We received many great entries entries from our au pairs for the International Women’s Day contest.  We’d like to feature one entry in particular and highlight several others.

Isabella Q. from Brazil
I remember dreaming about living an exchange experience since I was a teenager. Looking back to my last two years as an Au Pair makes me realize how strong I am and that I can handle more than I thought I could. I’m sure that after this experience there’s nothing in my future that I’ll doubt I’m capable of. We live in a society where much is expected of us and when you don’t meet those expectations, you fail. But once we realize that what really matters is our own desires, hopes and dreams, and that all the strength we need is inside of us we are able of anything we want. I hope that I can empower and inspire young women who I’ll eventually cross paths to pursue their dreams and never let anyone tell them “you can’t”. Happy Women’s Day!

 

Other highlighted entries:

Stephanie A. from Costa Rica: “…When you are so far away you understand the best things in this life is not money and things , is love and people you love and care you….I came here for better my english and life a new experience and It is something is happening.”

Bruna P. from Brazil: “…In my opinion be an au pair is very, very hard in some ways but since we’re women, we can deal with problems very well and face them with our heads held high and win better things for our lives. We mature a lot here…”

Amber B. from the Netherlands: “…Being an au pair in the United States of America does not only influence me but it influences all of the other women I will be in contact with in the futureIn the future I see myself working in human resource management and with this experience I would like to keep reminding young women like me that they are just as important as everyone else, to speak up when they think people are treating them unfairly or when people think that they are easy…”

Juliana C. from Brazil: “…Being an Au Pair has shown me that I am capable, that in life the freedom to grow brings an immeasurable pride…”

Anna P. from Sweden: “…Seven months ago I decided to step out of my comfort zone, to move to a new country and leave friends and family behind. For that I will always be proud of myself. I will always be thankful for the opportunity and for how brave I was to actually take it. And in the future when I look back on this year I will still be proud…”

Camila W. from Brazil: “… I am grateful to God for all he has offered me this year as an Au Pair, all the experiences and people I have known and lived with and for so many unexpected changes because they have made me mature…”

Daniela H. from Colombia: “…learning and practicing a second language in this country has been a new opportunity for me to grow as a professional. I am a Software Engineer, and when I was thinking about leaving Colombia to learn my second language, I wanted to do it with a lot of purpose. The principal one was to return and get a great job, a better one than I had at that time…I want to bring something extra to my job and I know that this bilingual experience would give me the experience that I need to do it.”

Eva L. from Sweden: “…Thanks to this experience I’ll face the future as a confident woman with the knowledge that I can achieve my goals as long as I work hard and believe in myself…”

Liliana A. from Brazil: “…I have become more independent. I have opened my own bank account, I have learned how to do laundry, I decide for myself what is good or bad – those might seem small, but for me they are a huge deal. I am learning more about me. I am more… me. And that really influences how I see my future.”