With frenetic activity all around, the pictures at Adventure Quest got all blurred…

Au pairs enjoyed seeing tykes scramble into bumper cars, but for themselves they chose a more sedate activity at their favorite establishment – Starbucks.

Potluck and gift exchange were on the agenda for the December cluster meeting. Just for the fun of it, au pairs unwrapped the presents while wearing oven mitts. It was a challenge, but they completed the task with great alacrity. They also had fun swapping tips on Christmas shopping and discussing holiday plans and winter break activities with their host kids.

To find out more about educational opportunities in New Orleans and get a closer look at an American college campus, au pairs visited Tulane University.

They saw lecture halls and sports facilities, watched students toss ball in the quad, checked out the Tulane Victory Bell at McAlister Auditorium Plaza, and stopped at the Newcomb Art Gallery to view Prospect.2 exhibition.

It would be fun to study at Tulane, they decided.

In celebration of the fall and anticipation of Halloween, au pairs visited the pumpkin patch at Perrilloux Farms in Montz, Louisiana. After a short wagon ride to the field, each au pair set out in search of that one perfect pumpkin to carve with the assistance of host children and put on the doorstep for decoration. The search proved to be both enjoyable and fruitful… or pumpkinful!

Alligators, herons, turtles and raccoons were just some of the animals au pairs had a chance to observe while traversing the Manchac swamp with the Cajun Pride Tours.

A lively and informative commentary, in both English and French, by the guide, and a visit from a baby alligator made for a fun and interesting outing.

With their host families, tour companies, friends, or all by themselves, au pairs love to travel across the United States. This summer, Laura decided to leave hot and humid New Orleans for a vacation in Alaska. She said her experience was “awesome” and we can well believe, judging by her pictures.

(As per the Department of State rule, each au pair gets two weeks of paid vacation during the one-year-long match with her host family.)

The most crucial step that a host family and au pair must take to avoid problems is to talk to each other often and honestly! This point cannot be over-emphasized.  Many families and au pairs have found out that a small problem had grown to major proportions simply because it had not been discussed in a timely manner.

(APIA guidlines for a successful year…)

Many au pairs have never experienced a school busing system; make sure they understand how it works and what to do.

Make sure au pairs know the car line rules.

If driving the children, new au pairs should know how much time it takes to get to the school and the directions.

Pack a healthy lunch, ask your host families to review what that is… an au pair once packed a can of tuna!

School children come home with lots of notes and letters, designate a place in the house for this important information so no-one misses it.

Au pairs and host families should discuss what is expected of the au pair regarding homework.

Au pairs’ visit to Satchmo Fest on the grounds of the LA State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint in the French Quarter started with sunshine and ended with pouring rain but was fun from beginning to end. In addition to enjoying local music, cuisine, laughter, and camaraderie, au pairs also visited current museum exhibition, “Race, Are We So Different.”

Goodbye, Joe, me gotta go, me oh my oh.
Me gotta go, pole the pirogue down the bayou.
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh.
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou.

In the spirit of multiculturalism au pairs attended the annual Greek Festival in New Orleans. Surrounded by the unmistakable strains of Greek music and delicious smells of Greek food, they mixed with the toga-clad crowds frolicking on the banks of Bayou St. John.