Training School 101

---

The training school is located in Tarrytown, NYC and it was one of the best weeks of my life and I met an incredible bunch of girls who I’ll be friends with for life.

---

I was at the training school for a week and it consisted of intense classes giving us tons of information on children and how to be a great au pair. I shared a dorm room with two other girls and I made friends with a group of girls who were in my class. You find yourself getting to know the people in your class quickly and you all bond. It’s nice being surrounded by people who are all in the same boat as you, especially as the first few days you miss home a lot and your trying to adjust yourself. it's nice having people who understand exactly what your going through and to have them there to go through it with you.

---

Classes

The schedule at the training school is pretty intense and you don’t get much time to explore and socialise but we did our best to make do with what we were given. I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner with the same girls each day and it felt very strange after 5 days leaving them to go our separate ways. After breakfast it was classes until lunch and then more classes until dinner. Within the classes we learned a lot, we got told the general information about being an au pair, we got told what to possibly expect from the parents and children. We did various group exercises which helped us all get to know each other, we planned exercises and activities that we thought our children might find enjoyable.

We learned about the American lifestyle and what it would be like living here in the U.S. We learned health and safety tips on when it comes to children and what to do and what not to do when your child is sick or if there is a 911 emergency. We also did an intense day of first aid and CPR training which was incredibly useful (obviously) . We had a great group of teachers and I'm so grateful to have gone through that experience with the people that I did.

We did so many amazing ice breakers and group activities which allowed us all to get to know each other and helped us to bond. I found a new sense of confidence that I didn't realise I had in me and that's thanks to the training school. I had already changed and become a better person after being there a day or two, I found I was becoming happier, more sociable and genuinely content with myself and life. I knew after being at the training school that I was going to be able to embark on this journey as an au pair, I knew that I had it in me, that I had what it takes to succeed. Maybe I doubted that I had it before but after a few days here, I truly found myself and who I wanted to become, I believed I could do this and I'm proving myself right with every day that goes by.

---

New York City

Like I said in my previous post, I didn't get to see no where near as much of New York as I had hoped but even being able to say I have been there is a dream come true. I won't ever forget the feeling I felt when I stepped off the train at Grand Central station. It took my breath away not only the beauty of it but when you have something, something that you have dreamt about for so long for it to actually to come true, its an indescribable feeling.

Exploring New York was so much fun, the bright lights and the tall buildings are truly a sight to see. I was speechless the entire time because it was a place I always dreamed of seeing and being able to see it in person was incredible. I remember my Mum telling me once after she had visited "It's exactly like the movies Abbs". I remember thinking surely it can't be, I had visited America before and it's truly breathtaking but I didn't believe it would be exactly like the movies. Boy was I wrong, it really was like the movies and I think thats the best way I could describe it to someone who hasn't been there before.

The rush I felt walking to Times Square was again indescribable, watching the lives people live in a city that's so big and bright was breathtaking. We didn't even get to visit that much but just being there was enough, just people watching and walking the streets was enough. I was so sad to leave as like I said I didn't get to see no where near as much as I had hoped. I will go back and see everything else I wanna see and it's still a dream to have stepped foot in the city that never sleeps.

---

A few of my favourites ❤️

---