Elena BV. – Colombia

Dear host family.

I am Elena Bonilla, I am 22 years old, and I live in Bogotá/Colombia. I am currently studying business management and also working for OTIS North America as a bilingual engineer. Furthermore, I live with my parents and my younger siblings. My mother’s name is Cristina and she is a doctor. My father’s name is Jaime and he is a business administrator. The name f my sister is Mayra, she is 14 years old & my brother’s name is Fabian, he is 10 years old. I have always taken care of them since they were born. I consider myself a very responsible, careful, charming, and funny person. Although I am very strict when I need to. I have taught them to do their own things; to be honest, helpful, and generous with those they are around. When they were younger, I used to help them to do all their duties and homework. After that, we used to do fun things such as going to the park, watching some movies, dancing in our living room, and sometimes teaching them some English, because they seem to like it very much.

My siblings have given me most of my experience in childcare, even though I have taken care of other children. I have been already an Au Pair in the Netherlands for one year (one of the best experiences of my life). I had a really nice host family and took care of 2 adorable children (Cees 5 years old & Toon 8 years old) who became really important to me, and of course, made me gain more experience. A normal day with them would look like this: Usually, I needed to prepare breakfast for them and Nelleke, my host mother, took them to school. I needed to pick them up after, give them some snacks and go outside to the soccer cage to play some football, or maybe other fun things. On Thursdays, I used to take them to Judo classes. We were back home every day around 6 PM and I stayed with them playing while Nelleke and Frank prepared dinner. Then, we all would have dinner together, and I would clean up after.

I am a very sporty woman. I like athletics, swimming, tennis, biking, soccer, etc. Also, I love to sing (Just in the shower, but I do really like it), and I love dancing, which is one of the activities I always do with the kids. I also love to eat, to taste new dishes and new flavors.

I was born on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and when I was 6 years old I moved to Bogotá, but all my aunts, uncles, and grandparents are still living there. We visit them on holidays and on important dates throughout the year. All my cousins are younger; I am the oldest one, so I also have taken care of them when I had to.

When I finished High School, I decided to study English, so I went to Jamaica by myself when I was just 16 years. In Jamaica, I studied at the University of the West Indies. There I had a lot of free time, so I decided to take care of Abigail, she is a beautiful kid, and she was by then 5 years old. I usually helped her to do her homework & I taught her some Spanish, we played, and sometimes we went to the mall to get some ice cream, etc. Also, I made a lot of volunteer work, teaching and taking care of children from 4 years old to 14 years old in camps for kids. When I was volunteering at schools, I was in charge of the 9th and 10th grades.

I liked the Netherlands so much that I went back in 2020 and stayed there another year. During that year, I worked as a nanny and worked with great families. I took care of Phillip who was 1 year old, Lynn (6 months old), Zoe (2 years old), and Martin (5 years old). And the activities depended on their ages. Later on, you can ask me any questions regarding this.

At home, I usually help with some household chores that include dishwashing, sweeping the floor, removing dust from some areas, and folding the laundry.
I’m really excited about having the opportunity to know the USA. I also would love to be part of your family and to hear from you as soon as possible.

Best regards,
Elena.

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