My Story as an Au Pair in New Zealand

In November 2008 I finally decided that I wanted to be an Au Pair. For a couple of years I had been thinking about going to New Zealand. I had never learned about it at school and I wanted to go to a place that other Swedes just go for a holiday. I also wanted to take on the challenge of living far away from my lovely family. I was aware of the fact that my family got very nervous; my mum couldn’t sleep when I told her that I wanted to go there and she asked me to go somewhere closer. Nonetheless I stood up for myself and decided to do something that had always been a dream of mine and something that I felt strongly about. I am proud of myself for following my heart. I did cry badly when I had to say goodbye to my friends and my mum and dad at the airport, But it was  worth it. There was a lot of paperwork and the organization for various things involved but in the end it was worth the extra work.

On February 17th 2009, I started my journey as an Au Pair here in NZ. And not for one second during these past 6 months, have I regretted it. I was here for a week before the Orientation Course started, but that was no problem at all. Au Pair Link called me and made sure I was fine. The Orientation Course was so much fun, meeting new girls, just chitchatting, sharing stories about how we ended up in New Zealand and all the girls stuff and all the info we got from APL  which was a big help. We forged wonderful friendships that lead to going out and spending weekends together. Our Road trips were great fun and should not be missed. 

Right from the start I fell in love with New Zealand, the people, the atmosphere and the friendliness, just everything about this country is fascinating. The only thing that didn’t go so well at the beginning was that my first family and I didn’t really get along. Sometimes you just are to different,  and you don’t always know that by reading an introduction paper. This situation with the family took a toll on me. I couldn’t sleep at night and was always worried, got problems with my stomach and couldn’t concentrate.  I´m so pleased that during all these days and that difficult time AU Pair Link was there to help me. Things are different so far away from home and I am happy that I could rely on Au pair link to be there for me at any time. They didn’t blame me for my situation and the fact that I needed to change families (being rematched) and created more work for them. They helped me every single second. I’m so thankful to Au Pair Link and Cecilia and Kikki for all they did/do for me.

In the end I changed my family and came to the family I live with today. It feels like home, they treat me both like a family member and a grownup which I appreciate.  When I’m sick they do everything to make me feel better or if need be get the proper treatment, when I need help they sit down with me and give me and insight on their  thoughts, they are always here for me and I feel so safe and calm here. And when I talk to other Au Pairs they always tell me “your family is special Lizette, they do everything for you and for all of us too, they are so lovely, you are so lucky” and yes, I am lucky. To work with the kids is wonderful, even if there are days that are a bit harder. I look after three kids which are 3,4 and 5 years old. They are easy and love to do things like feeding the ducks, going to the playground or just paying hide and seek. I love just looking at their smile and how some small things can make them so happy. When I collect Lily from Kindergarten she runs up to me and shouts “Lizette!!” with her big smile. When Ryan did his first swimming lesson and I just he was so happy in the water, and Sam, he makes me laugh every day. They love to cuddle and that always make me happy. Taking care of kids made me remember my own childhood and now I understand why my parents reacted the way they did and said what they did when I was a kid. I can recognize myself in the kids and that’s quite funny!

When I came to New Zealand and prepared myself for being an Au Pair I knew that the most important thing for the parents would be to look after their kids. I was not only going to become a big part of the family life but also have to take up a lot of responsibility. Looking after children is not easy, yes there are “arguments” about silly things like food, or brushing your teeth. You also have to be flexible and be able to stand up for yourself. You need to be a grownup but a child at heart, open minded and you need to love children. Since I got to New Zealand I haven’t been badly homesick, I was prepared  in my mind for the distance and I knew before I left that it wasn’t going to be forever, just for one year.  I know my family is going to be there for me when I am coming home and friends too. And I am certain it is going to be one of the best in my life! 
Lizette By