Au pairs and host families gain lifelong connections—which is very useful in this day and age—for personal and professional opportunities now and into the future.
Over the past 30 years, we have seen au pair exchange transform so many lives for the better, and it all starts with people making connections with one another. At Au Pair in America, we look at our host families and au pairs like an extended global family. One family, one au pair at a time, this family expands as an international network of friends.
Victoria Paton, a Community Counselor in the Potomac River Shoreline area, recently shared a remarkable meeting of au pairs. Not one, but three pairs of sisters are currently living with host families in her cluster [of au pairs]. Through their journey as au pairs, these sisters had a chance to meet, and now their world has expanded to include friends in two other countries!
The following is what Victoria had to share about these three pairs of sisters meeting each other:
“The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend.” – Cali Rae Turner
This quote could not be more true for six young women in my cluster. Each is one of a pair of sisters who are currently au pairs in my cluster!
Being far from home is certainly helped by having a friend or a sister nearby—not just in the USA at the same time, but in our cluster (which is about twenty minutes end-to-end)!
I recently invited all of my sister pairs to come together for a photo to celebrate this wonderful, and historic, anniversary year at Au Pair in America. They had never met each other, so it was fun for them to become friends.
Pictured above are:
- Diana and Nicky G., au pairs from Germany: Diana and Nicky arrived to their host families on the exact same day! Both decided to extend their time as au pairs.
- Shantal and Seshnie C., au pairs from South Africa: After their experience as au pairs, Shantal and Seshnie’s third sister wants to join the program!
- Lorena and Laura L., au pairs from Colombia: Lorena and Laura work for the same host family!
Our Community Counselors are fortunate to get to know so many au pairs and host families—and to help them get to know each other as they become part of our worldwide community. Thank you Victoria for sharing this lovely meeting of three sets of au pair sisters!
