Mayra Alejandra from Colombia
Host Family Questions and Answers
1. How do you think your Au Pair’s experience with your family will impact their life in the years to come? What is their life like, and how did their time with your family impact their journey?
I definitely think we have made a forever impact on our family. We have learned about a new culture and another country, what the pros and cons are, how to love through those things, not just with our Au Pair but other people that are different than us with their language or their color of their skin. My kids have learned to love outside of our family, even though our family is a blended (step kids and foster kids) we have learned that our family can expand to those that don’t share our last name. What is their life like, and how did their time with your family impact their journey? I believe for Mayra we have helped her to see how another family operates, loves, and goes through struggles together. She has seen our love unconditionally for her through the learning and mistakes. We have helped coach her financially on how to look at things from a big picture to plan for the future.
2. What are 10 things your Au Pair has done that has gone above and beyond your expectations?
She truly cherishes my kids, she is teaching them to sing, write and talk in Spanish, she has been going to therapy with our child so that she can learn his quirks and how to better handle them too, she has gifted us a date night so that we may have time to be adults in love, she is overly kind and positive with her words to not only the kids but to us (mom you look so good today, I love your outfit!), she loves to learn how to cook new things and try new recipes out to learn more of our culture, she has cooked things from her home country for us to try and experience, she participates in family game nights and is such a fun competitor, she will jump up and help the kids with things if I have had a long day, she creates and implements study work for my kids when they were out of school for the summer keeping them engaged with learning.
3. What’s the funniest or most unforgettable cultural or language mix-up you experienced with your Au Pair?
Playing charades at the house and Mayra had “riding a horse” and she thought it was “writing a horse”. Very funny acting on this one!
4. Share the moment your family realized your Au Pair became more than just a child care provider and was truly part of your family.
From about 30 days after match before she even arrived. We communicated daily and would send videos back and forth of the kids and her. Our kids were so excited she finally made it to our house it was an amazing day after her long journey here with no luggage (delayed at the airport) in a completely COLD (coldest day of the year) for her to arrive, when she lives in the beach warm weather year round!
5. Describe a challenge your Au Pair tackled and how they overcame it. How did you support them?
Her driver’s license test was so hard for her to pass. She took it four times! We coached, trained, demonstrated, etc. We finally hired a professional driving instructor to help her, she passed the very next time! She was so happy she was crying!
6. What new things did you learn about your Au Pair’s culture? Share some surprising insights or customs from their home country that you didn’t know before.
Well they don’t have washing and drying machines! That is one of Mayra’s favorite things in our house. We have learned lots about food, lots of meat and cheese, cheese and meat! Lentils are my favorite though. Holidays are celebrated so differently in Columbia. We are looking forward to the night of lights coming soon! Christmas is also celebrated differently.
7. Reflect on one aspect of your time with your Au Pair that you wish had been different and why?
I wish that she would have had an easier time getting her license. I feel like this would have given her a little more freedom to drive to extra curricular things sooner and make more friends. She is starting to build these relationships now which I feel has been very good for her.
8. Make believe your Au Pair just won a million dollars! How would they choose to spend it?
She would probably send all her money home to take care of her family. She wouldn’t keep but a few pennies for herself. She is very giving.
9. Tell us how your family overcame a challenge with help from your Au Pair. What surprised you about how well your Au Pair navigated this?
Mayra is so patient. We have two challenging boys that test all of our patience, however Mayra continues to seek opportunities to learn new strategies and techniques to help her with the kids. She teaches me things daily!
10. How has your Au Pair supported your children’s growth? For example, have they contributed to your children learning new skills or helped with their confidence?
As stated above she created her own curriculum to teach over the summer to the kids to keep them engaged. She has taught them many things in Spanish including high 5 which is now known as chakula.
11. How does your Au Pair support you in becoming a more effective parent to your children? Are there specific tasks or responsibilities they take on that allow you to focus more on quality time with your kids?
Yes Mayra has helped us significantly be more effective parents! We get quality time with our kids instead of doing kids laundry, picking up the kids toys, ensuring that they did their homework, etc….
Au Pair Questions and Answers
1. How do you think your Host Family’s experience with you will impact their life in the years to come? What is their life like, and how did your time with them impact them?
First, I thank God for giving me this opportunity to be an Au pair and placing me in the best host family. My experience with them has been wonderful, we are not perfect, but we always look for solutions together, communication, respect and harmony and the basis of our relationship.
The Linnenbrink family has changed my way of thinking and wanting to do things with all my heart for my entire life. Just as they welcomed me, they loved me, they have helped me, they made me part of their family without knowing me, without any qualms. I will put those same actions into practice with all the people who come into my life, without judging, without belittling. Loving people as they are giving the best of myself to everyone, without receiving anything in return.
The Linnenbrink family has impacted my life greatly, in all areas of my life, by saying that forming a family was not in my plans, but by seeing the example, teamwork, respect, love, and God in their lives, they have led me to long to start a family. I was a person who had very different habits, for example, before I didn’t have a routine of reading, or solving puzzles, or on Friday night watching movies, putting together Christmas, telling different stories full of happiness, nostalgia, but especially with love. This has made me discover a part of myself that I didn’t know I had. Now I love and love doing those activities, they have helped me have hope, they have always made me feel like their daughter since day number 1.
Sneakers, our pet, a sweet dog has changed my life, before I had a phobia of dogs, I didn’t like them, but this house is so full of love, her presence, her caresses, now I can say that I am not afraid of dogs, when I have my home I would long to have a dog like sneakers. The best experience of my life has been being the Au pair of the Linnenbrink family.
2. What are 10 things your Host Family has done that has gone above and beyond your expectations?
The day I arrived in this country.
With many mixed feelings, full of anguish, but also excited by my new experience, they approached my life at that moment. From the first day , even without knowing me , they made me feel part of their lives , their hugs and welcome confirmed to me that I was in the right hands.
It was my first time experiencing such cold weather, it was January, and winter was in its greatest splendor, I didn’t have a suitcase for 4 days because the suitcase had been left in a different destination.
Not being able to speak a language well was frustrating and scary. But they made sure everything worked perfectly, they supplied me with clothes, they helped me recover my suitcase, they were very patient with me regarding communication. They showed their kindness, understanding and love to me from the first day I arrived in this country.- Cake challenge
A very exciting challenge we did with the Smith family (Friends of my host parents) and their Au pair Susy.
It was a challenge that consisted of making a cake in 3 hours, the best cake was the winner. It was a very exciting experience because we had little time for a very demanding cake and we all wanted to win.
It exceeded my expectations because we all worked as a team, we had a lot of fun, everyone had to do their best to win the prize. We shared an afternoon as a family, we ate pizza, we played Nertz, my favorite game, and we ate a lot of cake.
Do you want to know who won? The winning family was the Smith family, because Our cake collapsed before the competition started, but it was a beautiful and very fun experience. - Easter day.
Celebrating Easter with all of them was great, it is very different from my country, but all the activities they do, painting eggs together, going to church and eating a lot of food that day, it was a beautiful experience that stayed in my heart forever. - Vacation in Branson.
A beautiful place, where we really enjoyed its attractions, food and landscapes. I will never forget that we went up the float trips together, full of fear but courage and fun won, we experienced laughter, nerves happiness and a lot of adrenaline, we ended up wet, but happy. - My birthday.
Here I experienced one of their greatest acts of love for me. I thought that day was going to be very difficult for me, because it was my first birthday without my family.
But they gave me a surprise with a beautiful decoration in my favorite color, they cooked my favorite food, they gave me my favorite cake, we had dinner together, they made me feel at home, that day I was very happy. - My first camp.
It was a special date where we were celebrating the anniversary of my host mom’s parents. At the Ozark camp, I felt like I was in my hometown, since there was a river where we could go kayaking. I enjoyed that day so much because we swam in the river, we made a bonfire, and they cooked outdoors. I was so excited because it was the first time I had that experience and it was so special because I remembered a lot of my country in that place. - My First Thanksgiving
A beautiful experience, my first Thanksgiving in this country. Giving thanks for the blessings and good things that God allows in our lives is the reason why we celebrate thanksgiving. And yes, I am eternally grateful for the host family that God gave me.
Seeing how my host family’s families make me feel loved, calm and important to them. Eating, eating and eating is one of the things I like most in life. And that day I did it until I was satisfied, exchanging cultures between laughter and fun was one of the experiences that I will never forget. It was a wonderful time, alongside great people. - Our trip to Alabama in the summer.
This is a journey that will never be erased from my heart.
There were so many experiences in one week that marked my life with positive things, enjoying the landscapes, the sea, the sunsets, different foods, but about their time with me and making me part of their plans, and their stories. It has been very special for me. They always look for my well-being and make me feel at home even though I have been thousands of kilometers away from it.
Seeing a boat, going by boat to meet dolphins in the middle of the sea with a beautiful sunset, was something I had never done in my life, and I experienced it with the right people who fill my heart every day with their great love. - Place the decoration of my favorite time of the year, Christmas.
A very special moment, where I lived what I wanted to live since I was little.
The magic of Christmas, the time that brings joy to the hearts of all humans.
I will experience my first Christmas away from home. Seeing the whole family working on the decoration, excited, listening to Christmas music, it was beautiful. Putting together a Christmas that has hundreds of decorations, and each decoration has a representative meaning of the family, it is beautiful, listening to each story, the meaning and seeing the house illuminated with beautiful decorations. It made me remember that I was living the moment that I wanted to live my entire life when I was little. Family union, love and dedication is everything, more than material things and it is something that I have learned with the Linnenbrink family. - My first time meeting a pumpkin.
That day I was very excited, I could not believe that the pumpkins I saw in the movies, that day I had one in my hands.
It was a wonderful day where we took a tractor ride, picked many apples, and rode a camel for the first time. Experiencing the fall season was more than I imagined, beautiful moments, photos and I learned new things.
3. What’s the funniest or most unforgettable cultural or language mix-up you experienced with your Host Family?
One day after dinner, we were playing a game called “Charades” where one person secretly says an action, and another must demonstrate what the action is while the rest of the players must guess what the action is being demonstrated, and whoever guesses is the winner.
My turn to act had arrived, but my English at that time was not the best. My host told me “Riding a horse”, and I didn’t understand very well, but my mind was sure that it was “A horse writing” and I showed that it was the horse writing, and no one could guess, everyone was confused at that moment.
Until we resolved what he had told me and what I had understood, it was something very fun and funny. And do you know who won? We all won because what we wanted was to have fun and because of my linguistic confusion, no one could stop laughing. Now I ask you. Can you imagine a horse writing? It’s kind of crazy, but we had a lot of fun and almost every day we remember that moment. Unbeatable moment.
4. Share the moment you realized you were truly a part of your Host Family’s family.
I really felt part of the family when they took care of me during my illness. A month and a half after arriving in this country I had an infection in one of the fingers of my right hand. It was painful and very uncomfortable. In this situation, my family showed me so much love that they took care of me. They were attentive to my medications, they took me to the doctor, they healed my wound every day, because the doctors had to open my finger for the infection to come out. This act of love exceeded my expectations because I never thought that outside people would care for me as much as my mother does, the care of my family, their love and patience was the best medicine for such a difficult time for me.
5. Describe a challenge you tackled and how you overcame it. How did your Host Family support you?
One the biggest challenges for me in this country was not the language, or the culture or being far from home, it was my driver’s license, I tried three times to get it and I could not pass the exams in all those attempts, it was something that despite the failures , they made me think that I had made the best decision of my life by choosing the Linnenbrink family as part of my experience as an Au pair, the patience they had for me, the dedication in helping me improve my driving skills. Helping me practice every Sunday for the exam was an act of understanding, love and patience towards me. The day I got my license was a triumph not only for me but for the whole family, despite my frustration and falls from not getting it, they were always my shoulder and that hand that helped me move forward and achieve it.
6. What new things did you learn about American culture from your Host Family? Share some surprising insights or customs your Host Family shared with you that you didn’t know before.
- The celebration of Valentine’s Day is very special and is celebrated in a different month. In my country we celebrate it in the month of September.
- The celebration of thanksgiving. It’s my first time celebrating it, it’s actually very beautiful.
- The time change, twice a year, was amazing for me to see how it gets dark late in the summer and gets dark very early in the fall. It’s something new for me in this country.
- The celebration of birthdays in the United States is something calm and peaceful. In my country it is celebrated very loudly and with many people, it can last 2 days of celebration, it is something crazy.
- In the United States I discovered the Alexa robot and the dishwasher, something I love now is washing the dishes. It’s one of my favorite hobbies, it’s super easy.
- Something that was difficult for me at first was the food, because in the United States the main course is dinner and lunch is something light. In my country the most important meal is lunch.
- At Christmas I met Tiny, it seems so genuine and exciting to me, I didn’t know that tradition and seeing how excited the children are to find him is very cool.
7. Reflect on one aspect of your time with your Host Family that you wish had been different and why?
I wish the children’s behavior towards me had been different when I arrived at the family. It was a challenge for them to adapt to me and I to them. My youngest child told me all the time “don’t touch me” (it’s an expression that we currently use as a joke) but it was difficult, because they didn’t understand me because of my language and I didn’t understand them. Gaining their trust and affection was a challenge that took some time.
8. Make believe you won a million dollars! How would you choose to spend it?
One of my dreams is to create a foundation to help children and adults who are homeless. I would buy hundreds of Bibles and go all over the world to give them away and talk about the word of God. I would take my host family to see my country, it is something I imagine every day. My two families that God gave me are united and know each other. Make a soup kitchen for homeless people on the streets. I would pay for my brother Martin’s studies. I would give my mother a house. I would take my mom to her dream country, Israel.
9. Tell us how you overcame a challenge with the help of your Host Family. What surprised you about how you resolved the challenge?
One of the challenges when arriving in this country was the language. My English was not good at all, insecurity and fear dominated me at that moment, so much so that I asked them if I could use a translator to communicate.
They always supported me, made me feel comfortable. But both they and I knew that the language would not improve at all if I used the translator all the time.
I was very insecure because I didn’t understand and didn’t know how to communicate. Until one day they motivated me to try by advising me to try to understand what they were telling me and through signs, repetitions of things over and over again with great patience, they made me feel more and more comfortable and sure of myself. If I was wrong, they kindly corrected me.
Little by little I gained confidence since they made me understand that it was a process, that it didn’t have to be perfect, that I was trying.
But the best of all is that I have the best teachers in the world. My children teach me, they explain each meaning to me, they spell the words for me and help me pronounce them, their love, their patience, their understanding, not only from the parents but also from the children, have made me more confident and I can communicate with them easily, improving my English every day. Finally, I no longer use a translator, and I can understand them much better. But first, thanks to God and secondly, my host family, without them it would have been more difficult than it was.
10. How have you supported the growth of your Host Kids? For example, have you helped them learn a new skill or helped them overcome something?
Learning my language Spanish, every day we sing songs in Spanish and they always ask me the meaning of the words, it is something that makes me happy and excited. Use the right words when asking for anything, if you don’t say the magic words (Please) you won’t be able to get what you want. Acquire responsibilities, organize and clean together after playing, put their belongings in the right place after school, sometimes they organize their beds. Communication. Crying and complaining don’t solve anything, they take a breath, regulate themselves, we talk about it, and we can solve it.
It has been a growth on both sides, they have also taught me a lot, through them God has worked on my character, on patience, and loving each one as they are. I have learned that with patience, love and understanding is the solution to the differences we may have. I would choose them a thousand times more.
11. How does your Host Family support you during your time as an Au Pair? How have you supported your Host Family that has changed their lives?
When reading this question, the first thing you thought was that the “perfect match does exist”. The Linnenbrink family has been a school of life for me. Not only as my Au pair role, but also personally. It leads me to think that between different cultures, different countries, different customs, there can be so much empathy, understanding, love, and connection. Each one of us contributes a grain of sand with our essence, ability and way of being so that this family can run perfectly.
Understanding that despite our mistakes, difficult moments, and imperfections, we can move forward as a family. Yes, I said family is what they are for me. They have welcomed me so much, they have loved me so much, and I have learned a lot from them since the beginning, the first day.
My host mom, a woman to admire, brave, dedicated, intelligent, the most patient person I have ever met in my life, full of love, has taught me that by taking a breath, listening and seeing others with eyes of love, we can solve any problem or conflict. My host dad, a present, loving, dedicated father, is really the father figure in my life, who takes care of everyone, is always willing to solve any problem that arises, regardless of the day, date and time, from him I have learned to give without receiving anything in return, to always do everything with the heart and with the desire to help others.
My children have helped me work with my patience, putting myself in the situation of others, that love can do everything, and endures everything, Rylie with her enormous and humble heart that is willing to help at all times, Oliver with his occurrences that brighten our lives and with their sweetness that conquers even the most hardened heart and Hunter, my intelligent child, who with his help and patience has been very fundamental in my improvement with the English language.
We support each other in everything we need. God, communication and respect is the basis of our relationship. We are imperfect but together we make everything go well every day.
I am a person who likes to help, I like it when everyone feels comfortable, that I am always available for whatever they need. If one day in my life I come to form a family, I only wish it to be like the Linnenbrink family, my example to follow, with God who directs their lives and each one giving their grain of sand every day to continue moving forward.
