On a beautiful Sunday in April, we joined three other local au pair clusters and visited the Prudential Center Skywalk. It was about 50 of us and we had a great time.
We met in the food court first to chat, collect money and take care of au pair business. We welcomed new au pair Eye and said good-bye to Carolina who is moving to another au pair cluster.
Once on the 50th floor, we enjoyed an audio tour and a beautiful view of Boston and its surroundings
This month, we met at Together in Motion in Arlington to practice yoga together. Au pairs seemed to have a good time doing so.
Afterwards, we had some time to chat and connect. We said good-bye to Erika who is going back to Italy, and we welcomed Marketa from the Czech Republic. It is nice to see how my au pairs use these meetings to connect with each other. Au pairs also check in with me about issues that come up for them.
For more photos, go to Yoga 2015
In February, we gathered at my house for Valentine’s Treats. Au pairs shared stories about the significance of Valentine’s Day in their countries and things they might do to celebrate it. At this meeting, we welcomed Justine who joined us from another cluster.
We also talked about how to file taxes. This is something that au pairs are required to do. Although it is a fairly easy process, it can be daunting when you are from a different country and have never done it before.
For more photos go to Valentine’s Photos.
In December, we joined another local au pair cluster and celebrated the holiday season at ArtLounge in Arlington.
Au Pairs had a chance to mingle, listen to holiday music and enjoy refreshments. They also participated in a fun Yankee Swap.
Half way through the evening, an artist came in to lead those who chose to paint through the steps of creating their own painting. It was interesting to observe how each au pair put her personal touch to the painting.
For more photos of our celebration, go to Holiday Party.
For our November cluster meeting, make-up artist Barbora, one of our au pairs, offered to do other au pairs’ makeup. It was nice to see her at work and see faces transformed by her art.
At this meeting, I provided a handout about child safety and we discussed the different ways of keeping the children safe.
We also welcomed Vanessa, who arrived from Germany that month.
For more photos, go to November 2014
In September, our cluster meeting was at my house for a breakfast. The weather was nice and we were able to sit outside. We said hello to some more summer arrivals and it was nice to see them connect with the other au pairs.
for more photos go to September 2014.
Once or twice a year, Au Pair in America counselors offer a host family workshop that gives host families the chance to connect and discuss aspects of the host family – au pair relationship. This is in compliance with State Department regulations to hold an event like this once a year.
This year, I joined 3 other counselors we met our host families on a beautiful day at Honeypot Hill Orchards in Stow, MA for an apple picking picnic. Many au pairs attended as well. We enjoyed conversations, apple cider donuts and apple cider. Host children participated in cookie decorating and fall craft activities.
For more photos go to host family day 2014
What a fun event our annual canoeing and picnic was again this June! For our cluster meeting, we met up with 2 other clusters at the South Bridge boat house. From there, au pairs canoed to the North Bridge, where counselors had prepared a picnic with fruit, brownies and lemonade. It was a beautiful day, perfect for our event.
Summer is a big time for good-byes. We said good-bye to Julia, Junika, Jenni, Khim and Lucie. We wish you all the best for your future! We welcomed Veronika into our cluster.
For more photos please visit Concord 2014
In May, we congregated at my house for breakfast. It was a beautiful day and we could sit outside in the backyard. Some au pairs even brought their children along. These meetings at my house are always a great opportunity for au pairs to sit together, bond, and talk about their lives as au pairs.
The meeting provided a wonderful opportunity for me to check in with each of them to see how they are doing. We also took care of some end of the year business by discussing their last meetings and providing me with proof of their education.
We said good-bye to Yann Ling who will leave us soon to go back to Malaysia. We also said good-bye to Kathrin who moved to Connecticut.
For more photos please visit May Breakfast
This month we joined other Boston area au pair clusters for a visit to the Prudential Center Skywalk. 50 floors above Boston, we had a bird’s eye view of Boston’s Hancock Tower, Fenway Park, the Boston Common and Public Garden, the Esplanade and Hatch Shell, the Charles River, MIT, Harvard University, and countless other Boston landmarks. Au pairs also had the chance to use interactive exhibits which provided them with a real flavor of the city’s distinctive culture and neighborhoods. Multimedia players were provided detailing the city’s historic past and current sites.
Afterwards, we walked to Panera Bread and enjoyed food and conversation. We welcomed Erika from Italy to our cluster and said good-bye to Nhung and Aneta.
For more photos, please visit Prudential Skywalk.
