Tag Archives: Boston area

Au Pair Meeting at Bowling Alley

Last week, our au pair group met for flatbread pizza and bowling at Sacco’s Bowl Haven in Davis Square, Somerville.   We had a few new arrivals: Magda, Estelle, Bee and Asia, who were formally introduced to the group.  They enjoyed meeting and connecting with our more seasoned au pairs.

The flatbread pizza was amazing, and we shared many laughs while candlepin bowling.  Again, it was nice to observe the comraderie among a group of young women who are going through the same experience.

During dinner, I handed out information about winter driving which we discussed.    The most important job of an au pair is to keep the children and herself safe.  That is why we have these quarterly discussions regarding safety.   I encouraged au pairs to go home and talk with their host families about the handout.

For more photos of our bowling adventure go to Bowling.

Au Pair in America Annual Host Family Picnic

This year, 8 Boston area counselors organized the annual host family picnic at Carver Hill Orchard in Stow, MA.   This event gives host families and au pairs the opportunity to meet other families and au pairs in the program.  It also satisfies the State Department requirement to offer a host family workshop at least once per year.    We offered handouts and discussions about topics related to the host family-au pair relationship, such as the adaptation process.

On a beautiful fall day, host families and au pairs enjoyed apple and pumpkin picking, mingling with each other as well as freshly baked cider donuts, apple cider and hayrides provided by Au Pair in America.  The children had a choice of different art tables, which included fall coloring sheets and stencils, wood cut fall stamps as well as apple prints.

Not only do events like these bring people together, but it also provides an opportunity for our host families to share this New England tradition of going out into the apple orchard in the fall with their au pairs, many of who just arrived over the summer.

For more photos of the picnic, go to Host Family Picnic 2012 and Host Family Picnic – 2012

For a slideshow of the event, please visit Host Family Picnic slideshow

Au Pairs Visit Harvard

Over 80 Boston area au pairs attended the Harvard tour, our September Regional Event.  On a beautiful September day, they came to Cambridge to learn about student life and the diversity of one Americas oldest and most prestigious schools.

John Harvard #3 Statue of Liberty #1 Lincoln Memorial #2

Tour guides provided them with 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?   Want to guess what the top two are?    Needless to say the day was full of interesting facts and sights of Harvard!

For more photos, go to Harvard Tour 2012

Au Pairs go Mini Golfing

Our August meeting took place at McGolf in Dedham for a nice round of mini golfing.    We had a smaller group, as August is a big month for transitions and vacations in the au pair world.    The afternoon was beautiful and we had a fun game.

The group consisted mostly of newly arrived au pairs.  It was nice to watch them make new connections and starting to build their life here in the US.  They also had the chance to talk to an au pair who has been here for a while and who can be a good resource for them as they are adapting.

 

 

 

ice cream after the game!

ice cream after the game!

 

 

 

 

 

for more pictures of our meeting, please go to mini golf.

Backyard Barbecue

July Barbecue

July Barbecue

Our July meeting was nice and relaxed.   We had a small group, as many au pairs are either in transition, traveling or staying outside the Boston area with their host families.   Au pairs brought things to grill, while I provided side dishes and something to drink.

While sitting around the table, we said good-bye to Alexandra and Tracey who will be going home soon.   We also had a chance to welcome Jaqueline who just joined us from another au pair cluster.

Au Pairs from Boston area canoe in Concord

Canoeing group

Canoeing group

Our June cluster meeting last weekend in historic Concord was so much fun!  It  was such a beautiful summer day.  We joined two other clusters and over 30 au pairs participated.   We met at the South Bridge in Concord to rent canoes and kayaks.  Au pairs then rowed to the Old North Bridge where counselors welcomed them for a picnic.

The German crew

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the historic Old Manse, we gathered for our meeting.  At first, we held our childcare/safety meeting that we are required per State Department to have once every three months.   We talked about summer safety, which included sun exposure related safety, water safety rules and wearing the right protective gear for biking, skateboarding and rollerblading. 

 

We then broke off into our individual clusters.    Our group said good-bye to Stella, Cirstin and Sina, who are at the end of their au pair year and are going home to Germany soon.   They had a lot of advice for the newer arrivals.    We welcomed Camilla from Brazil who attended her first meeting.   

Enjoying cake, cookies and some fruit

Enjoying cake, cookies and some fruit

Bettinas group

Bettina's group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more photos of this meeting, please visit Canoeing 2012.

Boston area au pairs join Walk For Hunger

Au Pair in America Team

Au Pair in America Team

On Sunday, May 6,  Team Au Pair in America was among the estimated 41,000 walkers that joined the annual Walk for Hunger in Boston to help raise money for the hungry  in Massachusetts.

We met at Park Street Station.    From there, the group dispersed into smaller groups.   We walked various distances, and  many on the team proudly finished 20 miles.

Congratulations to all of you au pairs who contributed to this fantastic event!

For more photos go to Walk for Hunger and Walk for Hunger 1

Au Pair in America Au Pairs visit Fenway Park

Red Sox Tour 2012

This month,  our Boston area au pairs had the chance to join a group tour at Fenway Park.  Under bright blue skies and perfect temperatures, 64 au pairs, host parents and children headed off with a knowledgeable and loud guide. They were entertained and educated about the history of the ballpark as well as that of the Red Sox (originally known as the Red Stockings!)

Au Pairs visit Prudential Center Skywalk

This month, we met another Boston area cluster for a visit to the Prudential Center Skywalk.  Au pairs enjoyed the view from the 50th floor despite the fact that it was cloudy. Au pairs also learned a lot about Boston by using the audio tour device and reading up on Boston facts.

Afterwards, we walked over to Vapiano restaurant in the theater district.   Counselors distributed a handout about spring activities, including child safety reminders.   Each quarter, counselors hold a childcare/safety meeting with au pairs in an effort to ensure good quality childcare for their host families.

View from the top

View from the top

For more photos of our meeting, go to Skywalk 2012.

Maple Sugaring Tour

Au Pairs with Guides

Au Pairs with Guides

Last weekend, Au Pair in America offered a Maple Sugaring Tour at the Belmont Habitat for their Boston area au pairs.   In addition to monthly cluster meetings, these monthly regional events give au pairs the chance to participate in culturally relevant activities.  Maple Sugaring is an experience very unique to this area, and au pairs in the area are very lucky to be able to experience this as part of their cultural exchange.

Examining the sugar maple

Examining the sugar maple

Two experienced Habitat guides,  Ann and Sandy, gave us a wonderful tour.    Au Pairs learned about the characteristics of a sugar maple in order to differentiate it from other trees and other types of maples.    (branching pattern, leaf pattern, shape and color of buds)   We visited a tapped maple tree and learned that the flow of sap is very close to the outer bark of the tree and its flow gets activated every year in the early months for about 6 weeks, when starch that is stored in the roots converts back to sugar that gets transported up the tree in order to feed the buds.    This is brought about by cold nights and warmer days.

Taste Test

Taste Test

We tasted the sap right from the tree, and experienced the transformation of the very slightly sweetened liquid into a syrup that is much sweeter by boiling it in the Habitat’s kitchen.   The ration of boiling sap into syrup is 40:1!  We also compared that natural syrup to the Aunt Jemima kind and noticed how different the two taste.    Upon reading the ingredient list of Aunt Jemima, we concluded that there is nothing natural about the product and has nothing to do with the maple sap.  Our tour guides also spoke about the different grades of maple syrup and we found out that the darker the syrup, the later in the season it was harvested and the more maple taste it will have.

Tasting our own syrup

Tasting our own syrup

The Habitat also has a sugar shack that is not in use any more.   This is where the maple sap traditionally gets converted into syrup.   Our tour guides showed us the evaporator machine that the farmer used when it was still functional.

In the sugar shack

In the sugar shack

At the end of the tour, au pairs answered questions to a quiz to see if they remembered what they learned throughout the tour.   We were then rewarded by ice-cream that we covered with Maple Syrup, cranberries and maple cookies.

Yummy!

Yummy!

For more photos of our maple sugaring tour please visit maple sugaring 2012