There were a few times that Lisa was taken in the Cabrio with the host parents, while the kids were with their grandmother. This was a great treat for Lisa. Ever since she had been a young girl, she had a dream of getting to drive in a Cabrio. She had seen them on television and thought about how nice it would be. She would see a commercial or a television show with this particular convertible car. There was always a young woman in the car, riving with the roof down. Her hair would be blowing in the wind and it looked so beautiful. The first time Lisa got to take a ride in the Cabrio, she put on a nice blouse and wore her hair down. She wanted to feel like the girls on television. Instead, she found herself tangled in her own hair. It ruined the experience for her. She realized the idea wasn't as romantic as it seemed on the television.
It was more common that Lisa was left behind on family trips. The host parents would often go to the cinema or restaurant meals and leave Lisa sitting at home. On those occasions, they would leave all the children in Lisa's care. She would be responsible for the four children, including cooking and feeding for them and getting them in bed. Sometimes, the host parents took a few of the children out with them. Then, Lisa was left with less work to do. One of the times that half the family went to the movies, Lisa made dinner for the remaining children. She only had three dollars, but she decided to buy the ingredients to make pizza.
Lisa was grateful for being so busy all the time. It meant she didn't have the chance to think about how truly unhappy she was. Instead, she spent almost every moment of her days looking after these children.
14
Once the children learned that Lisa was given money as an au pair, they made a point to bring it up. They thought she made a lot of money. Even though she only made the two hundred and sixty dollars that was in her contractual agreement. The children had no concept of money though. They had money thrown at them and they spent money wherever they wanted to. They asked for things all the time and their parents always gave them what they asked for.
One day, the six-year-old girl, Nataly, approached her. She said with an opinionated tone of voice. “I know all about you.”
Lisa was taken back by her tone, but it got worse when she continued with her statement. “You're just playing with us for the money.”
Lisa didn't know how to react. She didn't make enough money for that to be the reason she was there.
“You're so greedy, and you're a gold digger,” Nataly finished, pouting She looked at Lisa with a reproachful look.
Lisa was shocked and stunned. How could Nataly think she was a gold digger? She was living in a basement with no privacy. She only had food remnants to eat. She wasn't given any privileges. She only made two hundred and sixty dollars a month. It wasn't enough for anything. Yes, she was saving up her money. But, she wasn't going to get rich from two hundred and sixty dollars a month. She thought about explaining the concept of money to Nataly. But, Nataly wouldn't listen anyway.
That evening, it was raining hard outside. Lisa ate her last slice of leftover cornbread. Then she set down to look over her finances. She worked for her host family six to nine, seven days a week. Lisa got paid two hundred and sixty dollars once a month. She had to pay for her groceries, her clothes, and her tickets. Her shoes were so thin, they looked like they were starving to death. A new pair cost ten dollars though, which means she had to save some money. Thanks to the apple tree in the garden, otherwise Lisa would not have eaten any fruit.
The conversation with Nataly resonated in Lisa's head over the next few weeks. The host family acted like the two hundred and sixty dollars they gave her every month was a large amount of money. They asked her all the time what she used her “wealth” for.
“Are you sending the money to your parents back home?” they would ask.
She would say no, explaining that she was saving her money. “Why are you saving your money? Are you planning to build a house back in your village?” they would ask after. She didn't know how to answer these questions. It was as though they believed the two hundred and sixty dollars was worth much more to her. It wasn't. She was trying to save every dollar she made, but she had to pay for her living expenses most of the time. The host family was often rude about paying her at all.
“Why didn't you cook anything today? We pay your salary,” Clara said. She also said once that if Lisa wanted to see the town, she could pay one hundred dollars for a bus ticket. She added that the remaining hundred dollars Lisa would have would be enough money to do all sorts with.
Lisa had originally been promised that her expenses would be covered for the most part. She was promised a monthly pass for travelling in and out of the town. Instead, she was given a bicycle for use while she was an au pair. The payment of the language courses Lisa had to take were also supposed to be paid for in advance. Instead, Lisa had to pay for the courses herself. Then, she had the daily necessities and personal care products she had to pay for. She even had to buy new clothes because she hadn't travelled with enough clothing to last an entire year. She had been promised all of these expenses would be paid for before she agreed to become an au pair for this family.
There were some costs to living that were paid for by her host family. She didn't have to pay for electricity or water. She didn't have to pay for the use of sanitation. She had shelter, although it was a dirty room in a basement. She also had access to the internet, although her access was restricted to use at certain times. It wasn't as though the arrangement was unsafe. But it was unfair.
She worked for a minimum for thirty hours each week. She only made two hundred and sixty dollars a month. The amount never changed, even if she worked more in some months than others. Her wage worked out to be two dollars an hour. Lisa would later find out that the average babysitter would cost the host family between five and fifteen dollars an hour. For the amount of time Lisa looked after the children, she should be earning at least six hundred dollars a month. She realized the two hundred and sixty dollars she made each month was hardly a tremendous wealth, the way her host parents made her feel.
15
The old computer in the basement that Lisa was allowed to use, was the only place she found some comfort in. After long working hours with naughty kids, Lisa was tired and liked to escape to this abandoned room surrounded by old, unnecessary stuff. It was the only quiet place in the house. She liked writing emails to her family and all her girlfriends in complete silence. As Lisa didn't want to worry anyone, she kept the details of her misery to herself. She lied to everyone that everything was good.
The truth was that Lisa was stuck in her binding contract. She was trapped in this mansion with this powerful family. They hooked her like a fish in the ocean, lying to her that she would become their “family member. “ Soon after she, a naive young girl, signed a binding 1-year contract with her agency, the reality turned out to be not what she ever expected to be.
There was no way out. Lisa could not even contact a lawyer, because his consulting hour equalled her monthly salary. What chances did she, a poor girl, a foreigner without any connections, had against this rich and powerful family? She had to pay a high fine if she broke the contract with her agency. She did not understand many things, because she did not speak the language fluently. She did not save enough money for her return ticket yet. She felt poor, powerless and trapped, as a little weak zebra surrounded by powerful lions.
Lisa still had the hope that everything would settle. Her only dream was seeing the Eiffel Tower, sparkling in the night sky. She was fascinated by the charming pictures of it.