If you are planning to travel outside the U.S. during your first year,your DS-2019 will need a travel signature. You will also need to check if you need a visa to enter the country you intend to visit. Obtaining a tourist visa is solely the responsibility of the au pair.

~ Three weeks before you plan to travel, mail your original DS-2019 Form and a self-addressed stamped envelope (so your signed DS-2019 may be returned to you)to:

Au Pair in America

River Plaza

9 West Broad Street

Stamford, CT 06902

Attn: Evelyn Blum

Have a great trip!

http://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/mdf/files/2011/03/Passport_stamps_18-19-300×221.jpg

After the decorations are put away, the celebrations are over, the New Year has begun: and the post holiday winter blues are starting to hit you and your host family.  What can you do to get through the long cold winter months happily?

1. Get outside every day with the kids, bundle up and play outside.  Go to the park, take a walk, ride bikes; we have been having an unusually warm winter, so enjoy it!  If it snows, build a snowman, go sledding, have fun outside!
2. Stay on routine with the kids; get up on time, have breakfast, get to the bus stop on time.  Make sure homework is done and everyone gets to their activities on time.  Bedtime routines are important, make sure everyone gets enough sleep and that includes YOU!
3. Register for your classes, and get ready to start learning something new!
4. Call a friend and meet for coffee and conversation if you feel housebound. 
5. Set up a play date with another au pair and her host children (similar ages) and enjoy a day together! 
6. Join a gym with another au pair!
7. Use the library in your town.  Sign the kids up for free programs (talk to host parents about the programs!)  Join the English conversation group, improve your English and meet people!
8. Prepare a Global Awareness presentation for one of your host kids’ classes, ask me for help!
9. Volunteer at a local hospital, school, animal shelter, food bank if you have extra time on your hands and need to do something!  Doing for others is always an answer for the blues!!
10. Come to our new Annapolis cluster group Coffee Klatch on Jan 19th and 30th at the new stand alone Starbucks in Severna Park on Rt 2 and Robinson Road to ask questions or just to chat from 9:30 am until 11:30 am. 

The next UCLA APIA Advantage Course will run from February 6 – June 11. Registration is already open atwww.uclaextension.edu/aupairs

The cost of the class is $500 and it satisfies the education requirement for au pairs or half the requirement for EduCare companions.

This 19-week course, specifically designed for au pairs who are required to continue their education as a part of their experience in the U.S., is offered in a blended format–partially a media-rich, self-paced online environment and partially an instructor-led, cohort-based model.

The interdisciplinary course of study includes:

• U.S. History: Eras 1-5 (up to Civil War and Reconstruction), including mini-modules on economics and geography
• English-language study, including weekly reading and writing exercises
• Arts in the U.S., including virtual field trips and activities reflective of historical eras studied by participants
• U.S. literature: the readings which reflect the eras studied in the U.S. history module
• Career counseling and interest inventories to determine future directions for the participants.

Participants read lessons, write, share resources, network with one another, and collaborate on special projects, as well as explore web links, play games, and take virtual field trips, all designed to further their understanding of U.S. culture.

The Community Involvement segment of the program takes the au pairs into face-to-face contact with the community. Au pairs will relate these experiences to their academic coursework in American Studies Online.

For further information call (310) 206-6671 or email online@uclaextension.edu

From the MVA website:
Beginning October 2011, the knowledge test you must pass to get a non-commercial Class C learner’s permit will be based on information in the new Maryland Driver’s Manual. The new Manual includes basic knowledge on driver safety for new drivers, including: traffic laws of this State; highway signs regulating, warning & directing traffic; and safe driving practices.  The improved graphics, full-color design, and brief paragraphs provide an easy read of only 39 pages – packed with core driver safety facts.

I have updated the links (on the column to the right) to include the New Driver’s Handbook in English, Spanish and an audio version. Paper copies are available in MVA offices.

There is now one booklet instead of two. The yellow booklet that contains the information on who needs a driver’s license and who does not, which I have given out to be kept in the car, will probably not be available after September.

What to keep in the car for proof now?
I have obtained a copy of the Maryland Law regarding International Drivers. The information is copied directly from a booklet which all police officers have in their squad car. The idea is that it shows them where to look up the law and once they compare your paper to that section of their booklet, they should realize that au pairs are allowed to drive on their country license (for up to one year.) Sometimes, they will still choose to write you the ticket for not having a Maryland license. If that happens, don’t worry. You can go to court and the judge should drop the ticket, as long as you are in your first year and have a valid license from your home country in your possession.

I have uploaded this document on Google Docs. You may access it HERE and print a copy for each car the au pair drives.

• Eat breakfast – it’s the best way to start the day.
• Drink water – 4 glasses or more a day, more when it is hot or when you are active.
• Downsize your portions – how much you eat is as important as what you eat.
• Snacking – most packaged snacks are high in calories and low in nutrition. Skip the cookies and the chips and snack instead on whole fruits, nuts, popcorn (without the butter), carrots or non-fat yoghurt.
• Fiber – foods rich in fiber are filling and give you energy. These foods include bran cereal, fresh and dried fruit, broccoli, asparagus, peas, corn, cabbage, brussels sprouts, whole grain breads, brown rice and lentils.
• Lean protein – whether or not you eat meat, you need protein. Best sources include skinless chicken or turkey breast, fish and shellfish, egg whites, lowfat milk and cheese, kidney beans, chick peas, tofu and other soy products.
• Variety – try to eat fruits and vegetables of many different colors. This will help you get many vitamins and other nutrients important to your health.
• Stop eating before you are full – you’ll feel better.

If you want to lose weight, here are some ideas to help you do that:

Crash diets or quick weight-loss schemes are not a good long-term solution.
Have patience in losing a half-pound to one pound per week.
Always drink plenty of water or other fluids.
Never skip meals in an effort to lose weight.
Get up and go, increase your physical activity.
Eat a variety of foods.

You can fulfill your education requirement by signing up for a unique program called APIA Advantage. Au Pair in America developed this program in partnership with UCLA, a top university in the United States. The Spring session of APIA Advantage will run from March 28 – August 1.

Once you’ve picked your apples and brought them home you can make delicious apple treats. Maybe make something from your country’s cuisine. Or try this simple version of an apple pie!

Free Form Apple Tart

photo by Gaetan Lee

Pastry - 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup cold butter cut into 10 pieces, 3 tablespoons ice water, 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon peel, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.

Filling – 4 large apples, (about 1.5 pounds) peeled, 1/4 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 tablespoons butter, confectioners sugar (optional).

Directions: Mix butter and flour with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water, lemon peel and juice. Stir until dough holds together. Gather dough into a ball, flatten, wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate 30 minutes or just until firm enough to roll out.

Meanwhile, peel and cut each apple in half from top to bottm. Remove core and stem ends. Turn halves cut sides down and slice thin. Heat oven to 425 degrees. On lightly floured surface roll dough into a 13 inch round. Edges can be uneven. Transfer to ungreased cookie sheet. Leaving a 2 inch border, arrange apples in concentric circles from outside toward the middle. Sprinkle with sugar-nutmeg mixture, then dot with butter. Fold edges of pastry over apples. Bake 15 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 35 minutes longer or until apples are tender and pastry is golden. Slide tart onto wire rack to cool. Before serving, dust with confectioners sugar.

YUM!!! I’m going to make mine today!

photo by Aaron Gustafson

October is the month of hayrides, pumpkin picking and trick or treating on Halloween! Read about the History and Origin of Halloween, Safety Tips, Recipes (you don’t want to miss the Frozen Hand recipe), and more, all on this site. http://www.halloween-website.com/

There are still plenty of apples to be picked and it’s a wonderful activity to gather with your friends/family to go to one of the local orchards to pick your own apples. To find the orchards for your area, visit http://www.mda.state.md.us/md_products/agritourism_sites-farms//fall_farm_activities.php

Our three clusters can find orchards in their area by scrolling down to the Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Howard County listings. A few quick suggestions are www.butlersorchard.com (Germantown), www.baughers.com (Westminster) and www.webersfarm.com (Baltimore).