Meet the Peruvian Babysitter Alejandra!

Every now and again, we interview some of our Näppsitters to learn more about who is in our community, what their stories are, what Näpp means to them, and build a more connected community by sharing these stories! This time, we’d like you to meet Alejandra, a Näppsitter from Peru, living in Leiden, who joined our community last month!

Introduce yourself!

My name is Alejandra, I am 28 years old and from Peru. I have been a kindergarten teacher since 2016. I’m friendly and sociable, so I like to spend a lot of time with my friends and family. Additionally, I’m affectionate, it is very important that people around me feel good, especially when it comes to my family. I enjoy doing arts and crafts. This came in useful when I had the opportunity to do small events with the children in the school where I previously worked. I also enjoy dancing and doing exercise to help me relax. Furthermore, I am Catholic, I believe in God and I usually pray to be stronger and better every day.

How did you find out about Näpp?

I found out about Napp from my husband, he saw it online.

What is your favorite thing about Näpp?

My favorite thing about Näpp is that it gives foreign people the opportunity to take care of children and be able to teach them their respective mother tongue. This allows the children to learn more about their native, or possibly new, culture and language. Also, I like that Näpp attaches great importance to the development of the child both emotionally and in a pedagogical manner.

Why did you become a babysitter?

I’m just starting out as a babysitter; I’ve been living in this country for 7 months and I’ve always worked as a teacher in my own country. Now I would like to start as a babysitter, to get to know the different cultures of each family. This is interesting to me. I have also always liked working with children and it is a new opportunity for my life, working with them in the Netherlands. I love how children are like sponges that absorb everything that one can teach them.

What is your favorite thing about babysitting?

My favorite thing about being a babysitter is being able to take care of children and teach them everything I have learned in my life. Furthermore, I like to help them become more independent, and confident.

What is your favorite thing about children?

My favorite thing about children is that they explore and learn according to what interests them. They also show true love for other people. The important thing is that they become independent, that they are at peace with themselves and that they are safe.

Why is it important to babysit a child from your culture?

It is important so that the children do not forget their culture and mother tongue. In addition, both the family, the babysitter, and the children will be able to understand each other better.

What is the one tradition from your culture that you would want to share with the child you are babysitting?

I would like to share with the child how important it is to spend time with family and that your family is everything. When I was a child, every Sunday I went to visit my grandparents. I liked it because I could play with them. Now 3 of them are in heaven and only my grandmother is with my family. As such, I strongly believe in taking advantage of every moment you have with your family.

What are your favorite activities when babysitting?

My favorite activity would be to be able to teach them to be independent, for example how to dress themselves. Also, I would like to teach them problem-solving, decision making as well as stimulating their intellectual and emotional development. I have loads of fun methods to do this I have gained via my teaching experience, mostly based around playing and interacting.

If you were to make one recommendation to your fellow Näppsitters, what would it be?

It is not only important to simply look after the kids, but really get to know them, their culture and teach them about yourself and your culture.

Thank You Alejandra!

Thanks so much for your time, Alejandra, and welcome to our community! If you’re looking for a Peruvian babysitter who speaks Spanish and English, you can schedule an appointment with Alejandra on our platform!