Dear host family,

I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself, my family, my hobbies, and, of course, my experiences as a child care provider. In order for you to make a more informed decision about whether or not I am the ideal au pair for your family, this letter should provide you with some insight into my life and personality.

My name is Lisa Ng'ang'a. I am twenty-three years old and I was born on the 11th of December 2000 in Nairobi, Kenya. The first reason as to why I would like to be an au pair is to provide a loving, nurturing and happy life for the children who get to have me as their au pair nanny. I grew up with a lot of love around me from my family and even the caregivers that I had around me. The caregivers that my sibling and I had showered us with so much love and blended in perfectly with our family that we often considered them to be part our family. It was almost as if they were the missing puzzle piece to our perfect family.

With the experience I had, providing the same kind of life to other children has been a responsibility that I brought upon myself. This responsibility is seen in my volunteering spirit of taking care of my nieces, nephews and the neighborhood children during my free time. Whenever there is a newborn or child in my family or around me who needs to be taken care of or looked after I take it upon myself and volunteer to do it. It often offers solace to the parents because they know that they have left their child in the hands of someone who cares and loves the children. They are assured that their child is far from harms way. The second reason as to why I would like to be an au pair is because of the cultural exchange. I love the opportunity provided by this program of learning about a new culture that is very different from mine. Learning about new ways of life, eating different foods and even learning a foreign language. I love the idea of letting go of what I believe to be "normal" to adapting to a whole new way of life!

As far as my experience with childcare goes, I actively take care of the younger children in my family and they include my cousins, nieces and nephews as stated above. I generally love children so taking care of them comes as second nature to me. It does not feel like 'work that I have to do'. The age of the children that I have looked after ranges from 4 months-10 years. The tasks covered when I take care of children include feeding them, washing and dressing them, tidying up their rooms, cooking for them and playing with them, going out for adventures to the park or to the woods as well assisting them with their homework. I also have professional experience when it comes to child care. From 2021-2022, I volunteered at a daycare called Baby Diamonds located in Nairobi, Kenya. I gained first hand experience in taking care of children when it comes to their needs in education and learning. I gained practical skills in how to tutor and teach children with the Montessori way of learning that includes the use of sensory senses and fun activities like painting, singing and coloring. This experience has enabled me to offer tutoring to children that need assisted learning or extra interactive classes. My job description included: assisting them with their school work, supervising them, cleaning and tidying after them, changing diapers and potty training. Here are some details about my personal life. I grew up in a small village in Kiambu county, Kenya with my family. I come from a family of four: my mother, father and older brother. I come from a very family oriented background, where we share meals together, celebrate each others wins together, we spend the holidays together and see each other very often.

My education accomplishments are stated below. I completed my primary and secondary education through the support of my family members where I excelled in my studies. I graduated from secondary school in 2018 from Brookhouse Schools, Kenya with all IGCSE credits awarded. I then graduated from University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. My language proficiencies are in English, Spanish and Kiswahili. I was able to accomplish all these achievements through the support and help of the loving community of family and friends that I had around me. In addition to my certifications, I have a valid driving license. I have been driving since 6th April 2021. I would consider myself a good driver because I am not reckless on the road, I have not gotten into any accidents or acquired any tickets since I started driving. I would describe myself as a patient, caring and considerate person. My family members describe me as a loving, nurturing, responsible, intelligent and honest person. For my hobbies I like to read, watch tv shows and documentaries, listen to music, dance, go on adventures and to hangout with friends. I do believe that I would be the perfect fit for your family because I am responsible and I will take care of your children to the best of my ability. The safety of your children will be my main priority and you will not have to worry about them. Secondly, I am very patient with children they will get to experience a gentle form of guidance as they grow. They will also have fun activities to do everyday which will keep them entertained and help them learn new things like colors, alphabets and numbers. Furthermore, I do believe that the foundation a child is exposed to in their early years has a lot of influence on their life and I am here to provide a healthy, loving, supporting and educational foundation for them just like the one that was given to me growing up. Thirdly, I am very open minded and willing to learn about your culture and having the privilege to experience and practice the culture. Thank you again for choosing me as your au pair. See you soon! Sincerely, Lisa Ng'ang'a