When opportunity comes knocking, you invite it in, right? I have been offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be an Au Pair for a family in Valencia, Spain for two months next summer. For those of you that are unfamiliar, an Au Pair is a young person that travels to a foreign country where they live with a family and care for their children in exchange for a place to live and a small salary. I am so excited for this experience, here's why:

1. I have a passion for travel

I have always had an overwhelming desire to see what the world had to offer. Nothing is more exciting to me than walking through a place I've never seen before, trying new things, and finding a new piece of myself every place I go to. So far, my travels have been limited to the United States and South America, but it's on my bucket list to travel to every continent at least once. Being an Au Pair is one step closer to crossing that dream off of my list.

2. I have always wanted to immerse myself into a different culture

I've always resented the idea of traveling somewhere new and only visiting tourist locations. I am a firm believer that with travel comes self-discovery and learning opportunities, and tourist location types of travel offers limited opportunity to do those things. I want to immerse myself in the culture of wherever I travel. I want to learn why people of that culture behave the way they do, how the people live their day-to-day lives, where their roots lie, and how the culture came to be. I want to learn new languages, form relationships with people, try authentic food from wherever I am, and develop a greater appreciation for diversity. What better way to do these things than to live with, eat with, and become part of the family of a resident of a different country? Being an Au Pair is ultimate immersion into a different culture.

3. I absolutely love kids

Almost every single one of the part-time jobs I've had have been children-centered. I so badly want to be a mother and I am so excited for the chapter of my life where I can be one. I think one of the most beautiful opportunities we have as we grow up and grow older is to teach and help the younger generations grow. As an Au Pair, I get to hang out with a little kid all day. Not only do I get to teach him English, but I also get to be a part of his life as he grows and ages. I get to help him grow up, even if it's only for a couple of months. All the while, I will learn many lessons from him.

4. Being an Au Pair is a great resume builder

Being an Au Pair will teach me patience, care, responsibility, and so much more. In addition to this, an awareness and acceptance of diversity is essential to becoming employed in my future career field. Not only will I be aware and accepting of diversity, I will also have a deep appreciation for and significant experience with diversity. How many people can truly say that about themselves?

5. When else will I have this opportunity?

I am nineteen years old, in perfect health, and I have no other responsibilities to worry about during the summer months. Traveling in the future will require me to front thousands of dollars, but being an Au Pair is a perfect way for me to travel without the burdens of housing or eating expenses. I would be stupid not to take this opportunity, as it will likely never come to me again.

Being an Au Pair is an amazing opportunity and I am eternally grateful that I have to chance to do it. I can't wait to embark on this adventure, but I can't do that until I have purchased my plane tickets. Although my housing and meals are paid for, my airfare is up to me to purchase. Unfortunately, I am a broke college student with little means to come up with close to $2,000 for a plane ticket. I have a part time job, but my paycheck is far too small to pay for my travel expenses; however, with the help of my family, friends, and readers, I might be able to raise enough money via my GoFundMe.com fundraiser. Whether you can give $5 or $50, your contributions are greatly appreciated and will not go to waste. If you're interested in contributing, you can click this link where you'll find a description of my funding needs and a place to donate money!

https://www.gofundme.com/jennys-au-pair-job-in-spa...