Skye (20), sudafricano/a, Estudiante actualmente en Estados Unidos quiere ser Au Pair en Irlanda, Japón, Singapur, Corea del Sur & Turquía

I am Skye. I come from South Africa, and I am currently studying in the United States. I plan to become a physiotherapist in the future. The main reason that I decided to study in the United States and not in South Africa is because I love to be independent. This experience has taught me how to live by myself and not rely on others for help and to learn how to survive by myself. The reason that I chose the States and not another country, firstly is because I grew up watching American movies. However, the main reason that I chose a country on the other side of the world is because I have been preparing for this type of move to America ever since I was 14.
I started rowing when I was 14. This sport taught me many things, however, the biggest thing it taught me was to never settle for less and to fight for what you deserve. In rowing, all that you do is train so that you are placed in the best boat. This is how I learnt to fight for what I deserve, and I also learnt how to walk away from things that harmed me more than built me up. I trained the hardest out of everyone in my team. However, for one race, they placed me in the second-best boat. This moment revealed to me that rowing was not the thing that would give me my future. However, rowing would teach me how to get there. After this, I went on to get an academic scholarship at one of the top private schools in the country. Before I attended this new school, I went on an academic achiever's tour to the States. We went to Seattle, San Franisco, and Los Angeles. This is the trip that opened my eyes to the States. On this tour, we went to many different universities for example we went to the University of Washington and UCLA Berkeley. This is the thing that made me want to study in the States. Each time we went to each campus, each campus had this feeling of relaxation. Students went to class and Students also were not stressed about the world around them. Their focus was to get good grades but also to have a good college experience. This is the type of student I wanted to be and currently, that is the student that I am now.

The school that I attended before encouraged us to get good grades so that we could attend universities in the country. However, the school that I attended after this encouraged us to look for schools outside of the country because the world was bigger than we knew. This school taught me more than what we learnt in the class: how to see the people around me, it taught us to try and understand where they came from and where they are going. People of all ages from the grade 1s who always gave me hugs to the teachers who were always there to lean on when times were tough and to my friends who even when times were tough made those times fun. These experiences have taught me how to be independent, how to persevere in tough times and how to see the world around me.

The reason that I want to be an au pair is because I love looking after children. Ever since I was in high school, I have looked for opportunities where I could engage with children. During high school, I served as a youth leader for those 11 to 13 years old at the local church. Then we attended my private school, continued to serve as a youth leader to those 11 to 13, and I also served as a Senior chapel steward, which meant that at least twice a week, I would serve the whole school (7–18–year–olds). This was my favourite part of my week. Junior school would come in and I would make it a habit to give each child a high five and this would later turn into many hugs. This was a way of trying to get them excited about the chapel service. Once they were seated, we would then begin to have rock, paper, and scissors battles. It would be so enjoyable to see their smiles during these battles. The laughter would fill up the chapel. I know how enjoyable it is to look after children. Every time I look after children or even just interact with children, these times also remind me to appreciate the little moments, to enjoy the laughter and smiles in the moment rather than worrying about what is to come next.

The reason that I think I would make an excellent au pair for your family is because I have many skills that I can contribute positively to your family as an au pair. Firstly, due to me being a South African, I bring a new cultural experience through my South African customs, traditions and perspectives. Moreover, due to my living in another country, I also know how to integrate myself into a culture quicker due to my living in the States and there are many different cultures in the States. I also have a lot of experience of children, children, this is through my time at high school and also through my family. My family from the UAE came to South Africa for a month and they brought their3-year-old3-year-old daughter with them. They asked me on many occasions to look after her when they had to run errands. I can offer household help, I understand that being a parent can be difficult when you work a full-time job and have to do household chores. Therefore I am happy to help in any way that would leviate the household chores so that it can lighten your load as a parent. As an au pair, I offer flexible support tailored to your family's needs. Whether it's helping with morning routines, school pickups, or bedtime routines, I adapt to your schedule, providing assistance where and when you need it the most. Finally, hosting me as an au pair creates lasting memories and bonds that extend far beyond my time with their family. From shared experiences and adventures to laughter and learning, the time we spend together becomes cherished memories that we carry with us for a lifetime.