HELEN, 25 ÅR

Dear host family, My name is Helen, I am 23 years old and I live in Pereira with my family. My mother's name is Luz and she works as nurse, and my father's name is Jairo and he works as driver. I have got a young sister name Daniela. She is 20 years old. We are a very close, sociable and communicative family. My family is so large and I love it. My mother has two sisters and one brother, and my father has one sister and three brothers, so I have many uncles, aunts and little cousins. I love children and I am the oldest one so I have been always taking care of my cousins, preparing their food, helping them with homework, playing and doing crafts together or going to the pool. I have been always surrounded children! When I finished high school, I decided to study social work in Manizales, a small, cold but charming city in my country. For me, it was one of the most important decisions in my life. Living away from home has taught me to appreciate many things, to be much more responsible than I was before going and to mature as person. I think it was a very good opportunity to learn more about myself and it was for me. I have always been very active and hard working, so I tried to help at home combining my studies with different jobs while I lived away from home. I love working with children because they know how to get the best out of myself and I try to teach them to do their best. It is a very rewarding job. My family and my friends say that I'm a very motherly, responsible and loving person, furthermore, I love kids, so this year I decided to fulfill my dream of being an au pair in America. They support my decision and they are very happy for me. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to improve my English, meet your lifestyle, your habits and your country, which I greatly admire. And what better way than doing what I love! I love spending time with children and learning everything they can teach me every day. They learn a lot of us, but we learn more from them than we think. To me, it's wonderful see them growing up with us and learning, litlle by little, to be more independent. Besides childcare experience, I also love reading books and newspaper every day when I have some leisure time, listening to the radio and watching movies, traveling and learning about other cultures and ways of life, meeting new people, talking and sharing experiences, going out with friends or preparing lunch or dinner with my family or with my friends too. I like healthy eating, cooking and trying new flavors but, therewith, I love making cakes and butter or chocolate cookies, brownies, cheesecakes and fruit smoothies. I find very entertaining teaching children how to prepare desserts and funny smoothies. I am so excited with the opportunity to know you better and to be a member of your family. I hope you had fun reading my letter and knowing a bit more about me and my dream. I look forward to hearing from you! Best wishes, Helen