Special SkillsSayoko is a lovely young lady. She in country and is in the process of completing her first year with her arrival family. She is ready to experience her next year with a new family.
Program PreferenceInfant Care
Languages SpokenEnglish, Japanese
Letter to Host FamilyHello Family,
My name is Sayoko. I was born and raised in Japan, and am currently an au pair in Marin County, California. I really enjoy my work with my host family, especially taking care of Haley, their seven year old smart and adorable daughter, and Maddox, their four year old intensely curious and energetic son.
My work is primarily in the mornings and evenings from Monday to Friday, and some Sundays.On a typical day, I wake Haley and Maddox up, make a sandwich for Haley, eat breakfast with the kids and my host mom and dad, help the kids to brush their teeth, wash their faces, comb their hair, and then I walk Haley to school. I currently have a California driving license; I don't need to drive too often as an au pair, but I used to drive a lot when I lived and worked in Japan. After taking Haley to school, I return home and do some light house work.
In the early evenings, I pick Haley up from school, share a little snack with her, and then we go in the backyard and play soccer, read a book together, listen to or play music, or do Origami. Maddox comes back from school with his mom or dad after Haley and then we all play, read, or do something creative together. Later in the evening I eat dinner together with my host family. Usually my host mom makes (a delicious) dinner for us all. I enjoy cooking as well, and sometimes I cook dinner when my host mom is on a business trip or she is busy with other responsibilities. After dinner I help Haley and Maddox take their baths.
My day off is every Saturday, and some Sundays. I love nature and being outdoors, and I often go hiking around Marin County with my friends. I’m very health conscious, and I am physically fit and have a lot of energy. I like taking dance classes or going to museums and art galleries when I am in San Francisco on my days off.
I’m taking some daytime ESL classes from Monday to Friday. Those classes are very helpful for me. I mainly study grammar in my ESL classes. Out of class, I work on my English skills by reading books, watching movies, writing stories and conversing with people in when I have the opportunity.
My reason for wanting to change my host family is to improve my English skills, which have been steadily improving since I came to America. My host dad is American, but speaks Japanese fluently, and my host mom is Japanese by birth and upbringing, so Japanese is the main language spoken in the home. Because their parents want Haley and Maddox to be able to speak Japanese as well as English, my exposure and ability to use English with my host family is necessarily limited. I very much want to speak English at every opportunity to improve my abilities, so I recognize the need to work as an au pair for a family whose primary spoken language is English. I would of course be happy to teach some Japanese language and culture to my new family, if they were interested to learn.
Thank you very much for reading a bit about me. I'm looking forward to working with my new family!
