A Letter To Remember
by Natalie Jordan
Au pairs experience so much throughout the course of the year and change in many different ways. A neat way to mark those changes and acknowledge their achievements is to have au pairs who have just arrived take some time at your next meeting to write a letter to themselves. They should include first impressions at the school and with the host family, goals they have for the year, places they want to travel, friends they may have already made. It may be interesting to also include some things that they may be nervous about or initial experiences they may be intimidated by. Have them put their thoughts in a sealed envelope and mark the date of their arrival on the back. At their last meeting in your group return this letter to them.
This is a really personal way for them to see how much they’ve developed and how much their perspective has changed. If they are staying for a second year it can be an even more enlightening moment for them to receive this letter at the end of that second year. They will likely have forgotten that they wrote it but it will be one of their most treasured souvenirs of their experience in the United States.
1 year ago
