Le babysitting

Another way I spent my time was as a nanny. After a few weeks of living in Paris, I decided to fight the waning value of my US dollar by exploiting my valuable EMT status ("English mother tongue"). Through a friend, I found a weekly employment as the babysitter for Lina, an eight year old living with her mother in the 16th arrondisement. Specifically, they live at the Metro Trocadero (très chic) on the second floor of a Hausseman apartment with a little dog, a piano and a nearly empty refrigerator with only Nutella, liqueur and yogurt inside. Elles sont très parisienne. I looked after Lina on Wednesdays from noon until her mom returned home around six. Each week we went to McDo's (despite my better judgment) for lunch on our way to theater class, then came home and usually walked the dog, did homework, and played lots of games while speaking English. Attending a bilingual school, Lina speaks very good English, and will probably soon surpass me in secondary language skills. However, she did tire from time to time, at which point we would either speak in French or gibberish for a while.
One of Lina's preferred activities when it was nice out was to visit the park next to the Trocadero. It is a lovely park in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and she sometimes played on the playground or climbed the trees, but we spent most of the time by a small pond where we could always find several large rats to chase. Bleh. Maybe it's because wildlife is so sparse in her neighborhood, but she really loved those rats."Look, Rebecca! A rat. He is very...grand!"
I have several memories of great adventures with Lina, like locking ourselves and the dog, Bobi, in their kitchen and chasing her through the Trocadero fountains. Before this job, I hadn't babysat in a few years and I was reminded how different friendships with kids are from adults. Like when playing a game of Chat Colour (Color tag) she would often bend and side-step the rules. I was inclined to be irritated and take offense, only to realize that she had no deceitful intentions whatsoever. She knows how to cheat, yes, but the deceitfulness of the world hasn't rubbed on to her yet. I think it was also refreshing, after walking around in a city where everyone wears sultry or emotionless masks all day, to just play and act weird.
My experiences as a nanny and some of the family/mother drama it entailed often reminded me of the book The Nanny Diaries. I sometimes feel like I, too, could fill a book with accounts from the inside of a wealthy, cosmopolitan family with high standards for everyone who walks in the front door. As a result, it was very bittersweet to leave their family. I sincerely hope that Lina has only wonderful, loving nannies in the future, however numerous they may be. 

Lina in a rare moment of voluntary piano practice.

Scaling the hallway.

Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. Luke 18:17