Before I start my first post here on Steemit. I want to give you a short introduction of myself and how I was before my journey.
My name is Diana and I was born in Hamburg/Germany. I am 23 years young and just an ordinary girl, which loves to travel and to dance.
I never thought that one year being abroad can change what you were before.
I started off as a completely shy girl. During my school time I barely talked to anybody and nobody notice me.
It got better after I was working but still, I only talked to people when they started to talk to me.
Since I was always thinking to go abroad after I graduated from school - I finally did it in 2015.
I chose to be an Au Pair, nowhere else but the United States.
There is a simple explaination why my only destination was the United States.
I've been to many different countries besides the United States in the past.
But thinking back of every vacation that I had ... my first choice will always get back to the US and exactly that's why I chose to expierence the American way of life.
Lets get started...
I applied at the agency "Cultural Care". I am just letting you know that the process to finally match with the right host family takes some time.
There are appointments you need to go through (doctor and embassy), there are a lot of paper work as well and then after everything is set - your profil is finally available for the host families.
No matter where your hostfamily is living, you have to attend the one week of training school in New York. I met a lot of people from all around the world at the training school, even though I was shy, on that adventure you can't be shy, I had to learn starting conversations and be open minded for everything. Anyway, during that week I learned a lot about American cultures and rules. We also had a first aid class for babies and the number one rule was NEVER SHAKE A BABY.
NEVER SHAKE A BABY
Training school
And of course we had some time to explore NY as well.
9/11 Memorial, New York
Rockefeller Center, New York
Times Square, New York
Lets get down to the exciting part.
It was friday and we all left the training school to catch our flights to the hostfamilies.
I was actually more nervous to finally meet them than I was before when I left Germany.
If you decide to go on an adventure like that you need to be prepared of literally EVERYTHING.
I arrived at the airport with two other friends from the training school and there it was, our flight got 2 hours delay, which was fine but we ended up waiting 15 hours at the airport and needed to reschedule our flight for the next morning.
Tired at the airport
But still having fun with the securities
How most of the people imagine an Au Pair life...
It is NOT a vacation. You have a tight schedule from Monday to Friday, some hostfamilies schedule you for saturdays too.
It is not only "taking care of kids". Dealing with kids that you don't know is not easy, they are testing your limits and sometimes driving you crazy, but there are also lovely moments.
The important thing to be an Au Pair is not where you are going to live, that was the first thing on my mind when I wanted to be an Au Pair. I love California -> LA and I only wanted to be an Au Pair there but after a lot of Skype Interviews with different hostfamilies I noticed that the most important thing is the connection to the hostfamilie.
So I matched with my hostfamily in Sammamish, WA ( close to Seattle ).
Warm welcome from my hostkids at the Seattle Airport
Seattle Downtown
Kerry Park , Seattle
St. Patricks Day with my hostkids
As an Au Pair you shouldn't only be open-minded you also need to be aware of the unexpected things. A lot of Au Pairs that I met around my area went to a rematch that means they needed to look for another hostfamily because either the familie or the Au Pair didn't feel well or didn't get along with eachother. In my case, my hostfamily and I, we got along so well and everything was perfect that I actually thought about extending my year with them, but after 4 months, they told me that they don't need an Au Pair anymore because my hostmom wanted to be a 'stay-at-home-mom'. So at that point I was scared that I won't find a perfect family like that and I also didn't want to leave my area after I settle in already. I had different Skype Interviews again and had to go through everything again.
REMEMBER!! Be prepared of everything. Especially when you are alone on an adventure.
But at the end I chose a family with a different location. Only to explore more and you have to be ready to have changes.
WELCOME TO ...
Logan Square, Chicago, Illinois
The Bean, Millennium Park, Chicago
Buckingham Fountain, Chicago
Michigan Lake Chicago Downtown
Michigan Lake, Skyline of Chicago
My hostkids in Chicago, Illinois
At the end of my adventure, I traveled a lot, I had a lot of experiences, I met a lot of people, I got to know the american culture, I faced multiple challenges, I improve my english and I grew up as a woman who knows what she wants in life and sees things in different ways and to NEVER give up.
The shy girl Diana is gone.
Live your life and always follow your dreams. Nothing is impossible.
See you next time !
Love,
Diana