Au pairs trying to make best of unexpected in virus era

Every year there are approximately 18,000 au pairs in the U.S., mostly young women from across the globe looking for an opportunity to improve their English, make a little money and explore American cities and culture.

Those in America during the pandemic, however, have had a scaled-back experience. Au pairs are spending much more time with their host families than they anticipated. And they’ve gotten a crash course in national and state politics, sometimes muddling their views of Americans.

In early March, Ana Flavia, 23, traveled from Sorocaba, Brazil, to Oakland, California. She was there to be an au pair to two girls, ages 6 and 11, and get a taste of America from living with them and their parents.

“My Brazilian culture, every time we are together we hug and touch,” said Flavia. “We have a stereotype of Americans as being colder. It seems true, but I can’t tell if they are like this because of the coronavirus. I miss feeling warm with someone.”

But she also feels America is a better place to be in the current crisis. The coronavirus has worsened dramatically in Brazil, where Flavia’s parents run a store selling kitchen items. “If my parents have problems in Brazil, I can help them,” Flavia said. “The dollar is high. I can send them money.”

Valeria Rodriguez, 26, an au pair from North Coahuila, Mexico, has her hands full in Tampa, Florida, looking after four children ages 5 and younger.

“Before coronavirus, I could do all my activities. I could go out with my friends and have a quiet dinner,” she said. “Now all four kids are home all day, and I have to keep them busy, and life has changed. Every 15 or 20 minutes (they) need a new activity.”

“They bore so fast,” she said, laughing. Still, Rodriguez is happy to be in Tampa, even though rates of infection are skyrocketing. “We go to the bars and the beaches here, but with precautions,” she said.

And Flavia managed a visit to Las Vegas for the Fourth of July weekend, though social distancing tempered the experience. “When I got back I did the COVID test and was negative,” she said.

EVE EDELHEIT / THE NEW YORK TIMES Valeria Rodriguez, who is from North Coahuila, Mexico, is an au pair for four children between the ages of 1 and 5 years, in Tampa, Fla. Au pairs who came to work in America during the pandemic have had a scaled-back experience: personal travel has been considerably curtailed, as has socializing with other au pairs and locals, and they are spending much more time with their host families than they anticipated.