In early July, we welcomed Ivonne from Colombia to our office. Her host family, who lives in Connecticut, opted to pick her up at our headquarters in Stamford, CT after her week at orientation concluded.
We sat down with Ivonne to ask her about her experience so far and her expectations for the year ahead:
Why did you want to become an au pair?
I love children and want to improve my English. Being an au pair gives me the best opportunity to do something I like and something I want to improve.
What are you most excited for during your year in the U.S.?
Being able to experience life with an American family and learn about their culture and customs, as well as being able to interact with other Americans and improve my English every day.
What are you excited to share with your host family?
I would like to be able to teach them a little about my language, as well as teach them about my culture and cook typical dishes from Colombia.
What are some of the things you learned at orientation?
I learned about different ways to take care of children in a safe and fun way. The driving course was very informative and we learned about traffic rules, laws, and safety when driving with children.
Two weeks later, we checked back in with Ivonne to see how she was doing during the early days of her year as an au pair:
Everything is going well. I am very happy with my host family.
I have learned a lot about the American culture, and made every effort to communicate better with my host family. My English vocabulary has increased thanks to my host mom because she takes the time to teach and explain to me about new things. Each day with the children and the host parents is an adventure. I really feel like I am part of the family.
Learn how you can host a great au pair like Ivonne for a culturally enriching experience for the whole family.
