Maarit was most definitely living the dream. For her, that meant being an au pair in the USA. She’d been living with a lovely family looking after their two young children for six months now and was enjoying every minute of it!

Each weekday, she took the kids to school then ran a few errands such as food shopping, collecting the dry cleaning and taking their dog for a long walk, followed by some free time for herself. Some of this free time was actually spent studying as one of her visa requirements was that she had to continue her studies whilst living in the US, so she had enrolled in a course of English lessons to ensure she kept the language updated and fresh in her mind. Other au pairs from the local areas attended the same classes so it was a good way to socialise and make friends. She also learned more about the area and what there was to do, both with the kids and in her own free time. As well as that, it was good to compare her experiences as an au pair with theirs, and there were certainly some amusing stories.

After doing the school run in the afternoons, she’d help the kids with their homework and then they’d have some fun! They’d usually go to the nearby park to play on the swings and the slide, and sometimes they´d take their bikes or their skates with them. Every now and again, she´d treat them to an outing at the local petting zoo; it was their favourite place to go and they loved stroking the animals. Afterwards, Maarit would get some dinner ready and then it would be time to let their parents spend some time with them after they´d arrived home from work. A bedtime story never went amiss though at the end of the evening!

Maarit was halfway through her stay in the US and had had some amazing experiences as an au pair. She already had many happy memories to cherish, but had a feeling that the next six months were going to be even better!