7 Years Ago, I Was an Au Pair in China!

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My name is Carmen Kompatscher from Italy. 7 years ago, I was an au pair in China. I joined the au pair China program in 2013 and time flies, it has been 7 years.

In 2013, I was19 and I joined the Au Pair program of Lopair because I love Han culture and Chinese culture. I was very young at that time but I was very enthusiastic, and I especially liked outdoor sports and dancing. Most people's first impression of me is that I'm professional, flexible, enthusiastic, patient, I have strong communication skills and a lively personality. I'm also good at communicating with people and I'm a trustworthy person.

I was matched with a host family in Shanghai for 6 months. 7 years has passed, now I have my own career. After the LoPair program, I did my Bachelor degree in Chinese Economy and Culture at the University of Hamburg, Germany and now, I am about to graduate with a Master's in International Management Asia at the University of Applied Sciences in Constance, Germany.

I have been working for two different Chinese companies and I really like the spirit of innovation and engagement in Chinese companies. Even though my Chinese is not great, I love chatting in Chinese with my colleagues and they are always very open, because they know how interested I am in China. I really hope that I will get to travel to China for business soon.

Even after all these years have passed, I spoke with with one of my hostmums just yesterday and generally, during Covid-19 contact and our friendship revived with both of my host families. We care about each other and therefore, checked on each other to see if everyone was safe. I really miss them all!

I really hope that the situation will get better soon and many more LoPairs will get the chance to have this amazing experience!