NEW AU PAIR IN AMERICA BLOGGER ALERT!

Hello everyone! Let me introduce myself. My name is Kaja, I am 18 years old and I am an Dutch au pair living in Dallas, Texas USA. I have been living here for a little more than 3 months. I live with a very nice family, and I take care of two girls.

*CLICK*

The reason I became an au pair was because I didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school. I knew I wanted to continue to study, but not right after high school. One thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to travel. I especially wanted to travel in America. I got the idea when I was at a gap year information evening, and I heard about being an Au Pair in America. Everything started to click.

I absolutely love being around kids. I have been a babysitter ever since I can remember! And this way I knew would be able to take care of kids, provide for myself. live in America and even be able to travel in America. I got really lucky, so my schedule is amazing, too. I am off every weekend, which means I could theoretically travel every weekend.

NEW HORIZONS

I recently returned from a trip to Washington, DC. I went there during Labor Day weekend, so I had an extra day to see DC. I went to visit one of my au pair friends from Orientation in New York. We had the best time! We saw what felt like everything in those three days. As I am writing this, I am planning my next trip, this time to Houston to visit another au pair friend of mine. We are going to see Beyoncé perform (in her hometown) which is going to be very nice.

Traveling has been my favorite thing for sure. There is so much to see in America, so many different places, people, cultures and so on and so on. And yes, you are here for a year, or even longer if you extend. But time sure flies! It feels like I just arrived yesterday, but I have already been here for more then three months now…

My experience so far has been mostly positive. Of course, there are times where I miss my friends and family back home. But I am also making new friends here. Being away from home has helped me discover new things, be more independent and broaden my horizon. So far, I have learned a lot. Not only about how to take care of my girls, but also – and probably even more importantly – how to take care of myself. I’m becoming more aware of the things I want to do in life, what really matters to me, and maybe even what my goals in life are.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY?

If you are thinking about a gap year, but you’re not sure what to do: Ask yourself if you like being around children and if you love traveling. Maybe becoming an au pair is the right thing for you, too! Being an au pair is a great opportunity to combine working abroad with traveling. 🙂

Stay tuned for my next blog!