Au Pair: Yuly Andrea Torres Calderon from Colombia
Host Family: Murphy Family in Pennsylvania
Yuly Andrea Torres Calderon is god sent. After a recent unsuccessful experience with Au Pair in America we decided to try Cultural Care, and there, we found the au pair of our dreams. Yuly, a Colombian native, is kind, helpful, calm, genuine, willing to learn, and has a great sense of humor.
With three active kids (one with special needs), a rambunctious dog, and two very busy working parents with varying schedules, our family life is hectic to say the least. Yuly is the one consistent. Even in the most stressful of days, she has a calming influence on us all. She memorizes all of our schedules and keeps the household running smoothly.
Our three young girls ages nine, eight, and one adore their Yuly. Even before her hours for the day even start, Yuly is up, dressed, and already working. She makes sure the kitchen is straight and has the girls’ laundry neatly placed in drawers. She makes breakfast for the kids (sometimes a meal is even waiting outside our bedroom door) and makes sure that the older two are set for school with lunches packed, homework organized, and book bags by the door. She wakes up the older two and gets them showered and dressed for school and makes sure baby Marley is fed and ready for her own day of “Home School with Yuly” where they practice drawing, learn colors and letters, and dance the day away!
We are especially blessed to have Yuly because she is so kind and compassionate with our middle daughter Delaney who has a rare form of down syndrome. Not everyone is willing to work with a child with special needs. Yuly has not only embraced our eight year old Delaney, but she has inspired the rest of the family to realize that she can learn a lot more than we thought possible. Because Laney’s speech is often difficult to understand and Yuly’s English was originally not that strong, we were worried about the two not being able to communicate effectively. We have found just the opposite to be true. We often find Laney and Yuly curled up together on the sofa reading books aloud and laughing at jokes that just the two of them share. Yuly goes above and beyond with Delaney, helping her to bathe, dress, and toilet herself – all out of genuine love and never out of duty.
Kyra, our nine year old, loves Yuly so much that she often asks to sleep in her room. While I always tell Kyra that she needs to respect Yuly’s privacy, Yuly insists that Kyra stay in the bed next to hers and the two giggle late into the evening. When Kyra has her own friends spend the night, all they want to do is “hang out with Yuly.”
Yuly has a magnificent sense of humor and is always ready to laugh at herself. When she first arrived, we took the family to a Japanese restaurant, and Yuly had her first experience with sushi. We helped her to order, and when the food arrived, she stared at all the foreign delicacies. As we began to shove tuna rolls and shrimp tempura into our mouths, Yuly hesitantly scanned her plate until she found one recognizable item. She quickly gobbled down an entire chunk of green paste and instantly began to turn bright red. She could barely get out the phrase “hot guacamole” when we realized that she had eaten an entire piece of wasabi thinking it was avocado! We couldn’t help but laugh, and after Yuly’s mouth stopped burning, she joined right in!
Yuly is a sweet, nurturing, and giving soul. She is not judgmental and is quick to chip in and help out at any time. It is almost as if Yuly can read our minds. She is there with a bottle of milk before the baby even has a chance to cry, and is there with a box of tissues for me when she knows that my stress levels have reached a breaking point.
Yuly respects our home so much that she keeps everything immaculately straight, even though her only responsibilities are to care for the children. There is never even one dirty dish in the sink; I arrive home from work to a clean house, a shiny, polished baby, and two little girls diligently working on their homework. Because Tom works so many long hours, I always joke that I finally have the wife I have prayed for!
Yuly is truly a part of the family. Even on her days off, she wants join family activities, and we love her like she is our own daughter. My parents, relatives, and friends extend every invitation to Yuly. They enjoy listening to the stories of life and culture in her hometown of Bucaramanga, Colombia. Yuly Calderon has brought so much culture, kindness, and compassion into our home. When she cooks, it is the love behind the meal that makes it so much more satiating. My girls crave arequipe, platanos, empanadas with chicken, and especially Yuly’s homemade “real” guacamole.
With three active kids (one with special needs), a rambunctious dog, and two very busy working parents with varying schedules, our family life is hectic to say the least. Yuly is the one consistent. Even in the most stressful of days, she has a calming influence on us all. She memorizes all of our schedules and keeps the household running smoothly.
Our three young girls ages nine, eight, and one adore their Yuly. Even before her hours for the day even start, Yuly is up, dressed, and already working. She makes sure the kitchen is straight and has the girls’ laundry neatly placed in drawers. She makes breakfast for the kids (sometimes a meal is even waiting outside our bedroom door) and makes sure that the older two are set for school with lunches packed, homework organized, and book bags by the door. She wakes up the older two and gets them showered and dressed for school and makes sure baby Marley is fed and ready for her own day of “Home School with Yuly” where they practice drawing, learn colors and letters, and dance the day away!
We are especially blessed to have Yuly because she is so kind and compassionate with our middle daughter Delaney who has a rare form of down syndrome. Not everyone is willing to work with a child with special needs. Yuly has not only embraced our eight year old Delaney, but she has inspired the rest of the family to realize that she can learn a lot more than we thought possible. Because Laney’s speech is often difficult to understand and Yuly’s English was originally not that strong, we were worried about the two not being able to communicate effectively. We have found just the opposite to be true. We often find Laney and Yuly curled up together on the sofa reading books aloud and laughing at jokes that just the two of them share. Yuly goes above and beyond with Delaney, helping her to bathe, dress, and toilet herself – all out of genuine love and never out of duty.
Kyra, our nine year old, loves Yuly so much that she often asks to sleep in her room. While I always tell Kyra that she needs to respect Yuly’s privacy, Yuly insists that Kyra stay in the bed next to hers and the two giggle late into the evening. When Kyra has her own friends spend the night, all they want to do is “hang out with Yuly.”
Yuly has a magnificent sense of humor and is always ready to laugh at herself. When she first arrived, we took the family to a Japanese restaurant, and Yuly had her first experience with sushi. We helped her to order, and when the food arrived, she stared at all the foreign delicacies. As we began to shove tuna rolls and shrimp tempura into our mouths, Yuly hesitantly scanned her plate until she found one recognizable item. She quickly gobbled down an entire chunk of green paste and instantly began to turn bright red. She could barely get out the phrase “hot guacamole” when we realized that she had eaten an entire piece of wasabi thinking it was avocado! We couldn’t help but laugh, and after Yuly’s mouth stopped burning, she joined right in!
Yuly is a sweet, nurturing, and giving soul. She is not judgmental and is quick to chip in and help out at any time. It is almost as if Yuly can read our minds. She is there with a bottle of milk before the baby even has a chance to cry, and is there with a box of tissues for me when she knows that my stress levels have reached a breaking point.
Yuly respects our home so much that she keeps everything immaculately straight, even though her only responsibilities are to care for the children. There is never even one dirty dish in the sink; I arrive home from work to a clean house, a shiny, polished baby, and two little girls diligently working on their homework. Because Tom works so many long hours, I always joke that I finally have the wife I have prayed for!
Yuly is truly a part of the family. Even on her days off, she wants join family activities, and we love her like she is our own daughter. My parents, relatives, and friends extend every invitation to Yuly. They enjoy listening to the stories of life and culture in her hometown of Bucaramanga, Colombia. Yuly Calderon has brought so much culture, kindness, and compassion into our home. When she cooks, it is the love behind the meal that makes it so much more satiating. My girls crave arequipe, platanos, empanadas with chicken, and especially Yuly’s homemade “real” guacamole.