"Hello, dear host family! I am interested in learning more about the opportunity and sharing my experiences. My name is Marilda, I am 49 years old and I live in São Paulo. I live alone and have three adult children, two brothers and a sister who live in another city in the interior of the state.

My family is very important to me! We are very close and I really enjoy spending time with them when I have time off from work. They are supporting me in becoming an au pair and this encourages me to follow my dreams. I am an emergency and pediatric oncology and geriatric nurse and a Portuguese teacher for foreigners. I love teaching!

Throughout my life I have always been passionate about people and their stories, but children enchant me with their genuineness and purity. As a mother, I have done a good job and have raised good citizens. I think this experience has contributed to my life. I have grown personally and now I feel even more prepared to live in another country.

In my free time I like to watch movies, go out with friends, read, ride a bike... and I love staying at home with my family, talking to them or watching TV together. I am a communicative person and I enjoy meeting people and talking. Sometimes I write because I like to express myself through words. I love dancing a few years ago and now I am starting to learn contemporary dance. I consider myself a responsible, outgoing and active person!

Elderly people and children are my passion! I think their smile is the most genuine thing in the world! I just love being with them, playing or helping with their needs. Spending time with them is like therapy for me! I feel great when I am with them because they are innocent, spontaneous, honest and full of life. But I am also responsible and I know the limits between fun time and obligation time.

I worked voluntarily in a religious institution taking care of children from 3 months to 5 years old, offering food to the children, changing diapers, giving bottles, preparing meals, bathing them, putting them to sleep and, one of my favorite parts was playing with them and creating dynamic activities to entertain them. It was a great experience because I got to see the children's routine up close. I was very happy working there because during that time my life was full of energy and love!

I would say that I am a friendly, optimistic, patient, flexible, open-minded and easy-going person. I think I have a lot to learn because we always learn from the people who cross our paths, but I also think that I have a lot to offer! I am also affectionate and want to take care of your children with love, responsibility and dedication.

I feel that this is the right time for this! I love children and I want to improve my English. I also want to learn more about culture and intercultural life. In addition, I love traveling and I enjoy getting to know new cultures, people and places. This experience will certainly be very enriching and in the end I know that I will be a different person and I will be grateful for everything!

I will do my best to make this program amazing for myself and my future host family! I would like to be part of the family's routine and I hope to have a lot of fun with the children and/or elderly people in the house. I can and will prove that you can trust me!

I hope you choose me to be your au pair because I really want to make a difference in the lives of the family members! I want to get close to them and take care of them like a big sister or grandma. I am sure that the love between us will grow day by day and I can't wait for that.

Thank you for reading my letter! I look forward to hearing from you! See you soon