Je suis nourrice

In our favorite online dictionary, babysitter is translated as nourrice, but also, perhaps more simply, as babysitter. Just one of the many French words that are not too difficult to understand.

Ever since our third day here, I have gone nearly every day to the apartment of a Parisian family to babysit. For the sake of privacy, I will only tell you that the boys I am babysitting are 9 and 11 and attend a bilingual French/English school. W., the 9-year old, is energetic and loves AC-DC. The 11-year old, P., is polite and curious and enjoys swimming and reading.

You may be wondering why, of all things, I chose to babysit while we are in Paris. At first, it just seemed like something fun to do, and relatively easy to obtain a position. But, in fact, I'm learning that there are many benefits to babysitting while in Paris. For one thing, it is already improving my ability to understand spoken French. Although I generally speak English and the boys respond to me in English, they often speak to each other and to their parents/grandparents in French. I think that it is certainly in my best interest to know what they are saying to each other - boys will be boys, as they say - so I will continue to listen carefully and attempt to decipher what they say even as I continue to push them to speak as much English as possible when we are together.

Secondly, what better way to explore the city than with two curious and energized children in tow? I'm told that on Saturdays we will have more time to go to the "garden" to play "football," and that I can take them to museums and other attractions as time allows. (Don't forget, I get paid for this!).

Over the course of these next 9 months, I hope to report on some of my adventures in babysitting... stay tuned!