Tonight we said goodbye to a very special, unique and unforgettable friend we made a year ago. Julian is from Germany and has been living in the U.S. as an au pair, pronounced [oh pair]. He moved to the Memphis area last year to take care of 4 children whose parents are doctors, divorced, remarried and work long hours. The official definition of an au pair is a person, usually a young foreign visitor, employed to take care of children, do housework, etc. in exchange for room and board. These young people are matched with a family they believe to be suitable, they are able to learn American language and culture. They are able to explore, study, travel and make new friends. The minimum time is 12 months then they can extend their time if it's something the family asks them to do and both are willing.
We met Julian when he brought Emily to Lily's 9th birthday party. Since then, we spend many summer days with him and the twins, Ben and Emily. We have swam, had dinners, birthdays, and many hours of long talks sitting by the pool with the Tucker family. He has been such a blessing, showing us that Americans can be really too uptight!! It is refreshing to listen to him talk! His accent is definitely fun, he has taught us about the European culture, and we have helped him learn many words! Since Pyro is extremely fluent in German, they got along quiet well.
He has ended his commitment to his host family and will fly back to Germany in a couple of days. We will see him again for sure! We will miss him!
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| Lauren, Rachel, Julian, Me |
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