Allison's Wonderland

This is a long one, so bear with me.  I wasn't going to write this post.  But I just had to.  If anything, it's  for me to look back upon and be thankful for the circumstance that I'm in.  Bottom line is this...I like England, but I extremely dislike the family that I work for.  London is amazing, the people I've met are amazing, but I have gotten in a family that treats me like a maid and not a human being.  Let's start from the beginning.

I won't actually go back to the very beginning, because that would put me back in May, but I will go back to the point where things just started to get really hot and the pot started to boil.  Tuesday night is what set it off.  My host parents went off to London for their wedding anniversary and since it's the girl's summer break I allowed them to stay up to watch a movie.  They were having a sleepover with a neighbor friend and normally 11:45 for a sleep over for a 12 and 10 year old isn't that awful.  Well, when the parents came home the girls were just getting into their beds and boy did I hear about it.  The eldest and her Mom were pretty much screaming at each other on the landing and I'm just standing there in the doorway of my room watching it all unfold.  I don't deal well with confrontation anyway, so I just wanted to shut the door and bury my head in my pillow.  It wasn't till the screaming match turned and focused on me that I really wanted to run and hide.  "ALLISON WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT IS OKAY FOR THEM TO STAY UP TO MIDNIGHT!?!?!"  Yikes!  I stood there in the door and stammered out an, "I don't know" that was reciprocated with an eye roll and my host Mom stomping down the stairs.  I slowly closed my door while my host Dad retreated into his room, the eldest went to her room and the Storm went downstairs to the kitchen.  The next morning I did not want to get up and face them.  I sometimes just hide myself in my room as long as possible, but I can't stay in there forever.  So I groveled.  I really could understand the frustration, but I didn't think I did anything too wrong to get screamed at.  I don't think I've ever been talked to that way ever, so that's why I was so taken aback.  I apologized to my host Dad profusely the next morning and didn't see my host Mom that morning because I was off to London and she was sleeping in.

This bring us to Wednesday, the following day, where the pot started to boil a little hotter.   I had asked Wendy if it would be alright for me to go into London early as a friend and I were seeing Swan Lake that night.  London is 1/2 an hour train ride and it's 10 pound 50 in, so I wanted to make the most of my money since I earn so little here.  She said yes that was fine, so I was ready to go and get away, especially after the events of the previous night.  We had an amazing time in London.  Went to St. Paul's Cathedral, saw the Olympic Torch Relay, went into Hyde Park and then ended the night with Swan Lake in Piccadilly.  While eating dinner I receive a text from my host Mom at like 6:30 asking me when I was to be home.  I simply reminded her that I was in London for the evening and wouldn't be back till the show was over.  I got really nervous about it, because I had cleared it all first with her but figured she had changed her mind and it wasn't okay.  I started to get that feeling where your stomach goes up into your throat.  One thing you'll have to know about me is I'm a people pleaser through ad through and don't like when others are upset with me.  I enjoyed Swan Lake, but the whole night I was thinking that my host family was pissed at me for who knows what?

We ended up getting back earlier than expected which was around 10:45 and I walked quietly into the house so as to not wake up anybody who might have been sleeping.  This is when I overheard my host parents talking about me.  Talk about awkward.  Maybe I should've made my presence known a little better, but I wanted to hear what they thought of me.  The family was going away to Egypt for 10 days starting from July 30th thru August 8th.  I was to be the guardian of the dogs and watch the house.  This was the basic conversation - Host Mom:  "I'm so worried about the dogs.  She's going to up and leave for hours at a time and leave them here by themselves.  They won't be able to tell me if anything is wrong either, because they're dogs and can't talk."  Host Dad:  "She's just going to think it is a vacation isn't she?  We leave and she'll just do nothing.  That's what she's going to do."  That's when I piped in and said, "I'm right here."  Maybe that was wrong of me to say, but I was pissed.  I understand they need to discuss things with one another, but I had just been fed up with them anyway with the text messages and not listening to the fact that I wasn't going to be there that day.  Whenever I do something out of the ordinary I would always clear it first with my host Mom.  I would never just go off.  It was so awkward in the house and then I got this fake, "Oh Hi Allison, how was your night?" I didn't even want to reply.  I just wanted to go to my room and forget I heard anything.  But I responded.  And that's when my host Dad said, "Well, your host mom is just worried about the dogs.  She treats them like children."  I tried to reassure them that everything would be fine with the dogs.  Seriously what was she worried about?  The fact that I might try and kill them?  I just didn't understand why there was a big deal being made out of nothing. 

After that night things were just weird and awkward more than normal.  I always try to give them their space and let them just do their own thing because I want to do mine, but the tension was just bad.  Before they left for Egypt I got strict orders about the dogs.  I couldn't leave them for more than 4 hours.  Milo had to be fed three times a day, Poppy had to be fed two.  I had to walk them once in the morning, once in the evening.  Then I got a list of about 20 things to do at the house which consisted of anything from vacuuming to washing windows, to getting rid of all the cob webs and washing the floor boards.  I didn't know what kind of vacation my host Dad was thinking of when I overheard him that night, but this was not my idea of a vacation. 

Milo the Crazy One

So, Monday morning they left early in the morning.  I spent the whole day with the dogs, didn't even leave the house.  Just left of course to take them for a walk, but other than that it was me and doggy time.  Which was fine.  No complaints, but Tuesday rolled around and it was the same thing.  I was starting to get cabin fever.  A guy I had met the Friday before asked me out for a drink Tuesday night so I had said yes.  I NEEDED to get out of the house.  I had been gone for maybe two hours having a really great time, when I look down at my phone and see two missed phone calls from my host Dad.  Then I get a text message asking me where I am and if I can give him a call when I get home.  Well I didn't have any credit on my phone to call back, so I waited for them to call me.  That's when the phone rang again for the third time and it was Wendy in a panic.  "Where are you?", she asked.  I told her that I was at the pub and had been gone for only about two hours.  I asked her if there was a problem.  "The neighbors called and said the dogs have been barking all evening.  How long have you been gone?  We tried reaching you at 1:00, and 3:00 at

Poppy My Love

home and no answer."  I replied with, "Wendy I've been at home all day.  The only time I left was to take the dogs for a walk, so maybe that's when you called.  I'll be home within the next hour so you can tell the neighbors there's nothing to worry about."  I went back inside to the pub, finished a wonderful night with David and than got home around 9:30 and the dogs were . . . drum roll please . . . absolutely fine.  I also double checked the caller ID just to make sure I did not miss a phone call from them and there was also nothing.  I was beginning to feel like I was being lied to. 

The next morning, Wednesday, the door bell rings at 9:00.  I mean for you folks reading at home, 9 is probably sleeping in, but while the family was away I had been sleeping in to like 10, 10:30.  I threw some clothes on and headed down to the door where the dogs were barking away.  They always do that when people come to the door.  Once I got there, a woman was walking away from the door.  So I was like, okay whatever.  Went back to my bed and the dogs followed suit.  9:30 rolls around and the doorbell rings again.  This time I'm seriously pissed.  I go downstairs to find that same woman standing there.  I have never seen her before and asked her if I could help her.  This was the dialogue that transpired -

"Is everything okay?" she asked. "I heard the dogs barking and wanted to come check."

"Yes, everything is fine here.  The dogs just started barking when you came to the door, but we're all fine.  May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Anne from next door.  I heard the dogs barking all night last night and we had to even call the police."

"You what?  Called the police cause the dogs were barking?  The dogs bark all the time.  How long have you guys lived next to my host family?"

"Well, they were barking more than usual so we had to.  They came by to make sure everything was okay.  Where were you last night and how long did you stay out?  Did you take the dogs out this morning?  It's getting late and I didn't see them come out in the garden."

Just Happy as a Clam - the Dogs are FINE

This woman was all up in my business and I was not happy.  First she woke me up, secondly she interrogated me, and thirdly she called the police cause DOGS WERE BARKING!?!?!  I tried to put on my politest fake English face like everyone seems to do around here and assured her that everything was fine, I took the dogs out in the garden at 7:30 this morning when they woke me up and the world would keep turning even though dogs were barking.  There was some awkward silences but she finally started to walk away.  Seriously I was mad.

The Windows - All Separate Panes

This was only the beginning of my week to myself at the house.  I honestly was looking forward to having the house to myself.  I thought I would be able to get some stuff done on my computer, find a job for later, and maybe get some reading done.  Didn't happen.  I spent most of my time cleaning up after the dogs, and I slowly but surely made my way through the long list of honey do chores.  I vacuumed, cleaned, mopped, ironed, washed, scraped, dusted, you name it.  I did it.  Not a great vacation.  I spent 4 1/2 hours cleaning windows.  I have never cleaned outside windows before, so I called Bill to ask what they use and how it was done.  I didn't get any reply the first day so I texted the

My CobWeb Swiper

second day to find out how they wanted it done.  He texted back and told me to just use water and a rag.  So I did.  The windows were smeary, but I didn't have anything really good to use so I did them the best I could with the supplies I had to work with.   Remember as well I get 70 pounds a week.  Maybe it's a you get what you pay for kind of thing, even though I pretty much busted my butt to make sure the house was looking good when they got home.  I didn't go to a friends house that night who had a surprise cake for me because Sunday had been my birthday, because I didn't want them to come home and find me not there.  They would've thought I abandoned the poor dogs or something like that. Speaking of my birthday on Sunday, I made sure I was only gone 4 hours so the neighbors wouldn't "call the police" again.  I seriously thought that had to be a lie as well.  David took me into London and we did some sightseeing in a whirl wind.  It was fun, but I was paranoid about the silly dogs. 

Baseboards through the whole house I dusted

This is when the pot boiled over and went all over the stove.  They got home at about midnight on Wednesday night.  I woke up and was looking forward to seeing how their holiday was, etc.  I found my host Mom at the fridge and we had a small chit chat.  I could feel the tension in the air though and suddenly was like oh crap what did I do?  There is something wrong.  I think they must be mad at me.  Which was true.  After about a two minute awkward conversation my host Mom was like, "Allison did you clean at all while we were gone?"  I just thought, "Oh great here we go."  "because it doesn't look like you did.  Did you think cleaning the fridge was just cleaning out the food or did you actually clean it?  The windows are streaky and smeary, the glass in the bathroom looks awful.  Seriously we have come back from vacation 10 or 11 times with Au

My Hoover used on the daily

Pairs and this is the worst we have ever seen the house.  It just looks like you didn't do anything at all.  I will tell you Allison that you are the worst cleaner we have ever had.  I don't know if our idea of clean is different than yours, but you are just not good at cleaning."  My jaw was on the floor.  Not a thank you, not a how was your week, not an anything.  Just a critical very rude examination of all the work I had done throughout the week.  All my HARD work.  I was so mad.  I explained to her everything that I had done and how I had done it.  I told her about the windows and the hard time that I had with them, but she wasn't having any of it.  She told me that my host Dad would go through everything with me.  Then my host Mom said all she really cared about was the fact that the dogs were happy and fed.  Yeah I don't believe that for two seconds.  I was seriously so annoyed.  All that hard work for absolutely nothing. 

"Glass" Shower Curtain

I went up to my room and cried.  Not to sound like the damsel in distress here, but it was the only thing I could do.  I should've just not done anything at all.  Sat on my butt and just did absolutely nothing because that was the exact treatment I got.  Now unfortunately for me I'm a total people pleaser. I wanted to make things right.  I really did, so I went into the shower and started scrubbing crusty lime stuff off the shower "glass".  I say glass in quotes because it's not glass at all it's plastic, but they believe in their delusion that it's glass.  That was the boiling point for me.  I just wanted to go home, I felt like a failure and what am I doing all this hard work for?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  Not one freakin thank you!

I then began to think myself...My host Mom watches one dog for 25 pounds a day.  If the dog spends the night that's another 35 pounds.  I was watching two dogs for 10 days.  Do you know how much a dog walker would've charged for walking the dogs for an entire week and staying with them?  Definitely not 70 pounds.  I worked it out and the amount of money I should've earned in regards to JUST the dogs would have been 700 pounds by my host Mom's accounting.  A kennel would've also been WAAAY more than that.  I really kind of started to feel used. Not only did I walk, feed, play, and sleep with the dogs, I was cleaning the house. 

One night I had 4 other of the Au Pairs over and they took a look at the list I had to go through and were like seriously?  "When my host family leaves I don't have to do anything and they pay me anyway."   Nice.  What family did I get myself into?  One that hates me and thinks I'm absolute rubbish.  Maybe I am.  Whatever.

Baseboards Upstairs

The icing on the cake to me was this.  The day after they got back, I reminded my host Mom that I had tickets to Harry Potter Studios for my birthday.  She was like, "Oh it was your birthday?  Well Happy late birthday."  Thanks.  I could really feel the genuineness behind that one.  Anyway, my host Mom purchases absolutely everything from Charity shops.  Gerrards Cross is one of the smallest little towns I've seen, but there are 3 charity shops.  It's crazy.  They're like classier Goodwill's.  I once started to think that my Host mom was bipolar just because of her crazy mood swings, yelling sprees, and her compulsive buying habits.  Friday morning after I got yelled at for my terrible cleaning skills, I was ironing all their vacation washing which took me about 1hr 1/2.  I hear my host Mom whisper something to the girls who then presented me with a birthday card and a gift.  I honestly wasn't

Cleaned in between each post

looking for them to even acknowledge my birthday.  It really wasn't necessary.  I turned 25, big whoop.  Whatever.  But once I opened my gift, I had to stifle a laugh.  First of all, the card was a card I had seen in the cupboard after putting a bunch of stuff away.  Secondly it was wrapped in Christmas paper turned inside out.  Thirdly, once I opened the gift I was presented with a used leather purse that was definitely a recent charity shop purchase.   It looked like something my grandmother would carry.  No offense Grammy.  I didn't know how to react because I'm the kind of person that wears my feelings on my sleeve.  You can know what I'm feeling just from my face.  It's a curse.  What can I say?  I smiled and said thank you for the gift.  It was really nice of them to do that, but still it was just funny.

After I finished up all my ironing I went into the kitchen and found all the wrapping paper all over the table.  Yep, I had to put away all the stuff that was use to wrap my birthday gift.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me!!  After that I went up stairs, shut my door and laughed to myself.  Only 21 days left!  Who's counting with me?