Host Family Testimonials
Host Family: The Grahams
Location: California
Au Pair: Martina Kohoutkova, Czech Republic
I knew when I spoke to Martina on the phone the first time that she would be a great fit for our family. For one, she loves tennis and skiing, just like we do. I figured that would give us a lot to talk about for the upcoming year.
Before becoming an au pair, she worked in Prague at a five star hotel and one of her jobs was dealing with difficult client requests at the hotel. I figured that our family would never be as demanding as some of those finicky customers at the hotel, so if she could deal with them, she could definately deal with us!
These first impressions proved to be true. The best thing about Martina is how positive she is. She wakes up in the morning with a smile on her face and even when things go wrong, she keeps on smiling. One time, when she first began driving our car, the alarm system malfunctioned. She was leaving the park with the kids in the car, when the alarm when off, which is a very loud, repetitive honking. Everyone was staring and she was worried that people would think she was stealing the car, but she remained calm. She put a smile on her face and reassured the children. She called me at work, and at first I thought she was crying, but it turned out she was laughing. I could hear the loud alarm in the background. She calmly followed my instructions for turning off the alarm and drove home.
Martina's positive attitude has a great affect on the children. They are learning to smile and laugh, even when things do not go their way.
Martina came to the US excited about experiencing new things. And thus, she always welcomes a new experience. When I ask her to do something she has never done before, like taking the children to the market or checking out books at the local library, she says, "Don't worry, I will figure it out." And with a smile on her face, she succeeds.
Martina has become a valuable member of our family. She has introduced us to delicious Czech food and taught us a lot about the Czech Republic. We are blessed to have her as our au pair.
