My Time with my American Family!

To start off, I was a “rescue” and then Alex and Julie took me into their family. For the past nine months, I am now in a lovely family from Long Island and I’m starting to feel sad that I’m leaving them in a couple of days.

Back in Germany, I wished to have an awesome time in America, but things did not work out with my first family. I just wanted to go home, especially so close to Christmas.

In this not so nice time, Alex asked me if I want to become a part of his family and take care of his handsome boys (E, 7 and D, 5) and beautiful little princess (Em, 1).

I didn’t think that I would feel so welcome and at home after such a short time. I was happy again! We spent three weeks together, before Christmas was there. I still had some thoughts about just going home and leaving everything behind, because I missed my own family badly. They welcomed me into the family, but I still didn’t know them.

I was a stranger in a new home, with completely different surroundings than before. We had to get used to each other and I had to find my place with the kids and the kids had to find their place with me. Everything was new and unknown. So the thoughts about the upcoming Christmas were scary and didn’t bring the usual Christmas feelings inside me.

The day before Christmas I got an early Christmas present, which melted my heard and washed all the reservation away. I felt at home! I felt like a family member, a friend, a big sister and as a part of them. The present was nothing big, but at that moment for me, it meant the world. I also got my own Christmas stocking with my name embroidered on it. This present broke the ice and I just jumped completely into my new life. I never thought about going home earlier again. I still had my up and downs, but who doesn’t… I had (still have) a wonderful time with my kids and with Alex and Julie, too. They always treat me as an equal and we speak about everything.

One day, in March, the children and I were waiting outside, for E’s bus to pick him up for school. D was standing right next to me balancing on the stones we have in our front yard. He was holding my hand, so he could jump from one to the other. E was standing on the other side of me holding my hand on his chest. D just stopped at one moment looked at me and said “You know Mimi, you are like a big brother! But you are not a boy. So …. more like a big sister!”

A couple weeks later, I was talking to Alex, when E ran into the room asking his Dad if he could tell a family secret, one which not a lot of people know, to a friend of E’s. Alex was asking E (joking, because he just told the story to me) “What is with Mimi, you just told her!” I will never forget E’s answer: “Mimi doesn’t count, she is family! She is allowed to know.”

These are the moments I am going to miss really badly or the smiles, the unexpected hugs, kisses and all the time we spend together will be unforgettable. Or the moments when I walk around the corner and Em starts smiling and crawling toward me, so I can pick her up. The lovely bite-marks she gave me, because her teeth were bothering her.

I didn’t think that all the bad memories I had at the beginning of my year would be forgotten so fast and replaced with memories I never want to forget! They just have to all fit in my suitcase!!

By German Au Pair Mareike Kempf, hosted by the Dubovoy Family from Lindenhurst, NY.