I grew up in the southern suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa.
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My family consisted of my mom, dad and myself, but I have a large extended family (I am one of 15 grandchildren). My family is very close; we are a loud, big family, always in everyone’s business, and cousins and siblings are basically the same thing. Oh, and we always have food everywhere we meet. Growing up and being around a lot of food, I naturally developed an interest in cooking and baking. I have vivid memories of standing on a chair next to my grandmother, and learning to cook and bake with her. My constant love of food and the preparation of it made me pursue it professionally. I decided after high school to study culinary arts, and am now an internationally qualified chef. Before leaving for the USA, I worked in hotels as a pastry chef.
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The way I stumbled upon the au pair program was completely by surprise. I remember this day so clearly: It was just another Saturday, and my mom and I were sitting in the lounge. She was watching something on TV, and I was scrolling through Facebook. I stumbled upon an advert from Cultural Care and decided to check it out. I casually said to my mom that this was something I thought I would be good at, and she told me to send in my info, it couldn’t hurt to find out more.
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The turning point for me was attending the information meeting. I remember coming home afterwards and telling my parents that this was it, this was what I wanted to do – that I would work hard to be able to do this, and that no matter what, I would get there.
 
And soon enough, I was traveling to the USA to become an au pair. My amazing host family lives in Denver, Colorado. They have two amazing kids, a now 9-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy. While I was with them they adopted a puppy, Puddles, who ended up being the baby of the family. I was their first ever au pair.
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They really made me feel part of their family, and made me feel welcome from my first day. My host kids hold a special place in my heart. Anytime they accomplished something, whether it was facing their fear of swimming in a deeper part of the pool, or learning how to spell a new word, or coming in first place at a swim meet, I was cheering them on just as loud as their parents were, and I got a great big hug just like their parents did afterwards. My host parents can’t wait for the children to grow up a bit more so they can come down here to visit. I still keep in contact with them, and chat with them whenever we all have a free moment and the time difference allows for it. Thanks to this program, I now have an American family—and I know that at any time, if I go back up to Denver, I will have my second family there for me.
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-550 size-full" src="http://blog-api.culturalcare.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-in-SF.jpg" alt="Mikayla in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco" width="1000" height="750" srcset="https://blog-api.culturalcare.world//app/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-in-SF.jpg 1000w, https://blog-api.culturalcare.world//app/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-in-SF-300x225.jpg 300w, https://blog-api.culturalcare.world//app/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-in-SF-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px" />
Being an au pair is an amazing and unique experience; I cannot stress that enough. There is no other program like it out there, and only other au pairs can understand exactly what it’s like to be one. You go through good days and bad days, you celebrate amazing days and accomplishments, and you can endure through some of life’s toughest moments and come out stronger on the other side. For me, the hardest part of being an au pair was being away from home during big life moments. I was in the USA when my grandfather passed away. I couldn’t come home for the funeral, but the love and support I got from my host family really made the world of difference. I also missed a big milestone birthday for my dad, but we had our own little celebration when I got home a few months later.
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Before the au pair experience, I was a very shy person. I was bullied growing up, so I naturally just wanted to blend into the background and not be seen. Now, I am able to stand up in front of a group of people and talk without having an inner freak-out. I am no longer scared to go after my dreams. I used to think that there would always be someone better than me, so why even try? Now, I take that and say that if I don’t even go after what I want, then how could I better myself to be the better person? You never know unless you try. I have learnt that my only limitations are the ones that I put on myself. If you really want something, go for it. Yes, you may fail – but you may also succeed.
<figure id="attachment_552" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-552" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-552 size-full" src="http://blog-api.culturalcare.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-au-pair-panel.jpg" alt="Mikayla speaking at au pair event" width="1000" height="666" srcset="https://blog-api.culturalcare.world//app/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-au-pair-panel.jpg 1000w, https://blog-api.culturalcare.world//app/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-au-pair-panel-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blog-api.culturalcare.world//app/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-au-pair-panel-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-552" class="wp-caption-text">Speaking on an au pair panel at a Cultural Care Ambassador event in Denver</figcaption></figure>
Now, I can say that I’m an adult. I have grown so much as a person: I am more mature, more independent, more self-assured and self-confident. I personally am amazed at what I can accomplish now, and I thought I knew myself pretty well when I left South Africa! I have made friends from around the world, and hope to one day go visit them all in their home countries. The girls I have met are not only my friends – they are my sisters. When you are overseas without your family, your friends become your family.
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-553 size-full" src="http://blog-api.culturalcare.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-and-au-pair-friends.jpg" alt="Mikayla laughing with her au pair friends" width="1000" height="750" srcset="https://blog-api.culturalcare.world//app/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-and-au-pair-friends.jpg 1000w, https://blog-api.culturalcare.world//app/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-and-au-pair-friends-300x225.jpg 300w, https://blog-api.culturalcare.world//app/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Mikayla-and-au-pair-friends-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px" />
If you are questioning becoming an au pair, I would say this: Come on, what are you waiting for? This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I promise you will not regret it. Take that leap of faith and go discover the amazing world we live in.
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This experience changed my life for the better, and I would urge anyone to go.

Becoming Braver, Stronger, Wiser

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Mikayla Duminy pursued her dream of traveling to the USA as an au pair. She talks about finding a second family, and growing as a person in America.

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