Au Pair in America – Rhode Island

The Cultural Fair sponsored by Au Pair in America at the Boston Children’s Museum was a huge success — and a very busy day.  The participating au pairs did a wonderful job representing their countries.  It was fun, entertaining, and educational for children and families who were in attendance, and it gave au pairs the opportunity to share their cultures and customs with all of us!!   

  Our April cluster meeting involved dinner at the Cheesecake Factory at Providence Place Mall.   Some au pairs brought friends along — it was so nice to have them as our guests.   Our newest au pairs, Fanny and Gabriela, had the opportunity to meet some of our group for the very first time.  It was a very enjoyable  evening!!!

Carina – March 9  . . . Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!

Hellen – March 31 . . .   Feliz aniversario!

Maryna celebrates her 23rd birthday on January 12                                                                                                                                                    Mnohiya lita!

Mireille celebrates her 22nd birthday on January 25                                                                                                                                                          Joyeux Anniversaire!

This year’s au pair Christmas party was festive and fun…and a great opportunity for us to get together to celebrate the holidays! The heavy snowfall held off until the following week — which was very helpful!   View more photos: http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/photolibrary/owned_view=owned_2010/

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another”.    -Charles Dickens

Au Pairs had the opportunity to practice yoga again at their November meeting.   Everyone brought non-perishable food items to the meeting so that a Thanksgiving Gift Basket could be donated to the Rhode Island Food bank.  Many thanks to au pairs and host families for your generosity!  A beautiful food basket was delivered to the RI Food Bank on Monday, November 22, along with a card and a photo of our group of au pairs.  The name of each au pair who attended our November meeting was placed in a drawing for a chance to win two tickets to the classic Charles Dickens play “A Christmas Carol” at Trinity Reperatory Theater. The winner of the tickets was Beverly, our newest au pair who just arrived from Brazil  — a great way to welcome Beverly to Rhode Island!  View more photos: http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3318534017/a=13509975_13509975/

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ……On Thursday, November 25, most au pairs will be celebrating their very first Thanksgiving! The biggest holiday in America for family and feasting, Thanksgiving Day celebrates the traditional harvest after Pilgrims came to these shores to seek a new life. The very first Thanksgiving was observed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621, when weary settlers were joined by Wampanoag Indians in celebration of a traditional Old World English harvest festival. The Thanksgiving tradition continues today with turkey, savory stuffing and cranberry sauce, plus generous helpings of pumpkin pie and other desserts usually prepared using family recipes handed down from generation to generation.

Au Pairs participated in a yoga class during their October cluster meeting. For some it was their first class – but it is not likely to be their last! It’s a great way to increase strength and flexibility, and to decrease stress. Everyone seemed to enjoyed the class, though it appeared that they enjoyed final relaxation and mediation the most! Our class/meeting was held at a studio on Thayer Street, a fun area that offers plenty to do — giving au pairs the opportunity to continue to socialize after our meeting. With Brown University and RISD nearby, Thayer Street is always bustling with activity; there are plenty of coffee shops, cafes, restaurants, a movie theater, and more. 

View more photos: http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3318533017/a=13509975_13509975/

 Au Pair in America
Annual Host Family Event
For Host Parents, Children, and Au Pairs

Date: Sunday, September 26, 2010
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

23rd Annual Apple Festival
Johnston Memorial Park
1583 Hartford Avenue
Johnston, Rhode Island

You’ll find me at the Au Pair in America table (look for red balloons). I’ll be there all day — stop by when it’s convenient for you, and spend as little or as much time as you’d like! Festivities will be fun for the entire family, and will include:

Live Entertainment
Arts and Crafts
Pony Rides
Children’s Train Rides
Face Painting
Kids’ Zone
Games for all ages
Wellness Fair
Live Cooking Demos
Apple Pie Competition

Free Admission, Plenty of Free Parking and Shuttle Service, Easy Access to I-95 and I-295

Our January meeting was held at Madeira Restaurant (www.MadeiraRestaurant.com). It was a great way to start the new year — The food was incredibly delicious, and it looks like some of our au pairs will be returning to Madeira to enjoy more of that wonderful Portuguese food! We have two au pairs celebrating January birthdays – Aylin on January 1, and Nathalie on January 27. Unfortunately, neither Aylin or Nathalie could join us for dinner on this particular evening — so we are sending our birthday wishes to you via our blog. Happy January Birthday Aylin and Nathalie! We’ll look forward to seeing you in February – details of our February meeting will follow by e-mail.

In October (to help us to celebrate Halloween) we will be going on a Ghost Tour! It will be a walking ghost tour, led by lantern light, through the darkened streets of the historic East Side of Providence. The tour guides will share a lot of Providence history and some stories that are sure to send a chill down everyone’s spine! The guides are very knowledgeable about various murders and deaths spanning many years, as well as very interesting non-ghost history about the the East Side of Providence. It should be very interesting, spooky, and fun evening….