Tag Archives: Massachusetts

Annual Host Family Workshop

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

Au Pairs Canoe and Picnic in Historic Concord

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

Boston Au Pairs visit Harvard University

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.

BOSTON STRONG

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How Americans Help

The most important thing now  is to understand that as horrific as this event was we are still safe to move about our normal days.

So many people have reached out to help the survivors.  As individual Americans we tend to donate to certain charities that help those who have been injured.  As Au Pairs it helps for you to be aware of the enormous efforts that are taken to help in time of crisis.

Since April 15th, both traditional and new organizations have offered help and support to those hurt physically and emotionally by the deadly blasts at the Boston Marathon.

The American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts says it’s served 5,000 meals and snacks. A new group, The One Fund, announced by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino, has been set up to get money to the families of those killed and most severely wounded.

Three people died in the explosions: 8-year-old Martin Richard, and Krystle Marie Campbell, 29, both of Massachusetts; and Lingzi Lu, a Boston University graduate student from China, and 176 were injured.

Here’s how we can help:

The American Red Cross, Eastern Massachusetts
Since Monday, the Red Cross has “provided about 500 units of blood and blood products to hospitals in the Boston area,” the organization says on its. “Blood supplies are currently sufficient to meet patient needs and people who want to give blood are strongly encouraged to schedule a donation appointment in the days and weeks ahead.”

The One Fund Boston
The will act as a central repository to “receive much needed financial support,” Gov. Patrick said Tuesday in a statement. “At moments like this, we are one state, one city and one people.”

Within an hour of the explosions, Mayor Menino said in a statement he had calls from business leaders and philanthropists “who  were heartbroken by the impact this hideous tragedy” had on individuals and families, and wanted to do something about it.

As of Wednesday, officials said, more than $7 million has been pledged to The One Fund by corporate partners and individuals. Individuals have contributed more than $500,000 so far.

The John Hancock company has pledged $1 million, and there are other commitments for contributions from the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and Bain Capital.

On April 20, AT&T said customers who want to support One Fund can text the word BOSTON to 80108 to donate $10. The donation will be reflected on customers’ monthly AT&T bill.

The Amputee Coalition
Members from this are working with Boston hospitals that are treating patients. The coalition works regularly to raise awareness about amputees, create peer mentorship programs and has a summer program for children with limb differences. To learn more, visit the coalition’s main website .

Challenged Athletes Foundation

This is also working with those injured Monday. The group says  is to help those with physical disabilities pursue “active lifestyles,” and provide funding for adaptive equipment, hold clinics to build confidence and sponsor mentorship programs.

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 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.

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 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