By Judy Halone

Contributing Writer

Never mind that Ronnelle Renaud’s home is nearly 11,000 miles from Snoqualmie. Or the fact that until nine months ago, she’d never stepped foot in America — let alone an airplane.

That all changed in January when the 20-year-old South African woman journeyed to Snoqualmie to work as an au pair — pronounced “oh-pair” — for Steven and Leia Bellis and their two daughters, both under three.

“It’s my home away from home — it really is,” Renaud said.

The Durban resident has always enjoyed working with children. Following graduation in 2006, she had an idea: why not become an au pair?

Research led her to Cultural Care Au Pair, a division of Massachusetts-based EF Education, which places young adults ages 18 through 26 with families seeking live-in childcare for one year. After an extensive application and screening process, Renaud knew she’d made the right choice.

Her journey had begun.

A perfect match

On the other side of the pond, the Bellis family sought trustworthy daycare to fit their government jobs.

“We both work a lot and it was difficult to find affordable childcare in the area,” Leia Bellis explained.

The couple discovered CCAP. Once qualified, they studied the profiles of available au pair applicants, including Renaud.

“We sent a couple of e-mails and then we talked,” Bellis said. “We had the same interests and it’s (been) a perfect match.”

Ditto for Renaud.

“That was fun — we just clicked,” she said. “It was like I’d known them a long time.”

The families had connected.

West meets east

Renaud’s work day runs from 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. She is paid a weekly stipend set by the U.S. Department of State, said Cultural Care Au Pair’s Melinda Caluori, a local childcare coordinator and CCAP host mother. Some of her duties include dressing and feeding the girls, keeping up on their laundry and rooms and cleaning their toys weekly. She also accompanies them to such activities as trips to the park and story time at the Snoqualmie Library.

“I teach them African nursery rhymes and I sing with them,” she said. “I can learn about their culture and I can teach them about mine.”

Her love for the girls hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“She teaches the girls to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Zulu, as well as some Zulu children’s songs,” Bellis said.

She’s also learning about American holidays and is especially looking forward to celebrating Halloween and eating turkey at Thanksgiving, her host mother added. And at the same time, she’s teaching them about her own holidays, including Guy Fawkes Day on Nov. 5.

Renaud spends her non-working time with friends, particularly the other au pairs in her neighborhood. She has also taken community college classes to meet a CCAP’s program requirement.

Saying good bye

Neither party is looking forward to saying goodbye.

“What I’ve liked best about this is the security of knowing that after a short while, she created a huge bond with our children,” Bellis said. “She truly loves them.”

“It’s a great experience that I will never forget,” Renaud said.

For more information call Caluori at (425) 888-9197 or visit www.culturalcare.com.