I have been the Hira family's Au pair for the past 6 months. As I am leaving I am realizing that they probably do not know how much all the things they do and have done means. The little and the big. And that is why I nominate them as host family of the month. To make sure they know.

It's the 9th of October, I spent the day driving down from Auckland with my host mom Rosie's sister Bridget. I'm extremely nervous. I have never been this far from home and soon I will meet the people I will be living with, working for and taking care of for the next 7 months.

First we stop at the hospital where a tired Rosie is feeding Dannielle. I get to hold this amazing little girl, who is a lot bigger than I thought she would be. Being born in week 25, she has underdeveloped lungs and got oxygen tubes to her nose and for a second I get a bit unsure, what if I do something wrong? But then she smiles and looks like any other baby I know and I'm not that nervous any more.

Any lingering nervousness disappears when we enter the house. Two girls, Makenzie and Nellie scream and run towards me, giving me big hugs and cuddles. Followed by demands to go on the trampoline, to watch them do gymnastics and to play many different games.

Even though Dannielle spends the next two weeks in hospital and even though my host dad Daniel works long hours at the farm and Rosie spends her days and nights at the hospital, I have never felt more welcome anywhere.

This family host some of the most loving, kind and generous people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Not once have I felt awkward or out of place. Not my first week and not now 6 months later. Rosie and Daniel feel more like friends than anything else and have done everything to make me feel included and welcome.

I have found myself another family and I do not want to leave. I want to wake up to the sounds of elephants running by my door. I want to see Dannielle as she learns to walk. I want to talk with Rosie and be utterly confused by the slang Daniel sometimes use. They are my second home and I will miss them so incredibly much.

But I also know that it's time to leave. And as I'm leaving I want to take this opportunity to say thanks. Thanks for an amazing experience. Thanks for the laughs. Thanks for the cuddles. Thanks for all the big things and the little ones. Thanks for being the best host family a girl could ever have.

The Hira Family