SIDMAN — At just 23 years old, Ashley Beaver may have already experienced the best year of her life.
“I was scared to travel by myself, but I knew if I didn’t go and do this now I’d never again be able to do it,” she said. “It really was the best thing I’ve ever done, both physically and mentally.”
What Beaver did was spend most of 2009 working as an au pair for two families in Sydney, Australia. Following that, she went backpacking almost entirely by herself through New Zealand and Thailand.
“It was challenging, but I’ve crossed some things off my bucket list,” she said with a laugh.
Beaver said she has wanted to live in a foreign country for an extended period of time since she was 16 years old. Her desire to make that dream a reality was made stronger when as a sophomore at Westminster College she had the opportunity to study at Oxford University in England.
After graduating from college with a public relations degree, she contemplated whether to look for a job or take some time to travel.
“I did a lot of research on Australia and decided that the best way to see the country is to live with the people and experience their culture,” Beaver said. “I knew it would be a great learning experience so I had to do it.”
She found an au pair agency online that matches families with potential nannies and started making connections.
“I got to know the families and talked with them beforehand by e-mail and even spoke to one family by Skype,” Beaver said.
So after spending nearly 24 hours on a plane, she arrived in the Land Down Under in January and got to work.
She was employed by the first family for three months and took care of a 3-year-old boy.
The second family had three children, ages 2, 4 and 5, and Beaver stayed with them for five months.
“I got paid weekly – it was whatever the families wanted to give me,” she said. “I also worked on the weekends at a hardware store.”
Her hours varied with the children, depending on the needs of the parents.
“I did everything from walking the kids to school, setting up activities for them and taking them to the park,” Beaver said. “The families were great and so welcoming and warm.
“They treated me like another daughter,” she said.
She admitted the first three months in Sydney were tough because she was away from family and friends and a tad homesick.
“I was upset and I cried, but I never thought about going home,” Beaver said. “I had originally planned to go for six months but I’m so glad I decided to stay a year, and now I wish I could have stayed another year.”
As for her time in New Zealand and Thailand, Beaver called that experience the hardest thing she has ever done.
“In Thailand, I was on a group tour and we experienced how the village people live – it was off the beaten track,” she said. “It was challenging and I spent a lot of time by myself, but it’s made me so independent, and I’ve grown up a lot.”
She also pushed herself by going bungee jumping, skydiving and scuba diving and even swam with sharks.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything better, and I have no regrets,” Beaver said matter-of-factly. “I saved for years to pay for this trip, and I spent every dime, but it was so worth it because I was active for a whole year and really got to experience life.”
Beaver added that at some point she’d like to become fluent in Spanish and live in a Spanish-speaking country and teach English to children.
“I don’t know, but 2010 has a lot to live up to,” she said.
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Related Photos
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Ashley Beaver, 23, of Sidman, talks about her travels last year, during which she spent time working as an au pair and in a hardware store in Sydney, Australia. Todd Berkey
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During her trip, Beaver backpacked through New Zealand and Thailand. Todd Berkey
Discussion
Live and learn: Woman combines work, travel for cultural experience
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