Lukas spent a year in the U.S. as an au pair and experienced so much along the way. In this post, he looks back on the many new impressions, moving memories, and his everyday life with his host family.
🪂 A Leap into the Unknown
Sometimes a new chapter doesn’t start with a bang, but with a quiet flutter in your chest. That’s exactly how my year as an au pair in the U.S. began – with a mix of excitement, fear, and a dash of chaos. I remember it clearly: the airport was crowded, my heart was racing, and in my nervousness, I walked right past my host family without even noticing them. But there was something in the air – a sense of stories waiting to be written.
America welcomed me with open arms and a full buffet of culture shocks. Free water in restaurants, restrooms that didn’t cost anything, air conditioning blasting in the middle of winter – it was all strange and yet fascinating.
My host family brought a whole other layer of diversity into my life: Japanese roots, traditions that amazed me, and a New Year’s celebration that transported me to another world. I especially remember the evenings when my host dad or the grandparents cooked authentic dishes – moments when food became more than nourishment. It was a bridge between cultures.
⚖️ Between Responsibility and Freedom
My everyday life as an au pair was as unusual as it was enriching. Since my host parents were separated, the kids stayed with me only every other weekend, and I had free afternoons during the week to shape my own little adventures. At first, it was hard to connect with them – so little time, so many unspoken thoughts between us. But with patience, playtime, and small daily rituals, the unfamiliar turned into something familiar, and familiarity grew into affection.
Flexibility became my closest companion, because living in the same house where I worked meant that every day held surprises. I had to grow, adapt, and often just improvise. I learned to move through the vastness of America, and I became braver, freer.
📍 America in 20 States
And then there was the traveling – the heart of my experience. Over 20 states, the rugged beaches of the West Coast, the Twilight filming locations in Oregon and Washington, the Vampire Diaries town in Atlanta – every place had its own kind of magic. I let myself drift, soaked in impressions like a sponge, and collected memories that will stay with me for a lifetime.
🪞 What Remains When the Year Is Over
But the most valuable thing I take from this year isn’t tied to any one place. It’s the knowledge that I can always rediscover myself. That challenges are just doors waiting to be opened. That there’s something to take from every moment – whether it’s a new skill, a new perspective, or simply the realization that life is full of possibilities.
My au pair year wasn’t just a journey to another country – it was a journey to myself. And as I look back, I feel that this story is far from over. Maybe that’s what excites me most: knowing that it always continues. That new adventures are waiting somewhere out there – in a world bigger than I ever dared to dream.
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