ERIKA, 32 YEARS

Dear Future Host Family,

My name is Erika, I’m 28 years old and I come from Ceara in Brazil. My family is small, it’s just me, my older brother and my parents. I was born and raised in a city with lots of nature and beautiful beaches, I learned from an early age to value the simple things in life and to be a person who faces great challenges, always looking for achievements and always helping those in need. Humility, appreciation and respect would be words to describe what my parents taught me, besides loving others.
Four years ago I moved to São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil (about 3000km from my hometown). A frantic, urban city, but that did me very well... That’s where I live today with my brother Gilberto (32). And the reason for my change was to accept new challenges in the job market and have a personal and professional growth. I also lived in Italy for a short time, it was the first time I left home and was completely by myself. It was a wonderful experience... I went to take a course and improve my linguistic knowledge of the Italian language. Italian is my second language.
I have a degree in interior design. Thanks to my father who is publicist, I had my first contacts with art and this was decisive for the choice of my profession. Today I work in an office, I can say that "I turn dreams into reality" and this is realized in the projects. But working with children, being an Au Pair, having this cultural exchange experience is in fact one of my dreams. I love children and want one day to be a mother.
My first experience with children was with Ana Beatriz, a 5-years-old girl. Her mother is my friend, so I’ve been following her whole pregnancy and I still have contact with them. I had the wonderful experience of taking care of Ana Beatriz a few times during those 5 years. I did things like: Changing diapers and give bottles, preparing and dressing her, bathing, preparing for sleep, doing arts and doing fun activities with her. Many times I did babysitter when her mother was working during the night. I had some experience with my second cousin Yalissa (6) on vacation. She and her parents live in Belgium and during their vacation they come to Brazil and I love taking care of her when necessary. I recently also had experience with a newborn baby Mario. I did things like: care for his hygiene, Changing diapers, Bathing, dressing him and putting him to Sleep.
I would describe myself as a creative, dedicated, responsible, friendly and flexible person. I’m an organized person, because I love methods that help me divide my work into small tasks so that I can establish priorities. I’m flexible, open to new ideas and I’m always able to respond to change in a positive way. And I'm proactive, I solve a probable problem before it even happens.
I’m a person who likes to have a healthy life. I love natural foods. But sometimes on the weekend I also like to eat a pizza or a burger with lots of cheese (laughs). To avoid physical problems I work out when possible, ride a bike or go hiking in the park. I always try to use ecological products and I care about the environment. I also love pets, I had two puppies and a turtle.
In my free time, I love going to museums, watching movies, make a new recipe in the kitchen, go out with friends, photographing and traveling.
I want to be an au pair because I love children first of all... I find fantastic the lightness and joy they bring to our lives and I learn a lot from them. I also like helping people, I feel good doing it. And I think being an au pair is the best opportunity for me to show my skills by helping a family, experience the culture of Holland in a natural way and be able to improve my English.
And finally, I would love to meet a good family, who welcomes me as a family member... Respect and a lot of dialogue are also things that I value very much. Then I will do the same and I will do everything possible to help children grow up and learn in a happy and healthy environment!

Thank you so much for reading my letter, I hope you enjoyed it. I will do my best to make this year incredible for us!





Best regards,
Erika Cardoso