Au Pair Program creates a global family

Remarks by Ted & Sarah Wartell, Hosts
Aupair Program

[Ted] I'm Ted Wartell. [Sarah] And I am Sarah Wartell.

[Ted] Our fourth Au Pair just started, and so and each of the first 3 were here for 2 years, so a little over six years.

[Sarah] Initially, the idea of having someone who could live in our home and who could be flexible about hours, was one of the things that first made this appeal to us.

[Sarah] We often, we have children in school, so we need help early and late in the day. But we also thought it would be a really great opportunity for our children to learn more about other countries and other ways of life.

[Eleanor] It's actually been really amazing, having four different now Au Pairs from Brazil and being able to like, spend, I think it's been six years now, just like learning about this new culture and we just recently went to Brazil.

[Eleanor] We actually went to you Brazil because our very first Au Pair Julianna, was getting married. And we were invited, and we-- we wanted to go for the wedding, but we decided if we're going all that way, it would be really nice opportunity to explore Brazil and spend time with both of our old Au Pairs, that are still back in Brazil.

[Renata] I came here for the J-1 visa and the Au Pair program.

[Renata]I worked for the family the whole time, and then we have a schedule to deal and I could study work for them.

[Renata] We are making brigadeiros and then it is a very sweet things from Brazil. Yea, its impact a lot my life, because I had a different background and I learned a lot with them, and especially with the kids.

[Eleanor] Really I mean, for us at least, they definitely become part of our family and it's a really interesting and I think a really great way to get to know new people and a new culture as well. Fernanda is our fourth Au Pair.

[Fernanda] Hello, my name is Fernanda I'm from Brazil, São Paulo. And I'm here to be an Au Pair in America. And that allows me to to have the J-1 Visa, that it's something that make me feel secure.

[Fernanda] A part of of having a family, you know behind you, it's real important.

[Fernanda] I feel like I'm a part of the family.

[Sarah] Our children, they have had this great opportunity to relate to people in addition to their parents, and really think about them as a part of their family. In different ways I think our children will be in touch, and they will know that there is someplace, that some person who may be 12 hours by plane away from them, but yet, there is a person who would, as Thays did, drop everything in her life.

[Sarah] She posted something on her Facebook page, it said that family are the people you choose, and that she really feels that we are a part of her family, and that was just, that was, for a girl to have that with, was great.