The moments that change your life

High School graduation was soon on the horizon and I knew I wanted a change. I had seen a pink poster in the hallway of our school saying something along the lines of “work in the USA as an au pair.” At fist I was not too sure even what an au pair really did but somehow I could not get the pink poster out of my head. At 3:20 p.m. when school was out, I wrote down the number from the poster and once home I called.

That phone call changed my life. I went from being curious to certain that I WANTED and HAD to be an au pair!

I started my application that night and worked really hard on collecting pictures from my daily life. I knew every picture, every finished section, would be one step closer to finding my future family.

The feeling of sending in my application was better than Christmas itself: the exciting feeling that soon my email would show “one unread message” and that message would be from a family matched with me!

 The day finally came and I remember my first interview. The woman’s voice on the other line was calm, nice and warm. She told me about her family, about their life and I could just feel that this match was meant for me!

Six weeks later and I was on the plane going to the USA for the very first time. The butterflies in my stomach kept me awake most of the flight and all I could think of was “I’m glad I made that call.”

-Amanda

Never judge a book by its cover so set aside expectations about your future host family!

Host families are as unique and different as we au pairs are. When I applied to be an au pair many moons ago, I had decided I would live with a typical American family. In my mind such a family consisted of two parents, 2-3 children, a dog and a pool. I had pictured myself living in NYC and to be honest I thought things would be like in the movies. Oh boy, did things turn out differently. I was matched with the Brown family and when I saw they were from a tiny town in Georgia, far away from everything, I was worried not to say the least. I actually called the Cultural Care Au Pair office to ask if they could release my match. What happened next I am eternally grateful for. She told me to talk to the family first and then decide whether to turn them down. My host mom e-mailed me explaining about their lives and daily routines. We would be moving from Georgia to Arlington in Virginia as she had a major career change. We decided to talk on the phone and the moment after the phone call I just knew this was going to be my new family. We kept in touch for weeks before my arrival and she even sent me pictures and guidebooks for Washington DC, my soon to be new home.

Furthermore, my host family was everything but typical. But then again what really is typical in the USA? It is a melting pot full of different people from all over the world. My host mom is a single mother by choice and her first son was conceived through sperm donation. She has since had a second adorable boy, who was adopted. My time with them was the most enriching and fun I could have had. Not only did I get to experience two very different states but I became part of their family.

My host mother is an U.S. Diplomat and moves around the world. Sure, I do not have a “typical” second home in the US anymore. However, home is not a place but people. I have gotten the opportunity to spend valuable time with them exploring Iceland, Morocco and Oman and I know I will visit them in many more places. This year we will meet in Hawaii and I cannot wait!

A tip from a former au pair to you future au pairs: remember to be open-minded and set aside expectations and stereotypes. It really does not matter at all, where you will live as long as you have a great host family, where you feel comfortable and at home. I know I have found mine!