Jasmin's testimonial - Au Pair in Santiago de Chile
Au Pair 2019
My name is Jasmin, I am from Germany, and I was an Au Pair in Chile for almost four months. The decision that I want to go abroad, I took long before my trip. However, I actually wanted to work in a volunteer project with children. But I did not find any that suits me. But it was clear from the beginning that I would like to go to a Spanish-speaking country, because I already had Spanish in school for three years and wanted to learn the language even better.
Not even three months before my planned departure, I came across Chile Inside and applied as an Au Pair. I had two families to choose from, with whom I had a Skype call. Then I could decide which family I would like to go to. When I decided to go with a family, there was not much time left until my departure. Everyone around me was a lot more excited and nervous than me, and even when I had to say goodby to my friends and family, it was not so real that I would actually not see them for a long time.
My host family in Chile welcomed me very warmly and there were so many new impressions that I had no homesickness at first. However, it was also a help for me that my host mother and the 4-year-old girl spoke German.
I met the little girl only in the morning after my arrival, because I arrived late and she was already sleeping. At first she was still very shy, but after half a day at the latest it was as if she had known me for a long time and she grew very close to my heart.
In the first few days we immediately did a trip over the long weekend due to the Chilean national holidays and I got to know a bit of the Chilean culture. Through the time together I was able to get to know the family better and immediately felt comfortable with them.
After that, I quickly got used to everyday life, which consisted of driving the girl to the kindergarten and picking her up at noon. After that we had lunch together. The afternoon we spent mostly playing. Twice a week I accommpanied her to her swimming lesson and ballet, which she very much enjoyed.
Through Chile Inside I met other Au Pairs in Chile with whom I could do activities on the weekend. With two of them, I also did a 4 day trip to Valparaiso, so I also saw something different then Santiago.
I also travelled with my host family to the north of Chile, to Arica. This was really impressive because Arica is surrounded by desert on three sides and the western lies on the Pacific Coast. In the north, the city borders with Peru, where we also went for a day. We also made a trip to Andes highlands. We went up to 4500 meters (!!) above sea level and visited an amazing volcano, which is already half in Bolivia.
I really enjoyed the time and gained a lot of new experiences. Chile is an incredibly beautiful country with many different landscapes and people. Apart from the new culture you get to know, you also learn a lot about your own abilities and to take responsibility. It was definitely a very nice time I will not forget it anymore.