Ultimate Au Pair Nominee
Au Pair: Maria Amaya-Varo
Spain
Host Family: The Hollands
Location: California
We are a first-time host family and we were excited and nervous to welcome a new member into our household. Our concerns included communication, compatibility of lifestyle, whether our new au pair would develop a deep connection with our children or view them as "just a job," and of course whether we would all get along.
One day with Maria was enough to allay all our fears.
Maria is a remarkably self-possessed, mature, and loving person. Her strong sense of family was evident from the moment she stepped through our front door and greeted our son with a spontaneous hug. He quickly fell in love with her and so did we.
Maria has laughed at our crazy Americanisms (Breakfast at 7:30 a.m.? Unthinkable!). And we wondered at, and shared in, her Spanish traditions. Most recently we enjoyed a New Year's celebration with her extended family in Spain and ours in the U.S. via Webcam, culminating with the Spanish custom of eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight to ensure luck for the new year.
There has been a lovely cultural give-and-take on both sides. She has developed a fondness for peanut M&Ms and has become passionate about movies, her iPod, and shopping at Ross (a discount retailer). We have also explained our politics, our mannerisms, our slang, and our inexplicable affinity for McDonald's and Starbuck. As for us, we've learned so much from Maria about the value of extended family, the Spanish views on food and friendship, and different approaches to averting tantrums and tears alike. We recently had a lively and amusing debate over a game of Risk about how many continents there really are. Spanish schools say six, while Americans are taught there are seven.
We have been lucky to share the highs and lows of Maria's life, including homesickness, finding true love (despite insisting she was not interested in romance), a frightening hit-and-run car accident, and funny stories of her adventures in San Francisco. She has also shared in our dramas and triumphs, most notably, the birth of our baby daughter two months after Maria's arrival. Maria has truly become part of our family: she is part of our day-to-day life, our joys and sorrows, and our memories.
Maria's relationship with our children has surpassed my greatest hopes. She has forged an incredible bond with both of them and has an uncanny ability to switch gears as needed. She is energetic, playful and silly with our rambunctious three-year-old son, then patient, gentle and reassuring with our seven-month-old daughter. They adore her, to the extent that our son puts Maria at the top of the list of people he loves the most. (Mom and Dad are swallowing their pride on this one!)
Maria has shown an uncanny instinct for knowing when to step in and help us, whether she's "working" or not, which has made life so much easier. We traveled with Maria several times and can honestly say we have never had more fun on vacation. Her joyous and unfailingly upbeat energy eased our stress, kept our children sane during long plane rides, and gave each trip a wonderfully lighthearted air.
Maria's time with us will soon draw to a close. Despite seriously considering our wholehearted requests for her to extend her stay, she made the decision to return to her life in Spain where her family and a new career await. However, in typical Maria fashion she is helping us yet again, only this time by corresponding with potential new au pairs and conducting her own personal pre-screening process. After all, she says, she doesn't want just anybody taking care of "her" family!
It's no exaggeration to say that we will be heartbroken when she returns to Spain. Maria showed us that not only can an au pair fit into our family, but she can become such a part of our lives and hearts that saying goodbye to her would feel like losing a beloved daughter, sister, and friend. I'm sure there will be more than a few tears from all of us and a period of adjustment when our home will feel so empty without her wit, warmth, and laughter. Yet we count ourselves blessed and so lucky to have had our time with Maria, who truly has been the ultimate au pair.
