MAGDALINE, 25 YEARS

My name is Magdaline. I am a 24 year-old (female) Lady. Currently living in Nairobi, Kenya. I come from a family of 5: My parents, Francis and Domiana ,where mom is self employed and my dad is a casual labourer, I have 2 sisters and one brother. My eldest sister Mercy, is 30 years old and is a nurse at a local dispensary . My youngest sister and brother Leah and James are 19 and 13 years old respectively, and one is in her first year in the University while the other one is in grade seven. In about a year or two I plan to pursue a Bachelor's degree, but I am yet to make up my mind concerning my future area of specialization. So, at the moment, I would like to take some time out of academics to have a different life experience, and to have time to calmly reflect on my future academic/professional orientation. To this end, I think spending a year abroad would be particularly interesting. My first language is, of course, Kiswahili, and I am also fluent in English. I started learning English in primary school, and it was also the language of instruction in the secondary school I attended. I have in addition been taking courses taught in English at university. I am particularly interested in experiencing family life outside Africa, as I'm positive other continents offer cultural context that are undoubtedly different from mine. For this reason, I would very much like to find a nice family to live with and work for. When it comes to child care experience, It's mostly in the informal contexts as I live in a neighborhood filled with kids. I've been providing after-school tuition to children aged between 5 to 10 years, and also organizing for them and taking part in recreational indoor and outdoor activities: singing, dancing, playing games, role playing, drawing, painting, and narrating stories. We also visit the public library, the local animal park, or going out on picnics and camping trips. I have helped my parents look after my brother and sister since birth. Although my looking after them is now restricted to my work and traveling, as a teenager, I was nevertheless much more involved in caring for them on a daily basis. I can comfortably say that I sincerely enjoy spending time with children. When it comes to leisure, I take pleasure in the simple things in life. I enjoy being outdoors, being with my friends, going for walks, visiting places I have not been to, and reading a good book. I also enjoy dancing though not good at it, I often propose trending styles to my brother and sister and our neighbour's children whenever they come for company. Did I already mention that I love to read and write?. As far as preferences are concerned, I am looking for a live-in arrangement with a host family, that would be happy to have me stay with and work for them for at least 6 months. I would also prefer looking after children aged between 6 months to 10 years. Lastly, although I am quite flexible, I would prefer to have working hours that would allow me to attend day time language classes. I would be happy to have the opportunity to speak with you: to answer whatever questions you may have about me or my childcare experiences; to learn more about your family; your interests and to know more about what you expect from the au pair arrangement. Thank you very much for your interest in my application! I look forward to hearing from you.