Sofia & a Shanghai Family
May - July 2024 (3 Months)
When Sofia arrived in Shanghai, she wasn’t just stepping into a new city — she was returning to a dream she had carried since university, where she majored in Asian Studies. Having au paired in Beijing once before, this was her second chapter in China. And perhaps the most personal.
Qin’s family welcomed her into a household that was young, lively, and always in motion. They explored the city together — from weekend strolls in quiet neighborhoods to a whirlwind day at Shanghai Disneyland, where Sofia and the children wore matching mouse ears, chased parades, and laughed their way through every queue.
“We didn’t feel like guests to each other. We felt like roommates who were growing up side by side,” Sofia shared.
They even ventured beyond the city, collecting playful accessories from Yiwu — the heart of China’s gadget industry — and capturing moments that felt both new and deeply familiar. On her own, Sofia found community too, connecting with fellow language learners at her Mandarin school and slowly weaving her own rhythm into Shanghai life.
When the time came to say goodbye after four months, it wasn’t easy. But the connection didn’t end there. Today, messages still travel between Shanghai and Italy — memories, updates, and quiet reminders that some matches are more than temporary.