Yearly Archives: 2013

Harvard University Tour 2013

Touching John Harvard's shoe for luck!

Touching John Harvard's shoe for luck!

Au Pairs from the Boston area gather each year to tour the hallowed grounds of Harvard University.  On a beautiful September day over 80 girls came to Cambridge to learn about student life and the diversity of one Americas oldest and most prestigious schools.

Tour guides provided us 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!

click here for pictures  —-> Harvard Tour 2013

Quick Start for Education- Now!

This is the start of the Fall semester!
Part of a successful year as an au pair includes your education requirement. You’ve heard about it at orientation, and, hopefully, thought about it already, but one way or the other, now is the time to act.

So how do you get started? Any of the Au Pair in America resources will give you all the details, but for a quick start, here are a few pointers that will guide you on the road to educational success.

Begin the process! Every accredited school has its fall schedule of courses available online and locally, schools are all in the registration period right now so get going! You may be able to register late, but classes fill quickly. Even if there is room available, it will cost you extra money and courses are already expensive, so this is something to avoid.

Think about how you want to fulfill the requirement. You can take one course or a few, travel, or become a student on an American college campus. Do you want to improve your English? That is a good place to start. This could be an opportunity to see another city by taking a travel course worth 3 credits, to explore new subjects that you have always been interested in, or to study a subject that you have already planned a career in. If you really have no interest in any of these possibilities, the UCLA online course is available for your 6 credit requirement. You have many choices, but there are other steps that you need to take before you are done.

Talk to your host family, your community counselor, and other au pairs. Ask your host family about the time in your schedule that is available for you to take courses. Your counselor will tell you whether a school is accredited. Other au pairs will give you their opinions about courses that they have taken.

Research the choices by using the Au Pair in America website (www.aupairinamerica.com) to view all the choices that other au pairs in your cluster have made. Select one or two classes that you would like to take, their cost, where and what time they meet. Then ask for a host parent or community counselor’s opinion.

Register after  you and your host parents have discussed the details.  This requires payment.  Since your host parents have some responsibility for the cost of your classes for the year, they will help you to register.

Participate! Now that you are a student on an American campus, enjoy it. Use the library, sit on campus, go to the bookstore, mingle with the other students. And above all, study! You’ll be proud of your success when the semester ends.

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.

Make Way for Spring

clock-forward

March 10th: Daylight Savings Time. Be sure to set your clocks forward before going to sleep.  The kids maybe groggy this week as they adjust to the time change.  Please be sensitive to that as you go through the week.

imagesCAL2BJ2MMarch 17th: St. Patrick’s Day. This Irish holiday has been celebrated in the USA since 1737.  Traditional icons that mark the holiday:  Leprechauns, Pots of Gold, Rainbows, Shamrocks and the Color Green!  There will be local parades in many of our towns…Stamford, Danbury and of course in NYC.  It might be fun to go and experience this tradition.

March 25: Passover begins. Passover, also known as Pesach or Pesah, is a Holy Day, observed by several religions, begins today and lasts seven or eight days, depending on your beliefs.  It commemorates the exodus and freedom of the Israelites from Egypt.

March 31: Easter is an annual festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is always celebrated on a Sunday