Meet AuPairCare's Ultimate Au Pair Winner 2017 - Meian from China

Meian started her bond with our family even before her official start date, traveling by train to meet us for dinner in China while we were still on our adoption trip. She was like a member of our family almost immediately, laughing with us and our son and helping us navigate our Chinese language menus! Arriving in our home, Meian quickly became a big sister figure for our son. She has been there for him through surgery, hearing aids and speech therapy, shepherding him from a little boy who knew only 2 syllables to a 3 year old who can talk and even count in both English and his native Mandarin thanks to her tutoring.

In addition to being chief playmate and big sister, Meian as become full member of our family, teaching mama to cook and enjoy Chinese food and Asian fruits; and she has learned to cook and enjoy various western foods (she learned to make biscuits from my father). She has prepared holiday snacks to mail to her China family (her father likes our Christmas candy and might come visit to get more) as well as our aunts and uncles here in the US. For Halloween, Meian transformed into Rey from Star Wars, joining my husband and son, Jedi Knight team to protect our neighbors from the dark side (of chocolate). She also made gingerbread houses for Christmas and went on numerous family fun-cations (some international and multi-week) with toddler in tow, including college football games in Atlanta, Athens, Dallas, and Norman, ensuring our son had as much fun as she did.

And if Meian's contributions to our family are not enough, she has also helped host events in our home for other au pairs in the Dallas Fort-Worth area, teaching them how to make Chinese dumplings at an event during the summer. Meian even spent a free day decorating for Christmas so that we could host an annual aupair holiday party in December. Meian is anxious to make her cultural exchange a two way street - sharing all Chinese holidays and expressing curiosity about all of our traditions and holidays. We cannot express enough what a joy it has been to have her as a member of our family. She is so special to us that she is with us on our family Christmas Card this year and everyone who knows us thinks that's how it ought to be!!!

The Mitchell Family
Irving, Texas