10 to 12 words.
On Friday evening we drove to Lorraine in North East France(400 kms away) to meet the children and the families. had a great time over the weekend but was happy to return home to Grenay yesterday. I don't think I have ever eaten that much in the space of one weekend. So today I went to Lyon and booked in for a language course that begins tomorrow. It is a basics course for 3 months to prepare me for my Universitie course that begins in January. Au Revoir. David.  

David in the South of France.

Hi Sybil,

well i thought ishould send u a quick email now that i have settled in. The family are all fantastic, and so nice. I didn't expect them to all speak english so well, but it is not a problem at all. I have been here 3 weeks now and feel like i have been here for ages. The first week or so was really hard, i missed home more than i could have imagined, but now i think it is all looking up. I know my way around which is great. It is so easy, and the public transport is great. I had a phone call today from an au-pair in Denmark, she said she had a list of other au-pairs in denmark. So Simone from the office in Copenhagen is going to chase this up for me. Thanks for all your help. I have a great family and have you to thanks for that.

Lauren in Denmark.