Jean Birtwistle, East London
"From being a shy and retiring girl, she had changed into an outgoing, capable and confident young lady."
It came as quite a surprise when my daughter, Grace, announced that she was going to enrol in the Au Pair in America program. She had always been a fairly shy and home loving girl, so the though of her travelling to the USA and staying there for a year without parents, family or friends caused me more than a little concern.
Naturally she was also apprehensive about her decision but excited about the prospect of spending time in another country, meeting lots of new people with different outlooks on the world, seeing sights and places that otherwise wouldn’t have been available to her, earning a salary and working with children which has always been her first love.
All of the above reasons to take part in the program seemed to be good and valid but a parent thinks further and needs a little more reassurance like who will take care of their child on the occasions that she needs a Mum. After reading carefully through the company brochure and attending a presentation on the program, we finally decided that this was the safest way to become an Au Pair.
My daughter was placed with a loving and caring family, she was treated as a member of their family and they did all that they could in order that she should realise all the reasons for her wanting to take part in the program. Admittedly there were times during the year that she would phone home, upset by some incident or other and it is difficult to console somebody who is so far away on the end of a telephone when every Mum knows that a hug and a box of tissues would have been a much easier option but these things happen and the following day when Mum phones after spending a sleepless night wondering about the outcome, the incident is over and done with and the latest exciting plan has unfolded.
At the end of her stay in America, naturally my daughter did not want to come home, she had enjoyed her time immensely, seen places and sights that one can only dream of and made friends too numerous to count. From being a shy and retiring girl, she had changed into an outgoing, capable and confident young lady, she had learned how to “do things for herself”, enjoy spending time alone and become financially capable. It certainly has been a wonderful experience and a great success story for her.
