6 Months in Hangzhou

I embarked on this six-month placement in China with the aim of having a relatively 'productive' gap year, improving my Chinese language skills and forging connections which might prove useful in the future.

With regard to these aims, the experience was very valuable. My Chinese came on in leaps and bounds thanks to a mostly Chinese-speaking home environment and the best Chinese teaching I've ever received. I also had a really good relationship with my host family (with one caveat that will be outlined below), and will be sure to stay in contact with them for a long time to come. Despite the bulk of my placement overlapping with restrictions due to the pandemic, I was able to see lots of China, taste lots of its food and overall have many unique experiences. Highlights include cupping therapy (definitely an acquired taste!), tongue-numbing Sichuan hotpot and the spectacular scenery of Guilin.

If not for the virus situation, that would definitely be my last word on the programme. However, the fact that our host children weren't attending school meant that myself and most other au pairs were working double the hours stated in our contracts, and I felt that the agency could have stressed more to the families that this was unfair. However, I'm sure that Lopair would have happily facilitated a change of family had I requested one, and the fact that I didn't reflects just how well I got on with my family in all other respects.The fact that I stayed in China, far from family in the middle of a pandemic and working longer hours than anticipated also attests to how great the programme was for my Chinese. I was willing to make some sacrifices in order to reap the benefits of a truly amazing environment for language-learning.

Another nice bonus was making some life-long friendships while out there. I would definitely recommend the programme, though obviously it depends what your goals are at the outset.