At the playground
I met an interesting girl at the playground today. 18 years old from Nigeria, working here in Iceland as an au pair. I told her I used to be an au pair too.
She was very friendly, and we chatted while the kids played. She was 11 months into a 12 month contract, and was leaving next month. She didn't want to go, but she didn't have much choice as her visa was expiring.
She had come here with plans of earning some money in the strong Icelandic Krona. It was terrible timing though, because the economic crash hit shortly after she arrived. She now had little to show for her time here.
She told me about her family. Her mother was one of her father's 4 wives. If I remember correctly, she said that she had 16 half-siblings. Her father was relatively well-off, but his resources were very thinly spread. Her mother had left him and moved to the countryside.
I asked her what she wanted to do when she went back to Nigeria. She wasn't sure. There weren't many opportunities for her there. She wanted to go to the UK as she had several sisters there. Unfortunately, her visa application was denied.
Her boss had also talked about finding her a husband here so that she could stay in Iceland. Not surprisingly, she wasn't prepared to do that.
I asked her how much she was working, and she said that she was always working. I told her she shouldn't have to work that much and that she was entitled to days off, but she insisted that she didn't mind.
We had to go because it was Mía's nap time. We exchanged numbers. I'm not sure whether I'll see her again, but I hope things work out for her.
Hofsvík
In: Family, Photos