{"id":10851,"date":"2022-12-16T17:40:20","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T22:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/?p=10851"},"modified":"2022-12-16T17:52:18","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T22:52:18","slug":"meet-lena-au-pair-usas-2022-super-au-pair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/become-au-pair\/meet-lena-au-pair-usas-2022-super-au-pair\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Lena, Au Pair USA\u2019s 2022 Super Au Pair!"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n
\"Meet<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the moment you connect with Lena, it\u2019s easy to see why their host family nominated them, and they were ultimately selected as Au Pair USA\u2019s Super Au Pair. Lena has a calming and positive energy, a sincere and honest demeanor, and an empathetic and graceful way of communicating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Lena arrived on program in November 2021, they knew the basics of what to expect from the au pair program. Their best friend had completed an au pair year and filled them in on all the details of culture, schedule, education, socialization, etc. What Lena didn\u2019t expect was what would transpire just a few months later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after their arrival, Lena\u2019s host child was diagnosed with lymphoma. Just as their au pair routine was starting to form, everything changed. Instead of taking their host child to and from school, Lena would spend weeks at a time visiting her in the hospital. Instead of having a carefree social schedule, Lena would be making more cautious decisions about their interactions with friends or in crowded spaces to account for their immunocompromised child during chemo treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, as Lena says, \u201cI was just trying to make it as easy as possible for my host family.\u201d Making sacrifices in their social life to not add any additional stress to their host parents\u2019 plate was a no-brainer decision Lena made for the benefit of the situation, alongside many others. Lena thought, \u201cIf this is something I can do to help my host family, I\u2019m going to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most admirable choice Lena made was when they decided to shave their head with their host child to make the experience less scary and more fun. Lena explained how their host child had always had long hair and was nervous about losing it during chemotherapy. They started giving her shorter and shorter haircuts and one day all decided (Lena, host child, and host dad) that they would shave their heads together. The host family set up a mini salon in their kitchen. Lena\u2019s host mom shaved Lena\u2019s head. Lena remembers the experience vividly, especially seeing all the different hair colors on the ground afterwards when it was time to clean up the hair mess!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Group<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lena is now in their extension year of their au pair program. It\u2019s been such a different experience than they could have ever imagined, but Lena continues to see the positive throughout it all. For example, Lena said, \u201cWhat I realized during the months of treatment is that I would have never gotten to know my host kid the way I did if she had just been going to school. I feel grateful I really got the chance to form such a close bond with her when I was spending time with her in the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lena\u2019s host child completed chemo in May 2022 and has been thriving post treatment. She says, \u201cI really think Lena is a great au pair. She makes really good snacks, like tacos and she helps me get my reading and math done in a fun way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What more could you ask for in a Super Au Pair? Watch<\/a> Lena\u2019s story and others. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the moment you connect with Lena, it\u2019s easy to see why their host family nominated them, and they were ultimately selected as Au Pair USA\u2019s Super Au Pair. Lena has a calming and positive energy, a sincere and honest demeanor, and an empathetic and…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":10852,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,20],"tags":[48],"class_list":["post-10851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-become-au-pair","category-cultural-exchange-stories","tag-super-au-pair"],"yoast_head":"\nMeet Lena, Au Pair USA\u2019s 2022 Super Au Pair!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Au Pair Life blog is a resource for au pairs visiting the U.S. as participants of the Au Pair USA program.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/become-au-pair\/meet-lena-au-pair-usas-2022-super-au-pair\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet Lena, Au Pair USA\u2019s 2022 Super Au Pair!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Au Pair Life blog is a resource for au pairs visiting the U.S. as participants of the Au Pair USA program.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/become-au-pair\/meet-lena-au-pair-usas-2022-super-au-pair\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Au Pair USA Life - 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