Question of the week (4 April 2011). Host mother Liz from England worries about her au pair from France: Adrienne has recently been retreating into her shell. After enquiring Liz found out that she is homesick. What can she do?
Dear AuPairWorld Team,
Our au pair Adrienne from France has been with us for a couple of weeks now. Everything was going well so far. However, since last week, she has been retreating into her shell. I tried to ask her about the reason. She said she was homesick. She does not know how to cope with it, thus feeling guilty towards me. Otherwise, I am quite happy with her. But now I am afraid to lose her. What can I do?
Host mother Liz from England
Dear Liz,
Your au pair's homesickness does not necessarily mean that she rejects you and your family or your country. Putting yourself in your au pair's position can sometimes be helpful: go back to your own school days, your first vacation at a holiday camp. Do you still remember how you felt in these moments when you were all alone? In this context it did not matter how many friendly persons were around you. Simply, because you sadly miss everything familiar and personal.
An au pair is a young person, who wishes to explore new things: a new culture, country, family, new friends and a new language. However, sometimes he/she is overwhelmed by homesickness.
If your au pair feels homesick, you may want to:
You have already considered some of the above mentioned points, which is great. We shall keep our fingers crossed for you and your au pair, hoping that our tips will be helpful and that you will have a great time together.
Best wishes,
Your AuPairWorld Support Team