This January, we joined other Boston area clusters for some night time snowtubing at Nashoba Valley. Au pairs had a good time on the slopes as well as in the lodge. Counselors provided hot chocolate and snacks.
We said good-bye to Alita and Aurore who are finished with their au pair year. We welcomed new au pair Vanessa to our group.
For more photos, go to snowtubing 2015
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
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.
This is one of my favorite regional events that we offer for our Boston area au pairs: a Harvard University tour. Counselor Patti Estabrook organized it this year and almost 100 au pairs showed up on a beautiful fall day.
Au pairs learned about student life and the diversity of one Americas oldest and most prestigious schools. Tour guides provided historical facts and stories. Did you know that the statue of John Harvard (which by the way is not John Harvard, but a student who was asked to model, in the absence of any known pictures of John) is the 3rd most photographed statue in the country?
For more photos, please visit Harvard Tour 2013.
This month we congregated at my house for a breakfast in my backyard. We had a beautiful day with warm temperatures.
September is always a big cluster meeting. Many new au pairs have arrived over the summer and everybody is home now after traveling over the summer. It always is a good chance for the new and more seasoned au pairs to intermingle and get to know each other. Many phone numbers were exchanged! Some au pairs also brought their host kids who had a good time playing with each other in the backyard.
It was time for our quarterly childcare focus talk. This time we read and talked about “A Memorandum from a Child” which discusses constructive ways to interact constructively with children.
For more photos, please go to September 2013 breakfast.
Boston area community counselors held their annual host family day last weekend at Gillette stadium in Foxboro. Host families and their au pairs were invited to a tailgating party before the soccer game. We had a beautiful sunny day for it.
The annual host family day satisfies the State Department requirement for host families to attend an annual host family workshop. It provides an opportunity for host families to connect to other families in the program and to discuss aspects of it. For more photos please go to Host Family Day.
Boston area counselors with marketing director Blair Weinberg
Maple Sugaring Group
It’s maple sugaring time again! As our March regional event, we offered a tour at the Belmont Habitat to our Boston area au pairs. In addition to our regular monthly meetings, these regional events offer all au pairs in the area a second opportunity to meet other au pairs and engage in cultural experiences.
Introduction
On a cold, sunny day, 35 of us gathered inside the visitor’s center. Before talking about maple sugaring, our tour guides talked with au pairs about their favorite sweet from their country.
We then split up in three groups and through our very knowledgeable tour guides, learned about the history and the process of maple sugaring. We also learned how to identify a sugar maple and how to tap a tree.
We took a walk through the Habitat, looking at different maple trees, including tapped ones. We tasted maple sap directly from the tree and compared it with samples of maple syrup.
Our tour included a taste test to see if we could differentiate real maple syrup from chemically produced syrup that consists mostly of corn syrup. In the end, we were treated to Vanilla ice cream with maple syrup.
For more photos of our tour, please go to Maple Sugaring
This month my au pair cluster joined two other local clusters for a visit to the Prudential Center Skywalk. From the 52nd floor, we enjoyed a 360 degree view of Boston and its surroundings.
We welcomed Madhvi, Jessica, Yann Ling and Jaqueline to our cluster. They were happy to meet and connect with other au pairs. It is nice to observe how they find their peer support during a time when they’re missing the one they left at home.
After our visit to the Skywalk, we gathered at Vapiano restaurant for some food and good conversations.
For more photos of our meeting, please visit Prudential Center
Pictures with Santa
Last weekend, some of my Boston area colleagues and I threw a holiday party for our au pairs. Between us and all attending au pairs, we had an amazing selection of international dishes.
Our party was packed with fun activities: a visit from Santa, a yankee swap game and caroling in many languages.
Yankee Swap
Feliz Navidad!
For more photos of our holiday party, please visit Au Pair Holiday Party 2012
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
