Noemi - Smartaupair of the Year 2014-5
24-06-2015
A HUGE congratulations to Noemi - Smartaupair of the year 2014-5 winner! Noemi is from Germany (born in Spain) and she joined her family Raad in September 2014.
[caption id="attachment_2430" align="aligncenter" width="660"]
Noemi & Her Host family [/caption]
What is the Smartaupair of the Year Award?
We wanted to give our host families the chance to say "thank you" and to formally recognize the hard work, dedication and love we know the au pairs put in their au pair time.
In the end we received SO many lovely nominations and all runners up also received little thank you notes from our team. In addition to the certificate, Noemi also received a £200 gift card for Topshop.
Finally, a word for all our au pairs - whether you were nominated or not, we just want to say that your hard work does not go unnoticed - We speak with so many happy host families every day to know that each of you make a real difference to the lives of your host families, so thank you!
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="2408,2407,2406,2410,2409"]
Nomination Letter from the Raad Family:
Our au pair, Noemi Litten Rubio, is far more than an au pair. She is absolutely a member of our family that we all love. I think our 4 year-old son, Ethan, sums it up best when he says, “Noemi is not my au pair; she is my best friend, and I hope she is always my best friend.”
Noemi joined our family in September a few months after we located from New York to London. We were all still struggling to adjust to life in London, and prior to our relocation we had never had an au pair or any kind of live-in support. As a result, we were not the best at articulating our needs and expectations. New herself to London, Noemi set out to help us adjust. Most importantly, she took it upon herself to make sure she sought out opportunities for Ethan. She made an effort to engage with children and parents at Ethan’s school, arranging play dates. She thought up creative ideas designed around the school curriculum and Ethan’s interests to entertain Ethan, including designing a flower project given Ethan’s loves of the garden, teaching Ethan Spanish, arts and crafts, baking, and so much more. (See attached photos).
She has helped Ethan’s confidence grow day by day by encouraging him to keep practicing. When Ethan first arrived in London, he was reluctant to engage with other children, especially children he did not know. He would wait in line at the park for all of the children to clear from the slide before he tried. Just today, he proudly walked into a summer camp, which Noemi helped find, without knowing any other child and turned to Noemi and said, “I love you; you can go now.” Noemi has done all of this for Ethan while still looking after us in so many ways. She knows that I am a terrible cook, and often surprises me with dinner, especially if my husband is working late. She shops for my favorite things, always making sure that things are refilled before I even notice. She walks the dog (and treats her like a queen), because she knows we can use the help – not because we ever had to ask. Really, everything Noemi does that makes her so special, is just because she is Noemi.
We are going to miss her terribly when she heads off to school in the Fall, but she will always be our best friend as Ethan says.
Thank you for considering Noemi for this much deserved award.
Amanda
Letter from Noemi:
My life with the Raads
It's funny how people that were completely strangers to you, can turn into your second family in such a short time. That's what happened to me with Ethan, Amanda, Shaun and Wrigley Raad.
I've been living with the Raads for less than 10 months and we went through a lot together: I cried and laughed with them, I learned a lot about their traditions, about their country, about childcare and even about myself. The amazing thing about the Raads is that they don't treat you like staff. They let you your space and invite you to join them on days out or on special occasions. They include you in conversations that are not about Ethan, they don't treat you like a child, they ask for your opinion about things and listen, they care about you and know when you need time alone. The Raads are funny, caring and full of love. In all this months the Raads not only helped me with my English, but also taking hard desicions, and realising what I want and what I don't want. They have supported me in every little thing and they never judged me. I've grown up so much and that's all thank to the Raads. If there was an award for the best host family of the year, the Raads would win it every single time.
Ethan Jaxson is the cutest kid on the planet. He's funny, sweet and adorable. When I arrived here, Ines (the previous Aupair) just left and Ethan liked her so much, that I was really worried that he would have a hard time and he would hate me, but that's not Ethan. He played with me from day 1, was always asking me questions and loved to try new things with me. We enjoyed exploring Fulham together, going on picnics, reading books in the library, baking new recipes, trying different kinds of food, fingerpainting, having our own inside jokes that nobody else understands... It's true that it wasn't always easy and that we had our ups and downs, but, through it all, he's my favorite 4-years-old boy.
When I first arrived to their home last September, I was terrified. The driver that had brough me from the airport left me in front of the door with my suitcases and I was so nervous that I thought I was going to throw up. Now the throw up feeling comes back everytime I think that in a few weeks I'll be going home and leaving the Raads.
Noemi Litten Rubio
Return to smartaupairs home page
Noemi & Her Host family [/caption]
What is the Smartaupair of the Year Award?
We wanted to give our host families the chance to say "thank you" and to formally recognize the hard work, dedication and love we know the au pairs put in their au pair time.
In the end we received SO many lovely nominations and all runners up also received little thank you notes from our team. In addition to the certificate, Noemi also received a £200 gift card for Topshop.
Finally, a word for all our au pairs - whether you were nominated or not, we just want to say that your hard work does not go unnoticed - We speak with so many happy host families every day to know that each of you make a real difference to the lives of your host families, so thank you!
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="2408,2407,2406,2410,2409"]
Nomination Letter from the Raad Family:
Our au pair, Noemi Litten Rubio, is far more than an au pair. She is absolutely a member of our family that we all love. I think our 4 year-old son, Ethan, sums it up best when he says, “Noemi is not my au pair; she is my best friend, and I hope she is always my best friend.”
Noemi joined our family in September a few months after we located from New York to London. We were all still struggling to adjust to life in London, and prior to our relocation we had never had an au pair or any kind of live-in support. As a result, we were not the best at articulating our needs and expectations. New herself to London, Noemi set out to help us adjust. Most importantly, she took it upon herself to make sure she sought out opportunities for Ethan. She made an effort to engage with children and parents at Ethan’s school, arranging play dates. She thought up creative ideas designed around the school curriculum and Ethan’s interests to entertain Ethan, including designing a flower project given Ethan’s loves of the garden, teaching Ethan Spanish, arts and crafts, baking, and so much more. (See attached photos).
She has helped Ethan’s confidence grow day by day by encouraging him to keep practicing. When Ethan first arrived in London, he was reluctant to engage with other children, especially children he did not know. He would wait in line at the park for all of the children to clear from the slide before he tried. Just today, he proudly walked into a summer camp, which Noemi helped find, without knowing any other child and turned to Noemi and said, “I love you; you can go now.” Noemi has done all of this for Ethan while still looking after us in so many ways. She knows that I am a terrible cook, and often surprises me with dinner, especially if my husband is working late. She shops for my favorite things, always making sure that things are refilled before I even notice. She walks the dog (and treats her like a queen), because she knows we can use the help – not because we ever had to ask. Really, everything Noemi does that makes her so special, is just because she is Noemi.
We are going to miss her terribly when she heads off to school in the Fall, but she will always be our best friend as Ethan says.
Thank you for considering Noemi for this much deserved award.
Amanda
Letter from Noemi:
My life with the Raads
It's funny how people that were completely strangers to you, can turn into your second family in such a short time. That's what happened to me with Ethan, Amanda, Shaun and Wrigley Raad.
I've been living with the Raads for less than 10 months and we went through a lot together: I cried and laughed with them, I learned a lot about their traditions, about their country, about childcare and even about myself. The amazing thing about the Raads is that they don't treat you like staff. They let you your space and invite you to join them on days out or on special occasions. They include you in conversations that are not about Ethan, they don't treat you like a child, they ask for your opinion about things and listen, they care about you and know when you need time alone. The Raads are funny, caring and full of love. In all this months the Raads not only helped me with my English, but also taking hard desicions, and realising what I want and what I don't want. They have supported me in every little thing and they never judged me. I've grown up so much and that's all thank to the Raads. If there was an award for the best host family of the year, the Raads would win it every single time.
Ethan Jaxson is the cutest kid on the planet. He's funny, sweet and adorable. When I arrived here, Ines (the previous Aupair) just left and Ethan liked her so much, that I was really worried that he would have a hard time and he would hate me, but that's not Ethan. He played with me from day 1, was always asking me questions and loved to try new things with me. We enjoyed exploring Fulham together, going on picnics, reading books in the library, baking new recipes, trying different kinds of food, fingerpainting, having our own inside jokes that nobody else understands... It's true that it wasn't always easy and that we had our ups and downs, but, through it all, he's my favorite 4-years-old boy.
When I first arrived to their home last September, I was terrified. The driver that had brough me from the airport left me in front of the door with my suitcases and I was so nervous that I thought I was going to throw up. Now the throw up feeling comes back everytime I think that in a few weeks I'll be going home and leaving the Raads.
Noemi Litten Rubio
Return to smartaupairs home page