Ebba’s Au Pair in America story was a super special one. Her host mom was a former Swedish au pair and when Ebba arrived to the host family, they realized that they had more in common than both being from Sweden. Ebba’s Community Counselor had also been the Counselor for her host mom when she was an au pair years before! It was SO clear to us that Ebba and her host family had an amazing connection that would last much longer than the 18 months Ebba was their au pair!
We recently caught up with Ebba to see where life had taken her since her time as an au pair came to an end. But first, sit back, hit play and watch Ebba’s Au Pair in America experience below!
EBBA | MY STORY
ONE YEAR ON…
It’s almost one year now since it was time for me to leave Chicago and my lovely host family, to move on to my next chapter in life. A few days after I came back to Sweden I started my new job, as a receptionist at Scandic Hotels, the biggest hotel company in Scandinavia. The fact that I was used to communicating in English, came in handy when we had international guests.
I worked there for the summer and then I started studying Biomedical Engineering at the university in my city. I think it’s very interesting and I like it a lot.
MY AU PAIR EXPERIENCE
My Au Pair in America experience has influenced me in many ways. Now I have a passion for understanding people from other countries and cultures and I love to travel even more than before. My experience there made me want to do a college exchange year abroad, probably in the US again! It has given me so much so it was obvious for me that I wanted to go abroad for another year again, but for studying this time. Even though being an au pair influenced me in many ways, it didn’t exactly influence my career choice. I’m not planning to work with kids right now, since I’m studying engineering. But it still influenced me to some extent since it made me want to go abroad again to get an international “dimension” to my degree!
THE LYSKAWA FAMILY ❤️
I’m still in touch with my host family. They visited me in Sweden last summer, and they will come again this summer so I am very excited about that. I miss the kids a lot. You really get a special bond with them after being with them almost every day for 1.5 years. I hope we will stay in touch forever! I am also still in touch with my friends I made there. My Brazilian au pair friend Gabriela came to visit me a few weeks ago and we had the best time. We did the same things we used to do together in Chicago, had lots of sushi and chocolate, it was like we never been apart so it was really great! Also my American friend I made there came to celebrate Christmas with me and my family in Sweden. It was so nice to be able to show our Swedish holiday traditions, especially after I’ve been able to see all the lovely American ones during a whole year.
MY ADVICE TO YOU…
You get to know so many people during your au pair year, from all over the world. It’s wonderful! And it is what makes this experience so special and a memory I will have with me for the rest of my life. So my advice to someone who is thinking about becoming an Au Pair in America is just do it! It can feel scary at first, but I promise you it will be so worth it. It was an experience of a lifetime, that I wouldn’t want to be without. You really grow a lot during that year and you get to know yourself better. I am so grateful for that time, and I wouldn’t have changed it for anything!
FOREVER IN MY HEART ❤️
I remember the day I was moving to the U.S. I was at the airport, super nervous, saying good bye to my parents, carrying two huge suitcases that I had to throw out things of last minute because they weighed too much.
But when I flew home again, 1.5 years later, I was bringing home even more in my luggage. Not stuff this time, but all the experiences and memories I’ve made, and with a second family in my heart. ❤️
