Sanelisiwe | Coming To America From Sunny Durban South Africa

by Au Pair in America au-pair

South African au pair Sané just can’t get enough of her two host kids, so she decided to stay with them for yet another year. Check out her story to find out what the “Lion King” and penguins in pink pyjamas have in common!

 

Hello there!

My name is Sanelisiwe Lerato Ndlovu – that’s quite a mouthful, right? But everyone calls me Sané. I’m 24 years old, South African born and raised in Umlazi- Durban. I’m currently living with my host family in Raleigh – North Carolina and this is my second year with this amazing family.

I would never trade my host family for my favourite chocolate in the world – and I sure love me some chocolate! I take care of two energetic and wonderful children: Stella is 8 years old and Nolan is 4 years old. As for my host parents, they are honestly the kindest and most generous human beings. When it comes to taking care of the children, we do so as a team. Always. My host family are always keen on learning about South Africa and my culture, particularly the isiZulu language that I speak. I remember their faces when I told them that some of the phrases in the Lion King song “The Circle of Life” were in Zulu – they actually told me that they had already created their own version to those lyrics “Pink pyjamas penguin on my bottom” when it’s actually “Ingwenyama nengwe namabala”. At some point, I found myself singing their version, instead of the original…

We have travelled to some states like Virginia where we spent two days, and a day at the Busch Gardens theme park. We travelled to Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia and will be travelling to Florida – Disney World next summer. But rest assured, where ever we go, my host parents usually act as my tour guides and they encourage me to try new foods or even new, different accents!

Other than that, I have travelled to New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia with my friends and just recently travelled to Dubai in the UAE. I am currently in the process of planning a road trip through the USA with friends which I’m so excited for! Choosing to be an au pair and particularly coming here with Au Pair in America has been a life changing experience. They take such good care of us and I’ve felt supported through-out this experience, especially by my community counselor, Margret, who is truly one of a kind… In the best way possible!

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