Tag Archives: Cultural Exchange

Au Pairs visit the Prudential Center Skywalk

In addition to monthly meetings offered by each counselor to her au pair group, Au Pair in America counselors in the Boston area organize a regional event once a month that is open to all Au Pair in America au pairs in the Boston area.   This month, 50 au pairs joined me and two other local counselors for the Prudential Center Skywalk

View of Boston

View of Boston

Blue, sunny skies made for breathtaking views from the 50th floor.  Au Pairs were able to do an audio tour and learn more about the city of Boston and its landmarks.  They all enjoyed getting to know the city they chose to come to a bit better.  A true cultural exchange experience!

To see more photos of our regional event, please go to Skywalk 2011 or Heike’s Pictures

Boston area au pairs go maple sugaring

In an effort to bring relevant cultural experiences to our au pairs, counselor Heike and I took our groups to a maple sugaring tour at the Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont.    We were welcomed by two experienced nature guides who ventured out into the snowy landscape with us to teach us about about maple sugaring.

a walk in the woods

a walk in the woods

We talked about and visited several maple trees, among them a red maple, a striped maple and of course, the sugar maple which is used to make maple syrup.  We learned how to differentiate them by the way their leaves and buds look or how the branches come out of the trunk.

We ended up at a tapped sugar maple tree and observed the sap dripping into the bucket attached to the trunk.    We learned that it takes a set of perfect weather conditions to come together to make the sap that is stored in the roots in winter to start flowing up the trunk.   It is a combination of cold nights and warm days, conditions that can be found in the Northeastern US and Canada.  When we tasted the sap, we all expected it to taste a lot sweeter than it was.  It is the process of boiling down the sap that converts it into sweet syrup.

tapped maple tree

tapped maple tree

sugar shack

sugar shack

As part of the tour, we visited a fake sugar shack and the guides explained the process of how maple sap is boiled down to maple syrup.  We learned that it takes 40 cups of sugar maple sap to make one cup of maple syrup!  We got a chance to go into the kitchen and boil down some maple sap.   We also tasted “fake” maple syrup and the real deal and had to guess which is which.

taste test

taste test

At the end of the tour, a nice surprise was waiting for us:  vanilla ice cream with maple syrup, dried blueberries and cranberries.

Maple Sugaring Group

Maple Sugaring Group

For more pictures of our maple sugaring tour go to maple sugaring photos

Valentine fun at February au pair meeting

Valentine’s Day may not be celebrated in countries that my au pairs come from.  However, they are part of an American family now and sharing American customs provides an important cultural learning experience for them.   At our Valentine meeting it was all about hearts: eating heart-shaped cake, cookies, pancakes and candy and making heart necklaces.   We had so much fun together and au pairs shared their experiences with and feelings about Valentine’s Day.

We also said good-bye to Pearly from Thailand who has been an outstanding au pair with her current host family in Belmont for the last two years.  She leaves having gained another family and many valued friends.

For more picture of our February meeting please go to Valentine Meeting

Au Pairs visit self defense class in Arlington

This month, our au pair group visited “Not-Me” in East Arlington, where owner Erik Kondo held a “Beyond Awareness – Physical Assertiveness for the Street”  self-defense class.  The class focused mainly on non-physical aspects of self-defense, like the decision not to be a victim, situational awareness, one’s attitudes and appearance,  assertiveness, body language, boundary setting, and steps on how to de-escalate an aggressive situation.   Erik and his assistants took us through potential aggressive situations and we got to practice strategies that we had discussed earlier.

This month’s meeting satisfies the State Department mandated quarterly childcare/safety meeting.   It also supports Au Pair in America’s high standard for safety.   Erik’s strategies can be applied to every day life and hopefully most of us will find ourselves remembering some of the things he taught us to keep ourselves and others safe.

We even made it onto the “Not-Me” blog.  Check it out at Not-Me.

For more pictures of our meeting please visit Au Pair Self Defense

Harvard Tour 2010

Harvard University

Harvard University

Each month, Au Pair in America offers a regional event to au pairs in the Boston area.  It is another opportunity for our au pairs to connect with others and to learn about American culture.   This month, we offered a free Harvard Tour, led by a Harvard sophomore, Todd.  On a sunny, warm fall day, more than 50 au pairs attended and seemed to enjoy themselves.  Many of the au pairs are attending Harvard Extension School for ESL or other topics, because it is one of the affordable options for au pairs to satisfy their educational requirement.

At the steps of Widener Library

At the steps of Widener Library

Todd did an amazing job.  His voice was clear and easy to hear, which is important for au pairs.

He made a sincere effort to keep everybody engaged.

Bettinas cluster

Bettina's cluster

For more photos, please go to Harvard Tour 2010

Au Pair and Host Family Picnic

Pumpkins

Pumpkins

a lively exchange

a lively exchange

Last Sunday, four Au Pair in America Community Counselors hosted an Au Pair and Host Family Picnic at Honey Pot Hill Orchard in Stow, MA.  This annual event offers au pairs and host families a chance to meet and connect with other families and au pairs in the program and to share a special New England fall tradition.

Our picnic satisfies the State Department requirement for Au Pair in America to offer at least one mandatory host family workshop a year.  This year, our focus was on International Day of Peace, which is today,  September 21.   As an au pair agency, we bring different cultures together, building a bridge of understanding so important in our world today.  Au pairs and host children had a chance to decorate peace rocks:

Peace Rocks
Peace Rocks

Au pairs and host families enjoyed this visit to the apple orchard and took advantage of what the farm had to offer: apple picking, hay wagon rides, farm animals, a hedge maze, apple cider and apple cider donuts.   For more photos please go to Au Pair and Host Family Picnic

Community Counselors

Community Counselors

Boston area au pairs go canoeing

 

Canoeing The Concord River

Canoeing The Concord River

We had so much fun last weekend at our August cluster meeting.  We met at the boathouse in Concord and rented 3 canoes.   In groups of 4 or 5 we canoed up the Concord River.  There were lots of laughs involved.   Afterwards, we had a nice picnic by the riverside and enjoyed Thai food, snacks and Lemon Pound Cake.

Some of the new au pairs had a chance to talk to the more seasoned au pairs about courses they are interested in taking.   As part of the au pair program, au pairs are required to take 6 credits or 80 hours in the classroom.  Many au pairs take ESL classes to improve their English, or courses where they learn about American culture.  Of course many au pairs are excited to be part of the Harvard Extension School experience.

 

 

Going down the river

Going down the river

For more pictures of our meeting, go to Canoeing Pictures

Au Pairs visit Nantasket Beach

Nantasket Beach - partial group

Nantasket Beach - partial group

For our July meeting, we went to Nantasket Beach.  We got the chance to say good-bye to a few au pairs who are finished with their au pair year.   We celebrated their achievements in style with homemade crumb cake.

Some of the new au pairs had a chance to meet the rest of the au pair group and many new contacts were formed.   It is nice to see when my au pairs develop a peer support group as part of their adaptation process.    In addition to their relationship with the host family and with the counselor, it is an additional resource that they can rely on during their stay.

Good luck to all my departures and welcome new au pairs!

Au Pair in America Cultural Fair Boston

Mexican Table

Mexican Table

Chinese Table

Chinese Table

On Sunday, March 21, Au Pair in America brought the world to the Boston Children’s Museum.   Boston area counselors organized a Cultural Fair, open to their host families and to the public.

Au pairs from all over the world did an amazing job putting together information about their countries and presenting it at country tables.  They seemed very excited to share their culture with others. Parents and children talked to au pairs, played games, enjoyed crafts, danced, watched performances and learned words from different languages.   Children received passports and collected country stickers at each table.

Ukrainian Table

Ukrainian Table

This event provided an entertaining and educational afternoon for children and adults.  It also satisfied the State Department requirement that counselors offer annual host family workshops for their host families.  Au Pair in America prides itself in providing an excellent cultural exchange opportunity for host families and au pairs in addition to offering affordable and flexible child care.

Brazilian Dancing

Brazilian Dancing

French Table

FrenchTable
Learning Thai

Learning Thai

For more Cultural Fair photos, please visit Cultural Fair Photos and Heidi’s Photos

March Meeting: 50 Boston area au pairs visit the Prudential Center Skywalk

Beautiful view of boston

Beautiful view of Boston

Last Sunday, on a beautiful sunny day,  my au pairs joined other Au Pair in America clusters in the area for a visit to the Prudential Center Skywalk.   Au Pairs enjoyed a bird’s eye view of Boston and the surrounding area and learned a lot about Boston’s history during the audio tour.  Since the weather was so nice we had a great turnout and about 50 au pairs showed up.   When we organize our meetings, we try to keep the cost down for the au pairs.  Thanks to the Prudential Center Skywalk staff who got us a very affordable group rate!

Au Pairs at the Prudential Skywalk

Au Pairs at the Prudential Skywalk

For more photos of our meeting, please visit Prudential Center Skywalk Photos