Overall? Pre' good!

This has been a pretty sick 6 months. However I don't think anything I read online could have truly made me understand what this experience looked like.

I felt a bit thrown into the deep end. I didn't fully understand what I would need to do on a day to day basis to care for this families children and to fit in, however things usually work out happily if you and the family both approach with an openness to compromise. The family who hosted me were so generous to me, and always sought to make my experience in China a happy one, I'm super thankful for the role they played in my time here. That said time with kids can really tire me out, it's not always easy. ^^

Apart from the family, the people who I met be it other au pairs or random connections that you begin to develop made this experience truly special. I'll never forget the people I got to experience this country with in my free time.

A lot of au pairs sympathize together, your free time with aupairia will never be as free as it could be. Because of this you sometimes feel a bit trapped with the range of things you might be able to do, especially depending on the remoteness of the host family. Despite the frequent desire for more freedom, I found the trade off worth while. As a first hand China visitor, the experience of being in a Chinese family's home was a privilege, and the chance to learn Mandarin and explore the city from a comfortable environment with the benefit of wisdom and administrative guidance from the company and family...I think it's a great way. Also as the company prides itself on, it's a mutually beneficial experience. You can have pride to see the ways your host kids grow up with you around as you have input into their lives.

Of course in the end it's the quality of your character, and also the character of the host family that may make or break this program for you. If you're patient and happy to interact with a diverse group of people, I think you'll have an okay time.