Au Pair Testimonials
Au Pair: Katharina Barth, Germany
Host Family: The Bowens
Location: San Ramon, CA
My name is Katharina. I am a 19-year old German girl, living the American dream and experiencing the American way of life as an AuPairCare au pair.
I am taking care of two adorable kids and have made a lot of good friends who share the same experience as I do.
Becoming an au pair in America has been my dream for so long, since I was 14 or 15. I always loved being with children and that seemed to me the best possibility to do so. I have worked in a summer camp the last three summers and I was always sad to let the kids go back home with their parents and being out of their lives. Being an au pair gives me the possibility to spend a whole year with a family and the kids I took into my heart and even when I am gone after that year, they will stay my family and I am still part of their lives.
I struggled a long time to choose an agency to work with. I had four to choose from. Finally, I chose AuPairCare. I choose them because they were and are so nice and they are always helping you when you call or e-mail and have a question.
I was really nervous about what kind of family I might have. Three families looked at my application, but never called. But the fourth one did. We exchanged emails the first two days to find a good time for the call. Saturday night they called and I was so excited. They have been so nice and we both felt that we would fit together.
I had to wait three month until my departure. We exchanged a lot of e-mails. At the Orientation, I was anxious because I wanted to get to the family as soon as possible.
The flight over to San Francisco was long, I was so nervous. At the airport, I first saw my host dad and we hugged each other. He told me the kids would be around the corner eating and when we saw each other, gosh, it was awesome. The kids started running in my direction. I just dropped the stuff I was carrying and fell on my knees. When the kids reached me, all three of them gave me a big hug. They have been so excited to get to know me that they were holding my hands at the airport and talked to me on the way home the whole time. At home, I was stunned, the house was amazing and the kids gave me a tour through the house. The next day, we went to San Francisco for a little sightseeing tour. We went to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was awesome! A dream come true!
Now I am here already four months and I have experienced so much and got to know many people, not just au pairs. I have been white water rafting and to see the Mamma Mia Musical with the other au pairs and our Area Director. I have been to a High School Musical and to San Francisco with my friends for shopping and one day to have a sightseeing tour in a rented limousine. The best trip I made with my family until now was to Disneyland the weekend before school started again. That was great!
Here, I am studying Cultural Anthropology because I really love to learn about different cultures. My teacher is great and I have fun in class.
I have two best friends here. One is from Germany like me and one is from Czech Republic. We do a lot together. I have more friends who live further away, like from Brazil, Chile and Sweden, but we stay in contact via internet.
I am so excited about the upcoming American holidays. I have already celebrated Halloween and it was great. I dressed up with the kids and we went "trick or treating". Even I got a lot of candy! The next is Thanksgiving. I can't wait for Christmas.
What I really love about being an au pair are the playdates. We don't really have these in Germany and I think that is a pity, because the kids have so much fun and it is good for their social skills.
The relationship with my new family is really good. The kids love me a lot and I love them. They tell me I am the best au pair, the best cook, and they want me to never go back to Germany again. My host parent are also so nice. They treat me like a daughter and I really feel like a family member. Sure, we have our ups and downs and we have had conversations about misunderstandings and cultural differences, but that is normal because we are a family and we all care about each other.
I have been homesick too, but the family is great and helped me through these tough times. I really couldn't find a better host family for me and even when work is hard and stressful, I love being an AuPairCare au pair.
