TALK. My year as an au pair

Friday, 24 March 2017

The world can appear frightening when you graduate. With the search for a job starting and real responsibilities hitting you suddenly, it can be quite overwhelming but it can also reveal itself as a land of opportunities and adventures to be lived. This is why I decided to become an Au Pair in a foreign country; before settling down and jumping into the reality of a working life, I wanted to travel and discover a new country while doing what I love - meeting new people and caring for children. The beauty of New Zealand convinced me that it was the perfect place to live such an adventure.

I left my family and friends in September alongside my best friend, who would become soon my shield against homesickness. When I arrived with my host family, I felt accepted right away. I was thrilled to meet the lovely darlings that I would be caring for during the next nearly 8 months. I met Johnny, 4 years old, and Charlotte, 2 years old. I love admiring how they interact with one another as they grow older and their bond is always improving.

They were both happy and excited to meet me on my first day. Especially Johnny, since his sister was still young when I arrived in the family and Johnny loves to meet new people. He had heaps of questions that I was excited to answer about myself. The children's grandparents had travelled to Canada so their knowledge was pretty up to par. They were both pretty excited to learn more about Canada through the book I brought for them to introduce my country. 

Arriving in a family that you have only met through FaceTime was pretty nerve wracking. It was also difficult knowing when to begin imposing your guidelines on children that you just met. You don't have your mark, you don't know when to intervene, you just have to get used to the way the house is run before you can determine how to act or react to situations. My entry into the family was quickly progressive; I watched what the mother did, copied the way she interacted with the children, got used to the routine of the family, then jumped right in with my own ideas and morals. 

As for the culture, I haven't noticed any huge differences. New Zealand's culture is similar to Canada's in the sense that the people are all so friendly and welcoming which is very handy as a foreigner. The main thing that seemed out of place was Christmas! It was very different to have the sun shining and the option to sit on the beach opposed to the classic snow. It was definitely not what a "real" Christmas is for me! 

The amount of work that I have is rather underwhelming compared to the busyness of caring for 10 energetic toddlers at the daycare back home. Johnny attends kindy so I mostly care for Charlotte. A typical day is ensuring both children have healthy snacks, lunches and dinners, expanding on their interests and implementing their interests deeper in our play and overall making sure everyone is happy and healthy. 

I have evenings and weekends off as well as Wednesdays (so my host mum can have quality time with the children). My time off is used to explore the country as best as I can. I enjoy spending most of my time off exploring and hanging out with friends. I've had the pleasure of not only having my best friend here in New Zealand with me but also making plenty of new friends as well. Whether other Au Pairs that I've met through playgroups or other Au Pair activities or even some local kiwis, there are so many great people here. For my birthday in November, we went on a wine tour to Waiheke Island, we made some great lifelong friends there that we now spend most of our weekends with. 

During my time here I have put my holiday time to good use. I was able to go to Australia for a week over New Years to visit a friend from high school. I was also able to travel to Queenstown (in the South Island) and explore the cultures there. My host family has a wedding in Rarotonga that my friend from home and I are also invited to come along with. It's so nice to have such a supportive family that is so keen on me discovering and adventuring as much as I can while I'm here. My host mum even made me a list of all the best things to do while I'm here which has proudly been completed. 

Aside from all the fun, I still take my duties as an au pair seriously and I have developed a very strong bond with the children. There was definitely a positive development in our relationship; I'm like the children's big sister now (I always wanted little siblings). 

I think I can be pretty confident by saying that as an overseas Au Pair I have given a positive impact to the whole family. We were able to share customs and learn about one another's backgrounds. I was able to teach the children that not every place in the world is like New Zealand. We learned many similarities and differences and some were clearer than others in the sense that we get snow for half the year unlike New Zealand. Now that they know what Canada looks like through photos and FaceTimes to my family back home, the door to the world is open for them to hopefully come explore one day. 

Overall, I haven't encountered any difficulties that can't easily be resolved. I'm fortunate that I don't have a language barrier, even though the Kiwi slang was kind of hard to assimilate at first. I have enjoyed picking up on the different slang and have even learned some Māori words which pop out of nowhere sometimes.

I receive lots of emails from Au Pair Link inviting me to go to the group activities with the children to mingle with other Au Pairs. It has made me feel like a part of the Au Pair Link family. My favourite event so far has hands down been the long weekend to the Bay of Islands. It was our first big outing and it was an amazing time. Many of my new close friends were made on that trip! 

Through this experience, I have learned how to find self-belonging. I feel like I've grown up a lot in the short time that I've been here. It's very easy to discover your maturity while being away from your parents and out of your comfort zone and time zone. I have definitely become more independent through this journey too. Living in a foreign country, with a foreign, but loving family and on the other side of the world changes you for the best! I'm so happy with where my life has taken me this far and can't wait to see what adventure will come next! 

Kelsey Strong