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New life at 5! (for 6 weeks)

I hesitated to give you a sensational title. In "but what? She is pregnant ". I didn't take it. I added the parentheses. I think you have understood that no, definitely no small 3rd in the project. AT ALL.

On the other hand, we adopt. AH AH AH

More seriously. I had spoken about it quickly on Facebook (this is why you also have to follow me there), we are welcoming from this evening a 19-year-old girl who has just arrived from… Guatemala! At the time I write these lines (well, I type them on my keyboard), it is also in flight. This thought is already making me dream.

So, no, she won't be an au pair for us. However, we will be his foster family for 6 weeks. Time for her to… discover Paris during her holidays! This young student will therefore share our home during her stay. Housed, fed, bleached, I think that is the usual expression. In return, she will give us English and Spanish lessons. Suffice to say that the children are delighted, especially since for my 5th, the beginning in Spanish is not the most sensational. That could change very quickly!

I see you in the background. But why this welcome? Why ? And how?

It all started with a search on my part before the summer... I was looking for "language stay" plans for children, you know me, it's my hobby. I stumbled upon an association offering departures with a host family (but for teenagers older than ours):I made contact all the same. Our goal was quite simple:we would love to travel more. Obviously. Like everyone. This is not possible, even if we put a large part of our annual budget in our family vacations. So why not "travel" a bit without moving from home by hosting a foreigner for a few weeks. Materially it is impossible for us to welcome any longer. But in the short term yes! This is how I found myself saying yes to the association to welcome this young girl from Guatemala for 6 weeks. Her cover letter made it clear that she is an adorable person, aware of her luck, eager to discover our city and our European culture, to share our family life.

All that remained was to explain to the children and ask them if they also agreed to make room for our guest. Hop family council (yes, we love doing family councils here). It was voted unanimously that it was welcome and that yes it would be weird and even sometimes a little complicated to make room, but that definitely it will be fun, exciting, EXTRAordinary.

For my part, as much to say that as I was already very overwhelmed, things are not going to improve AH AH AH, but on the other hand, I am really delighted to change my daily life, to break my routine - a tad depressing, I'm not hiding it from you (hashtag seasonal depression) during these 6 weeks.

Well, we'll talk about it when he leaves?

Concretely, it is the Little Big who leaves his room. We put everything away, emptied some of her cupboards, moved it all to her sister's room, who also made room. He will sleep on a camp bed, but the cosiest in the world, with an inflatable mattress and a mattress topper specially made by our great aunt for the occasion, under his sister's mezzanine. This portends beautiful disputes in the siblings, I expect it. But I am fundamentally convinced that it is once again a very good experience. They are not in prison! They just have to learn to share, to live together. Like VERY VERY many families. It will do them a lot of good and they will appreciate their comfort and luck even more afterwards.

Come on, we believe it. I can't wait for her to come tonight!