#caiparinha

She wanted to go to Oberkampf, so we took the metro there. Unfortunately, she was disappointed when she discovered that there were no pubs. We love pubs. She always orders a Monaco (beer with grenadine) and I order some cidre. Then we'll watch a match or eat frites or something.

To cheer her up from her publess despair, I took her to my favorite bar. Every time I go here, I'm always picked up by some French guy. Who always takes me to Café Charbon. It's fucking weird- is there like some guide to picking up foreign girls in Oberkampf that strongly suggests taking them there? But I like this bar because they sell glasses of wine for €3 and they make caipirinhas for €7, which is un petit peu cher but after you've had two of the €3 glasses of wine you don't really care anymore.

I had two glasses of rosé and a caipirinha. L had two glasses of wine. We both got drunk, and ended up talking about our exes for a while. It was fantastic. She also kept encouraging me to find a new host family, like she's been doing for the past two months. At first it was because the 4 year old was so horrible and now it's because I'm pretty sure they're looking for someone to replace me.

She's leaving Paris in December and going to university in the Netherlands. Well, either that or working in Argentina. I love having international friends. But I'll hate to see her go... it's been hard to make good friends here. I've met so many people, but it's hard to keep in touch besides with facebook. There's one girl who I thought would become a good friend, especially after I was the only person out of 10 different au pairs who stayed out till 6 AM with her at her birthday party, but now whenever I suggest that we hang out she blows me off. Unless she wants something. Which is a bit hurtful, though I know I shouldn't have anything to do with people like that.

We left the bar at 11:30 without being picked up by anyone and took the metro than the train back. I have resolved to stop taking escalators in Paris unless my feet are especially killing me or I can't find stairs. I climbed all the way up from the lowest metro level to the second story of the train station. Props to me (though I doubt I worked off the Milka bar I ate today...)

Today was good, anyways. No fits from the 4 year old. Ever since I was informed by my host family that it seems like I don't like children, I've been trying to like her more. I realized that I didn't like her at all, because she was such a brat. But now that I'm being nicer and less indifferent to her, she's treating me the same way (unless her parents are home, then she hates me. Thanks a lot for that.) Today was so easy. She was nice to me and affectionate with me and listened when I told her that she had to stop playing on the computer/take a bath/come home from her friend's house/get dressed. Normally, those things are rather big conflict-causers.

But I'm still searching for another job. I don't feel secure working here after my talk with the parents the other night, especially now that I know they've been looking at other au pairs. And I really don't like living at my work. I struggle at separating my down time from my work time, and I don't want to be a "member of another family". I want to be an employee. Albeit, one who is treated respectfully. I would prefer to have set working hours and my own private space where I don't have to worry about children taking my things or barging in on me when I'm changing or sleeping.