AKUMA, 21 YEARS

I can't believe I'm finally writing this letter, it feels like this dream is coming true! There's nothing I wanted more than coming to meet wonderful people as I bet you are and learning different cultures and languages while having fun. So here I am: My name is Amara Akuma Elizabeth.The name Amara is a girl's name of Greek, African origin meaning "grace, immortal, tribe". Everybody always has some trouble pronouncing it, but it's okay, I find it funny and interesting. If I had to sum me up in a few words I would say that I'm outgoing, friendly and open minded. I would also say that I am a bit stubborn, but I still have to decide whether it is good or not, but let's say it is (somehow...)! I'm very determined, ambitious (maybe this is related to me being stubborn...) and hard to give up, but also down to earth. I'm rarely upset, I always try to fix things up and to see the glass half full rather than half empty! I think I could be a good daughter for you, trying to help you whenever you need a hand, hoping for you to do the same with me. I'm a really talkative person too and I hope to be able to share with you my thoughts and my feelings as I am used to with the people I love most. I attend a Trinity Secondary School in Anambra State,Nigeria. I like school, I don't mind studying because I love learning new things that let me understand better what surrounds me. I'm really curious, I don't think there's a subject I don't like at all, but sciences and languages are my favorite subjects for sure: I love mathematics,physics,chemistry and biology. I also studied French for six years. I have studied German for some months, and I know some words and sentences in Korean. As a girl I have always shown interest in science than most girls and it made them popular then and it encouraged other girls to be science inclined. I tried out other activities like being in the bands, playing the big bass drum and the tenor drum and actually being the first female elected band member and leader in my school. Although I did a lot of activities in school like choir, dancing, art and crafts, I always know I want to study in the future and its computer science for sure. Travelling is one of my favourite things to do aside from studying and learning new cultures has always been one of my dreams. Being an aupair can actually help me in achieving it. Oh! I can't wait to visit a good family and get to know their culture and learn about the new environment. It will be a nice experience to travel to America, Australia or Asian countries. I'm looking forward to taking part in lots of clubs and to attending alternative lessons of every kind. In addition to sciences and languages I have many more passions, such as drawing and designing especially buildings and I am trying to add human drawing too. It shows how much I love new environment. Doing this au pair job, I can carry out this activity in my free time. I actually want to get into digital drawing like using pad and other digital equipment, I think it will be nice. Before starting to draw and design I practiced piano for some years, I really loved it! Unfortunately I had to quit when I left my last au pair job, but I'm sure I will do it in the future. As you may have guessed, I'm very active. However, sometimes I need to take time for myself and in these moments I love reading books and doing research. It is the only way for me to take some time to think and reflect about different situations. My favorite book is Harry Potter, because it is able to take me to a different world rather than the one I live in, letting me forget about all the bad thoughts and bad feelings. As an young African girl , I love cooking too: I cook almost everything, rice , yam... but also cakes and this kind of stuff. I learned baking in my last au pair job. The man was a baker and he owns the cleanest bakery in the east of Nigeria. If you would like to, I would be happy to cook something for you, to take a little taste of African and other continental dishes to your house. Last but not least, traveling, I think I can say this is my biggest passion. I am used to saying that my heart belongs to nowhere but the world. I love to see how other people live, and how other cultures exist. I love listening to different languages, it feels like behind every word there's the story of an entire population. I love to visit places that I can't find in my country, to see how art developed through the years and changed depending on the influence of different cultures. In my opinion the world is like a big book and a person who doesn't travel only leads the first page of it. Well, let's stop stalking about me for a moment, because the people I love have a BIG part in my life too. So here they are: My family is made up of my mum Ann, my dad Simeon,I have 5 older siblings and a younger sister. My eldest sister is married with a kid and I love to take care of the baby anytime I visit. The second daughter is done with school and she is into fashion and design, the eldest son is into photography and cinematography. My other sister is learning handwork on how to make shoes and my brother who is my buddy is into phones and accessories. The last daughter Is still in highschool. We live in an apartment housing 5 different families and most times in the evening I teach the children living in the block. I share a room with my brother and I know how to arrange and keep my own personal items well. My parents both work as a retailer, they distribute pastries especially bread in large quantities. My dad has an HND in business administration from a polytechnic. My mum just has a secondary school certificate I do also like taking care of the elderly people. I have lived with my granny for 2 years and I have a good experience with understanding their need. I am very patient and I listen very attentively. I have a good communication skill and I am very humble Then, my friends. I have lots of friends but the strangest thing is that the closest ones are maybe the farther. I'll explain this: since my life I was out and aways from my family since I was eight, I had to live with different people from different cultures. incredibly I got to meet a lot of friends. But of course I don't keep all of them close but still communicate with them. In fact, two of my best friends are from china. I met them when they came to Nigeria to take care of their cousin. I also have many international friends who think this will be a great experience. I have always wanted to do this experience to expand my horizons, to learn different languages and culture at its best and to feel the different culture spirit. So here I am, ready to begin this LIFE, knowing that it will completely change everything. I can't wait to meet you and I really hope to become part of your family and to be a good daughter for you, as I want this experience to be great for you as much as I want it to be for me. See you soon,