Au Pair Nominates Palo Alto Family As Top Host

PALO ALTO, CA -- What makes a family? That's the prevailing question for many.

Is it a village? Is it a close group of friends? Is it made up of people one grows up with? Is it a cluster a person marries into?

That question was answered for a Palo Alto family when an indelible bond was formed with an au pair from Colombia. The Ragades-Flores were nominated by the au pair for the Cultural Care Au Pair’s competitive “Host Family of the Year”award and were selected as a top 15 finalist out of more than 500 nominees, a record number according to the 30-year Cambridge, Mass., organization.

Every year, thousands of young people from around the world travel to the United States on a cultural exchange visa to live with American host families while caring for their children. This program has created strong, meaningful relationships between the families and international au pairs for more than 30 years.

It's safe to say au pair Melissa Maria Meza Chan became one of the family - to the extent the Ragades-Flores took a special vacation to meet her family in South America.

"We wouldn't have gone to Colombia if not for Melissa. We have limited time to travel, and there are so many places to go, but we were blown away by how nice Colombia is," host father Dhananjay Ragade said in a joint interview with his wife Adriana Flores, their daughter Liani Ragade, son Izan Ragade and Meza Chan.

"My family really loved them too," the 22-year-old au pair piped in.

The intimate connection between the two families strengthened.

To Ragade, this is one reason the family travels.

"We like to travel. The most important thing is we as a family like to learn about other cultures," he said.

Meza Chan and the family have spent almost two years together. The au pair arrived in October 2017. They've developed a respect for each others' cultures - sometimes even sharing the colors of their nationalities and taking on traditions. Sometimes the traditions and routines overlap, as with Ragade and Meza Chan sharing coffee together in the morning. They all even share the love of the ukelele, discovering the instrument has become immensely popular internationally.

Meza Chan has opened her heart and soul to the Ragades-Flores clan as a model American family.

"This was everything I was looking for," she told Patch.

She's even opened up to the types of pets she enjoys. The Ragades-Flores have two cats.

"I used to be a dog person. Now I'm a cat person," she added, giggling.

The familiarity to new things is something to be missed.

The letter she wrote about the family represents a touching tribute in her nomination of the Ragades:

“'Family doesn’t exactly have to be family by blood.’ That was what my oldest host kid, ma chère Lia, told me once, and since the beginning I’ve felt as part of this family. It’s about the little things: having coffee every morning, talking with them about different topics, reading books with/for my little kiddos. They always include me in family activities, but they also give me my space, and any time I go out with my friends they say, ‘Have fun Meli!’

I am lucky because I didn’t only get a new host mom, host dad or host kids. I got host uncles, host grandfathers; I am like the third kid on the family or like a niece to them. Not only do they invite me to different activities or events, they always include me as one of them (I even have a ukulele, which is something we all do in the house). My host mom knows how much I love traveling, and she’s always encouraging me to do so, she says her gift for me is to travel and I’ve been with them to so many trips.

Over all the year, there have been some ups and downs, but what matters at the end is that I will always remember all the laughs, love, advice, family trips/celebrations, and great moments I have been sharing with them since October 2017. Some days I wake up and realize how lucky I am, to be in the host family I am, to have the friends I have, and to have lived this experience that definitely changed my life. Never had I thought I was going to spend one year and nine months in the United States, and that it was going to be the best year of my life so far.”

—Melissa, Cultural Care au pair from Colombia

Meza Chan will be leaving at the end of this month. Under U.S. State Department guidelines, an au pair can stay for a maximum of two years.

"I miss her already. She's like one of us," Flores said, adding her gift to the au pair is that they travel together as an extended family. "We're used to being together. But there is no goodbye, only 'see you later.'"

Raise a tissue to compassion and diversity. It's what not only makes a family. It makes humanity great.

For more information on the program, visit https://culturalcare.com.