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

Challenge yourself!

Whether you currently are an au pair or you are going to become an au pair, you know that traveling abroad and leaving everything familiar behind takes some guts and courage! I want to congratulate you for taking that step – stepping out of your own comfort zone and taking a big responsibility of yourself.

Traveling is one of my greatest passions, for many reasons: you get to see the places you have never seen before (maybe only in pictures), you get to meet so many different kind of people who will wide up your perspective of life and you get to experience so many unforgettable things you would never experience if you would stay at home. All this gives you so much energy for the future! But –as Peter Parker in Spiderman once said- “With great power comes a great responsibility!”

When traveling as an au pair you will face many new and sometimes even difficult situations. Whether it is a matter of applying your visa, calling to an unfamiliar office in English or check-in to your flight for the first time in your life, remember: take responsibility of what you are doing! Take it as a challenge that will make you stronger for the future and a challenge that will make you grow! We at Cultural Care Au Pair Nordics office are more than happy to assist you with all your questions and dilemmas – but first I challenge you to try to solve your situation by yourself. After solving a problem that might seem insurmountable, you feel like there is basically nothing in this world that you cannot handle! I often like to challenge myself with new things that come around. It usually helps me when I think what my mother always tells me “Everything will be all right in the end.” And that’s how it has always been! There is not even one problem I haven’t fixed in the end. Sometimes that might take you twice the energy to try to solve it by yourself instead of taking the easy way out and ask right away, but it will reward you in the end!

Traveling by yourself gives you a great responsibility to manage things on your own! That’s one thing I love about traveling – independency. You are the only person who can make the decision to survive through difficult situations or give up. If you choose to make your way through, you will be 100% stronger and more independent!

Best regards,
Jenni

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!