It’s not easy being an au pair in the midst of a global pandemic. Quarantining, social isolation and social distancing are not the norm for anyone, but certainly not for the young people who signed up to be part of a cultural exchange program.
Complicating matters is arriving in the time of COVID-19 and figuring out how to introduce your au pair to her new home when your city is shut down.
The Schindler family in Houston and their new au pair, Ellen, ran into this problem, but have taken lemons and made lemonade.
Host mom Joy came across, “See Art (and Social Distance) with a Driving Tour of Houston Murals,” in the arts and entertainment section of the local paper. She realized this would be a perfect way to get out of the house, soak up some sun and show Ellen the city she now calls home, all while following social distancing guidelines.
Ellen says, “I just got in Houston, it’s been almost 3 weeks and I haven’t seen nothing in the city besides the grocery store… And then my host family had this great idea to make the Art District Houston mural tour from the car and taking all the precautions due to COVID-19 and it was really fun, I was able to see downtown that by the way is so cool, all the arts were really nice too then we took some pictures and had some ice cream before hit home and we had a really great time together, we saw some places that even they haven’t seen yet! It was very cool!”
Host mom Joy says, “I’d just say that Ellen arrived to us during social distancing and spent her first few weeks at home. It’s a shame that she hadn’t been able to see the city she lives in. To give all of us a change of scenery, we did a driving tour of the city’s historic arts district, and we stopped by a famous mural and the graffiti park… while masked and maintaining proper social distancing, of course! It did us all good to see something other than our own four walls!”
Cheers to the Schindler family and Ellen for finding creative ways to social distance and explore Houston during Coronavirus shut down!
Special thanks to Community Counselor Jennifer in Houston, TX for sharing this story with us about au pair Ellen arriving during the COVID-19 pandemic!
Learn more about hosting an au pair with Au Pair in America!
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