Dear Host Family

I am so excited to write this letter and simply can’t wait to meet you. But let me not jump the gun.
I would very much like to introduce myself.
My name is Kalin, a mistake was made on my birth certificate and the“Y” was left out, so everyone calls me “Kay”.
I am 25 years old and “Wow!” What a crazy 25 years it’s been.
I am South African born and raised, and currently live in Thailand.

My family is quite small. I grew up in a single parent household, my mother and sister live in Thailand and they are teachers and should you ask…. “No” I don’t want to be a teacher.(Been there and tried it). One day when I am ready, I will study nursing, but not yet there are still a few things I want to do.

Who am I ? Well, I left school when I was 16 years old, this happened after life threw me a bit of a plot twist. I made the decision that it would be better that I continue my studies online. I knew it was going to be difficult but that never stopped me before. While I was studying I started working as a cashier in a canteen but was later promoted to canteen supervisor (to toot my own horn, I was the youngest supervisor in the whole company, I’m very proud of myself for that). I really enjoyed that job because it gave me the opportunity to work with food and people. The latter was way more stressful than I thought it would be, at the time, but now I enjoy being around new people and experiences. For a 17 year old who didn't know anything about the world, that job taught me great responsibility and what it means to be honest and hardworking and for that I will always be grateful. But I digress.

At the end of 2018 I travelled to Vietnam, I had previously studied my TEFL Certificate and tried being an English teacher. I must admit working with these little ones was great fun and I enjoyed it a lot but something was missing. As the great Jane Austin wrote “ If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.” Technically I was already abroad (I do like to be one step ahead) but I decided to try my luck and spin the wheel of fortune and see where I land and luckily for me I landed an amazing Nannying job for a single mother and her 8 year old son, who might I add, was an absolutely amazing magician. While working with them I realised why teaching was not for me. Teaching has a lack of personal connection with the child. I like to give my full attention to one, two or three children at a time. It is difficult to do so when there are 15 in a class. That is why I like Au pairing more. Our children are our future (sounds like a
Whitney Houston song I know, but it is true) and we need to look after, nurture and protect them.

As they say when one country closes because of a deadly disease, fly back home. That is just what I did. In November of 2020 I flew back home to South Africa. I enjoyed a lot of things in lock down. I learned new hobbies like knitting and all the words of the beautiful cinematic masterpiece “Princess and the Frog”. Might I add I do a mean New Orleans accent, but life got monotone, and I perfected my banana bread recipe and got my GED.

It was time to get back in the saddle, I might've been quarantined alone but a family friend's son wasn’t, and I got hired to take care of a beautiful baby girl and enjoyed every single moment of it. I saw her first steps, we played peek a boo and I loved reading to her. Once the borders opened, I knew what my next step would be, and it wasn't cha cha slide to the left, but more cha cha au pair in America so in 2022 I flew to Arkansa, USA. I matched with a great family and their two little red head boys (3 and 7) and I had an amazing year with them. I travelled the whole of America, I Zip lined the Las Vegas strip, walked on a glass bridge over the grand canyon, and made lifelong friends in California. My year in America was amazing and I didnt want the party to end so I extended for one more year, but you can't grow if your in a familiar environment so I kissed the cows of Arkansa goodbye and packed my bags for a whole new city adventure in Washington, Washington was my dream, more precisely Seattle.

Unfortunately as someone wise once said “ Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it” Washington taught me alot, more importantly that it’s okay to choose yourself sometimes, not to bring down the mood but I miss judged my Washington host family and I decided to rematch. My company at the time, decided that the family was abusing the Au pair program and made the decision to terminate their contract but there is always a silver lining. I matched with a fantastic family in Colorado, their little gremlins 4 and 8, were the best and we had an amazing 8 months.

My duties were to drive the boys to school, help the oldest with homework, but let's be honest he helped me more. The youngest and I had the whole day to hang out and go on adventures, our favourite activity was a picnic in the park and then story time at the library. Laundry and light housework was done in the afternoon and we always had dinner together as a family. I also connected with the parents. We had amazing chats about music, books and various topics after the boys went to bed. They even got me tickets for my favourite artist to go see him live for my birthday. I must admit I miss them quite a lot but isn't that what the Au pairing program is.

We get to live and learn, and it's the rain and snow, but also sun and days at the lake. I wouldn’t change my experience in America (the good or the bad) . It taught me a lot and gave me just as much. I made lasting friendships and long lasting memories and to be honest that is all I could ask for.

I hope this letter gives you a clear understanding of who I am and what I am like. I would like to be a part of your wonderful family. And one day when I think back to my time in Europe I will remember your family with fondness and nostalgia.

This is me, I’m not perfect, but man wouldnt perfect be boring. Thank you for reading my letter.

Your Future Au Pair
Kalin.