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Keeping Up With Katelin

By Nicola Pearce

Last updated: 20th November 2015

Here’s news from au pair Katelin in Fairfax, Virginia, she’s managed to visit five states in four months! She’s also been telling her friends about the Au Pair USA Programme, so I met one of her friends in our office for an interview last week!

 

Hey Nicola!

I’m glad I could recommend a friend to the programme, I know she is super excited to begin her year!

Things are going great for me. My host family are amazing, I couldn’t have asked for any better. They have made me feel part of the family since I met them in the airport 4 months ago and continue to do so every day. My host parents treat me more like their daughter than someone who works for them and the kids treat me more like an older sister which makes it all the more fun.

I can’t believe I am into my fourth month here already and I can happily say I have never once felt homesick because I feel so at home here – I think my own parents secretly don’t like that fact, but they’re just glad I’m happy, ha! My kids are all great too. All three of them are 11 and above so it makes it even better as we are all really close and we are able to have a good balance between rules and fun.

I was very fortunate to get taken on the family vacation over the Christmas period when we went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise! That was so good and I was able to cross so many things off of my bucket list during that time. It felt weird being in 29 degree heat on Christmas day though, but it was definitely something I would do again.

I also went skiing in Pennsylvania with the family last month. It was my first time ever skiing so my family got me a lesson before hand and some time on the slopes afterwards. I loved it so much that I’m going skiing with one of my friends and her host family this weekend to a ski resort that’s around two hours from where I stay.  I’m also going on a ski weekend to West Virginia with my local coordinator in March

For college I’m signed up to attend two weekend classes, one in American History and the other is a Photography On Location class in Washington DC! My first class is at the end of February so I’m looking forward to that.

I’ve also been fortunate enough to go back to NYC – I went here the first weekend of this year with some friends and as we were walking through Central Park it was snowing. If my life didn’t already feel like a movie it certainly did then!!

As I live so close to Washington DC I’ve also been there and done all the typical touristy things, I loved seeing the White House. It felt like the American equivalent to standing outside of Buckingham Palace.

I’ve also been to Maryland to watch a football game (American Football that is!) and technically I’ve been in Florida as this is where we left from for our Cruise. So within four months I’ve managed five states so far – that’s pretty good going I’d say. I’m excited to see how many more I can try and see in my time here.

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