"Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving"

I think at the moment I can relate to what many of the au pairs are going through. In about a month, I will be moving. I will be moving to another country, starting a new job, making new friends and making a new city into my new home in a month. I am going to be honest, I am going through quite a big pile of mixed feelings - every other day I am beyond excited, every other day I just want to cancel my plans and wonder if I am just crazy for leaving everything familiar behind and starting everything from scratch.

I have done this many times before, and it feels as weird, hard, heart-breaking, exciting, amazing and all of that at the same time. Every time it has always been as hard, but it has also always turned to be one of the best decisions I have ever made - yes, I might have ended up "giving up" something, but I gained so much in return.

Making the decision to become an au pair is probably one of the biggest ones you have ever made in your life so far. I know it is a hard one. I know you will lose few night's sleep over it, both because you are so excited but also because you are just so worried about what will happen.

I have one advice for you: DO IT. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. I know it is scary, I know you might wonder where it will lead you, but you know what? You cannot plan every single detail in your life.

That is something that I am also trying to learn. Today I am excited, tomorrow I might wonder why I decided to do this, but in the end I know that this opportunity will give me something new. 

Let's take over the world!
-Mari

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