Snethemba is a South African au pair on a small farm by the Belgian border. She recently turned 20. After high school, she wanted to become an au pair and now she’s found one! Her host family has three kids, Line, Nico, and Gini who are all between 8 and 11 years old. So far, she is having a great time enjoying the Dutch nature and exploring!
Why did you want to become an au pair?
“I wanted to become an au pair to gain some experience, learn about the different cultures, and really just travel and get to meet new people because it’s really important to make connections as well.”
“I chose the Netherlands because it was really safe and it was on my list of places I wanted to go. And I thought if there’s an opportunity that comes by and it’s in the Netherlands, I really think I would take it. And I did. And it came by and I was so happy.”
Was it difficult to find a host family?
“I had been looking for quite a while. Yeah, probably I think 3-4 months. And then my friend’s mom told me about Nina.care. Then I downloaded it and I started applying to all these different families, at first it was obviously not easy. There were no answers and things like that… I was like, “Okay, maybe… maybe not. We’ll still keep trying and see.” Then, when I did find a match I was like, “Wow, it’s really hectic!” And yeah, when we had the interview it was really nice. And we all seem to click.”
Did you have any culture shocks when moving here?
“At first, it was quite different. Everything was quite big, coming from a small town, well, there’s a lot. But yeah, as we were driving past, there was a lot to see and the… This is really random, but the rivers. And when we went over it, I was like, oh, my soul. This is a huge body of water. Like, we have rivers, but not like this, I was like, well, flabbergasted by that.”
What does a normal day as an au pair look like?
“So, it’s getting up in the morning and then you work 2 hours in the morning and then four when the kids come home. We wake up and we do breakfast. Just set the table for everyone and it’s all good. Then we make lunches for the kids for school and then when they are done, then it’s just making sure that they go upstairs and brush teeth and hair, just to make sure that everything is done good and ready for school. And then yeah, when they leave, then it’s just just doing a little bit of light household chores, you know, just cleaning up a little bit. And then just wait for them to come back. And I’ll do some studying as well (The Dutch lessons on Nina.care).”
What is your favorite part about being an au pair?
“Ooh, cuddles with the kids. And the little trips we go on as well.”
“We go to a pizzeria in Sluis. It is so nice. And then we go in there and there’s a song that we always play. We play all the time. It’s called Kapitein Rooibos. Oh, my soul. When I first heard it, I was like “Hello. Is everything okay?” But then each time you listen to the song I hear more and more. And I’m like, oh, wait, I get this, I get that!”
How is learning Dutch?
“It was a little easy to adjust but also not really, it was more the tenses, if you can call it that. So for example, the word “het,” we use it in Afrikaans. It’s for the, you know what I mean. And then here it’s like they won’t hit a bluff or something like that. Right? But yeah, it’s like, “het eten is…” I don’t know, “ready?” So you start it with it instead of it being in the middle.”
“And some of the other words are, like, different but the same.”
“Actually I find it so interesting to like, listen to people speak, and then I’m like ohh wait, I know this word. And then as I’m learning and stuff, it’s like thinking in English and then hearing it so then I can say it back in Dutch.”
How do you deal with homesickness?
“Yeah, at the moment there’s no time difference, no… so that is nice! I was a little bit homesick at one point, but then you just phone your parents! And a phone call always helps. And I’m always like, “Okay, I love you. Bye.”
“Yeah. And they’re also really encouraging as well. I mean, here also feels like home. So it’s like home away from home.”
How was adapting to living with a new family?
“Thankfully, English and Dutch are both spoken at home. Gini speaks a lot of English and she does it really well as well and she’s teaching me some Nederlands words and with Nico and Lina it’s also Nederlands. So, it’s pretty good. And they’re learning English. So absolutely excited. Happy.”
“I think it might have been a little bit hard for them to get adjusted, but Gini already [knew English]. As soon as I walked in through the door, she was like, “Hi, this is your room. Let me show you to your room.” I was like, “What? You’re only 8.” But yeah, it was really adorable.”
“Bonding with them came fairly easy I think. Yeah, it’s just. It just flowed.”
“Oh, living with another family was good, yeah. We just… There’s no other way to say but flow, you know? And yeah, we just talk about it and then move on.”
Would you recommend being an au pair?
“Yes, I would. And I think it is a really, really good experience and you are meeting new people and learning about a new culture and just embracing that… I think it’s a really, really good idea.”
“Uh, yes, I do want to continue being an au pair. I think going home for a little bit just for a visit and then definitely doing it again.”
“Yeah, there are so many countries to explore!. At the welcome training as well, there was an au pair from South Africa and she had au paired in the US and she said it was good, but then the family wasn’t so nice and there were a few incidents. So obviously you just have to be aware and just yeah, keep that in mind. Like when you’re choosing and things like that.”
“I was a babysitter to build up my hours for au pairing. Also just all my life I’ve had kids around me, so I feel like this is kind of just a straight transition. It’s just in a different area…. so yeah, I have quite some experience”
What is your favorite thing about the Netherlands?
“Frikandellen! Um. Oh, there’s so much. I’m on the spot! But..Uh… Haring, that that was. Yeah. That was… A bit different.”
What do you do in your free time?
“I go cycling. I’m starting to really enjoy that at home. I did it as well, but then as I got older, not so much because there was a lot to do. But cycling is really nice and going to Waterduinen. And just being out in nature is very nice.”
“Yeah, my mom was an environmental consultant, so [at home] it was always, always, always outside and going to different sites and things. It was really fun.”
What advice would you give to an aspiring au pair?
“Trust the process. And just to be in it. Be present in the moment and try your best. You got this! And have fun.”
Do you have an au pair bucket list?
“For my personal bucketlist, there are some places I want to visit. I do like Belgium and would like to go back. I want to go to Gent as well. But that’s doable. I went to Haarlem and I really enjoyed it. Well, it was raining”
“I want to go to Italy and I want to go to Greece. Really. Yeah, Luxembourg as well. My mom also, when she was younger, au paired in Luxembourg as well. So it’s like a whole family of au pairs, which is really cool.”
Would you recommend Nina.care?
“Yes, I would. I looked before like when I first started the au pair process, there was an agency. It was a South African agency, I think, and they were Culture Care, I don’t know if you’ve heard about them? But yeah, I definitely would recommend Nina.care!”
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Nice. OK, perfect. And yeah, I don’t know if there’s anything else that you would like to share with other au pairs?
“Oh. Try eating frikandel. They are so good. And yeah, I think the food here is really good…specially with mayonnaise”
“Yes, it really is. When I first tried it here with Nico and Esther as well, he was like, “Some people in the Netherlands say it’s the worst food ever!” I was like, oh. And in my heart I was like “Uh, hello. Is it okay? Are we gonna eat this? Is it okay?” And then when I tried it I was like, Woah. Yes, 100% yes. New favorite!”
“And the kids were like, but then when you go back to South Africa, you won’t get them anymore. I was like, you see? Another reason to come back!”
“It is going to be an interesting experience when I leave.. I will definately miss them..”
“It’s fun to hang out with them.. we were doing Just Dance the other day and it was so cute. All four of us were standing there. We were all dancing. And then I snuck off to the back and I took a little video and I was like, I’m going to try and make a Capcut of all, like the cute moments and the kids snippets. I think that would be really cool. And then at the end make a big video and just compile it and be like, bloop.”
Snethemba’s au pair experience is unique – living near the Belgian border is an exciting opportunity that she can take advantage of to explore both the Netherlands and Belgium. Her travel goals don’t have to stop at the end of her au pair year in the Netherlands either because there are plenty of opportunities to explore more of the world as an au pair!
