My adventure began in November (I don't remember the exact day when my account was created). I remember I was so excited but at the same time I was quite worried: I thought I wasn't ready to talk with families because my English isn't perfect and I felt too shy.
When I started, I was planning to leave at the end of June, but then something went wrong: I was getting my degree and I needed to primarily focus on my final exam. I was really stressed and I closed my profile on Cultural Care for three weeks to better concentrate on my studies. During this time lapse I realized how strongly I wanted to become an Au Pair. So, after I graduated I was finally ready to decide to go living with the host family of my dreams.
But before talking of them you need to know my matching-process story (I talked with more than 30 families, so I'm not writing about all of them but just of those I remember the most).
The first family who contacted me was from NYC (amazing because it's the city of my dreams) and they lived in Manhattan, in front of Central Park. But they were the first one and I didn't know how things worked, so I didn't read their full application because I hadn't been told to do so.
I was so excited when they emailed me to organize a Skype call and two days later we finally talked but....the host mum just called me, without the video, so I was quite worried. Then I discovered that her two sons had a strong food allergy and that they must take the adrenalin with them wherever they go: it seemed too dangerous and I didn't feel like taking the risk so we never chatted again.
The second family on my profile was from Minneapolis, in Minnesota and they were super cute! They had two lovely daughters and they were hosting a German Au Pair. We had several Skype calls, they looked like a beautiful family but unfortunately they were looking for someone for the beginning of June and I wasn't a good fit for them due to the commitments I've already mentioned.
The third family was from Cincinnati, Ohio, and they had a little boy and an incoming newborn. They were so interested in me, they strongly wanted me to be their Au Pair and after talking two times they disappeared. They never contacted me again and I was a little bit angry for their behavior. I even sent them an email with my Christmas greetings but they never replied.
On February I had more than 10 families on my profile and I tried to talk to all of them but only one got my heart.
They were really perfect for me. I talked once with the host mum and once with the host dad for more than 40 minutes like we had known each other for a long time. They were amazing but then I took my pause and they had some problems too, so we didn't talk for more than a month.
After my pause I contacted them again sending my degree's photos by email and we organized another Skype call. I talked with the host dad for an hour and he explained me their problem and why they had had to take a pause from the program too.
After that call I understood their situation and I decided they were the best family for me beacuse I felt I was the best fit for them: I was ready to be their au pair.
But unfortunately due to their problem Cultural Care didn't want to approve our match.
When I found out this sad reality I was so unhappy that I even thought of quitting the program but I decided to go on and try to find another family as perfect as them.
From April to May I tried to talk with other families: one from Chicago, another from Nashville, one from Atlanta and another from Boston, etc. They were all good families but I was comparing them to the host family I wanted, so I wasn't happy.
During these two months sometimes I talked with that host family, because we really wanted each other: they said they didn't want to host anyone else but me and I felt the same.
Then one day, while I was on holiday, they called me to tell me that their situation had changed and that Cultural Care had approved our match.
I was more than happy and we can't wait to start our adventure together!
This is the story of me and the HOST FAMILY of my dreams and here's something about them:
- They live in a beautiful big house in Durham, North Carolina, that is so lightful and amazing;
- Nita, host mum, works at the Duke University (and I already adore its campus and gardens) and sometimes she travels to other cities for work;
- Thede, host dad, travels a lot for working too; he usually goes to California (I hope I will have the chance to travel with him or, even better, with both of them);
- Aristella, host kid, is such a beautiful 2 year-old little girl and I'm already in love with her: she seems to be a cute, active, curious girl and we'll have a lot of fun together!
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