Au Pair in America!
My year as an au
pair was a dream come true! I am from Canada, and living in the USA is
something that I always wanted to do. I was fortunate enough to find a host
family in Hawaii...my idea tropical destination. Right from the start, I knew
that Au Pair in America was a perfect program for me. I really enjoyed the
first few days of training in Connecticut and meeting so many girls from all
over the world. Some of them came from countries that I had never heard of
before. And of course, visiting New York City was something that I will never forget.
For me, the program was so enjoyable because of everything that it included.
The fact that I didn’t have to pay for rent, food or a car was great. I took
care of 4 teenagers which was an eye opening experience. They kept me very busy
but I learned how to cook and run a household...skills that have come in handy
now that I am a mother. I made so many
good friends and have been able to keep in touch with them throughout the
years! The other au pairs always included me and invited me to special outings
and events. This is something that was very important to me as the previous
year, I had taught English in Japan and I felt very isolated and lonely and did
not have a very big social circle. The fact that I also had a community
counsellor available to talk to if problems arose and someone who planned
monthly activities was one of the reasons I enjoyed this experience so much.
During my 12 months on Oahu, I was always on the go and always living life to
the fullest. The absolute highlight of
my year though was meeting the man of my dreams....who is now my husband! We
will be celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary this July 1! He has
since become a Canadian citizen, we have started our careers, bought a house,
had two beautiful children and we have even traveled back to Hawaii as a
family. I can’t say enough good things about this program and I am very
grateful that it was available to me in my early twenties. I now want to tell
other young Canadians about the opportunities that exist for them in America. I
recently read a quote which said “The only thing you should be doing in your
twenties is living abroad.” I couldn’t agree more!
Melanie
