For October, I had planned a fun host family and au pair picnic at Honey Pot Hill Orchard in Stow. Unfortunately, that had to be cancelled due to rain. We had the au pair meeting at my house instead. In true fall fashion, we had apple cider donuts and apple cider. We also had a good-bye cake, saying our official good-byes to Lilly, Ning and Allegra who are leaving our cluster the next month.
For more photos of this meeting, you can go to October 2013.
This month I led a yoga class for my au pair group at Together in Motion in East Arlington. We had a good time together and enjoyed some food and drink with chit-chat after the class.
For more photos go to Yoga Meeting
Ah, what a nice day we had on Sunday to be outside for pumpkin carving! As you can see above, my au pairs were very creative in carving patterns into their pumpkins. While they carved, they happily chatted about their lives and seemed to enjoy each other’s company.
Most au pairs know about Halloween but do not celebrate it in their countries. They are usually very excited to experience this American holiday and at Au Pair in America we promote this kind of cultural exchange. On Sunday they got the Halloween treatment which included a noise-sensitive howling ghost, bats, spiders, snakes, cockroaches as well as food offerings that might creep the faint at heart out: a witches brew that contained a bloody hand, bloody (hot dog) fingers, crawling cracker/pretzel stick critters, chicken eyeballs, bat wings, as well as Halloween cut out cookies and a creepy critter cake.
We said good-bye to Adisah and Emma who are leaving us in November. They received their education certificate, a small good-bye gift and an acknowledgement for their achievements. They shared their experience with and gave advice to the other au pairs. We welcomed Juliette, Alice, and Natalie whose first meeting this was.
For more photos of our meeting please visit Pumpkin Carving.
This month our monthly meeting was a breakfast at my house. It must have been my biggest meeting ever! 19 of my au pairs attended, and since many of them take care of children during the day, some of them even brought their children. As you can see, it was a crowd! Fortunately we had a nice day and could sit out in the backyard, and the kids had the chance to run around and play.
With many new au pairs arriving over the summer, this meeting was a chance for the new arrivals to meet each other and the more seasoned au pairs in the group. We said good-bye to Ramata who will go back to France and to Karolina who is going back to Poland. Both of them gave advice to the new au pairs on how to have a successful au pair year.
This month we also had our required child care & safety discussion. As per State Department regulations, we need to offer this at least once every three months. We discussed discipline and au pairs were able to bring in their own experiences and listen to what others had to contribute.
For more photos from this meeting, go to Au Pair Breakfast.
This month I gathered my au pairs at Together in Motion in East Arlington and taught a yoga class for them. It was a very unusual class, as there was lots of talking and giggling involved. We had a great time together and gathered afterwards in the lobby to enjoy some refreshments.
We said good-bye to Ant and Hongmei who will leave in June after being au pairs for two years. What an accomplishment! Congratulations! We also welcomed German au pair Lara who arrived this month.
For more photos from our meeting go to Au Pair Yoga
This month we had a snowtubing event planned, but due to un-wintery conditions this week, we postponed it to February. On short notice, we had a small gathering two days later at my house. Since the meeting was smaller, we had the chance to talk about a lot of things. Au pairs had the chance to talk to me one on one about issues that they are dealing with. We also had a nice talk around the table about au pair topics, including child care, paying taxes, boyfriends and life with the host family.
Au Pair in America brings the world together. We bring au pairs from over 60 countries to US families who receive quality child care. Au pairs also share their culture with their host families and people who come in contact with them. We also offer a program called Global Awareness, and it gives au pairs the opportunity to share their culture in public settings like libraries or schools.
This week, my Swedish au pair Emma and my South African au pair Tracey came to St. Agnes School in Arlington center to present their country to kids in the classroom. Emma went to the 5th grade, and Tracey to the 7th. They both did an outstanding job and the kids learned a lot about Sweden and South Africa.
Emma presenting Sweden in the 5th grade
Tracey presenting South Africa in the 7th grade
GREAT JOB, EMMA AND TRACEY!
Both au pairs receive a Global Awareness Certificate as well as a
Starbucks gift card.
For more photos please visit Global Awareness
Last week we met at my house for a relaxing summer barbecue. Summer is a busy time in the au pair world with many new arrivals, good-byes, and summer vacation. We welcomed Laetitia from France and Sina from Germany to our cluster. We said good-bye to Julia who will return to Germany the beginning of September. It was nice for the new arrivals to mingle with the more seasoned au pairs and get helpful tips from them. That is one of the advantages of being part of an au pair cluster that meets each month.
Our get-togethers always provide an opportunity for cultural exchange. While au pairs enjoyed traditional American barbecue dishes, they also shared food from their own country: Chinese salami and grilled vegetables as well as Thai desserts and specialties. Around the table, we had a vivid discussion about the university experience in different countries. Taking courses is an integral part of the au pair cultural experience. Au pairs are required to take 6 credits or 80 hours in the classroom. The new au pairs had a chance to talk with the more seasoned au pairs about educational possibilities in the Boston area.
For more photos from our meeting please visit barbecue photos
This month I teamed up with two other local counselors and we planned a trip to Concord, MA. The au pairs were going to start canoeing at the South Bridge and make their way to the North Bridge. There, we were going to welcome them with a prepared picnic. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate that day and on the next day, which was the rain date.
We made the best of it and I met my group of au pairs for an inside picnic at my house. We sat around my table and had good conversations. These meetings are a chance for au pairs to talk about their experience as an au pair and bring up topics to discuss with the group. It is often very helpful for them to hear others talk about an issue that they might experience.
We also got a chance to say good-bye to Nadege who will be going home to France after 2 years. We welcomed two new au pairs, Mai and Meilikano to our group. I always have the departing au pair say a few words about her experience and suggest sharing anything she finds helpful with the newer au pairs.
For more photos please go to June Meeting
Yoga Group (missing participant: Sune)
This month, I taught a yoga class to my pair cluster, which took place at The Arlington Center Yoga Studio in East Arlington. For some au pairs, it was their first exposure to yoga. Everybody seemed to enjoy the experience.
After the class, we enjoyed a good-bye cake for Saskia and Alicia who will be leaving us in June. I congratulated them for their accomplishments, and they talked to the other au pairs about their experience as an au pair. We also welcomed new au pair Evelina to our cluster. Having access to a group of other au pairs who are sharing their experience and who might be a good resource for them has been a very valuable for my au pairs.
In an effort to ensure the best possible childcare for our host families, Au Pair in America counselors are required to hold a childcare/safety meeting with their au pair groups. This month’s meeting included a discussion about spring and summer safety. You can find the document under “Au Pair Info.”
To access the yoga group photo, please visit Yoga Group
