Our October meeting was a first for many of the au pairs. They had never carved a pumpkin and never tasted pumpkin pie! GIrls got to do both. As for the pie – it was a success!
The pumpkin carvings were just AMAZING!
Category Archives: cluster meetings
Au Pair in America at the Head of the Charles Regatta
One of the most well known competitions of the international rowing world took place this past weekend on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Over twenty au pairs gathered there to have hot chocolate and fudge brownies, while they people watched and cheered on their favorite teams rowing up the river in sculls, two person, four person, and eight member boats.
Olympic teams competed in fierce competition with their own best records, with each other, and with the increasing wind conditions. University teams such as the University of Washington and University of Virginia were au pair favorites and with all of the cheering and support, they both took first place in the Championship and Collegiate divisions respectively. Despite the cheering the cluster gave them, the Naval Academy did not fare as well.
Crowds estimated at over one hundred thousand lined the riverside from the Boston Harbor and the river basin all the way to Watertown, on both the Cambridge and Boston sides. To add to the festivities, the autumn foliage was in full display. It was a true New England day and as the sun began to sink, au pairs filtered off to enjoy the remaining Sunday evening fun.
Click here for pictures Pics of Head of the Charles
PLAY BALL!
So many farewells!
“Save money for travel” and “Play Ball!” were two exclamations heard in equal parts at our July cluster meeting, a mixture of fond farewells, parting advice, and a great game of American baseball. Saying goodbye to 11 departing au pairs was sad, but it was made little bit easier by chocolate cake and watermelon, then a fantastic game of American Baseball.
Americans never think about how strange a sport baseball is until they try to explain it to those who have never played it or watched a game. Running from base to base and having to stop sometimes, but not at other times, is odd. “Three strikes and you’re out” is arbitrary. Distinguishing a strike from a ball is arbitrary.
Still, everyone showed amazing athletic skills, including strong batting, excellent speed covering most of bases, and great catching. The opposing pitchers were formidable. Chloe Haggard pitched consistently hittable balls even while injured and Kathi Lange was frightening in her windup and was even part of a key double play midway through the game.
With lightening in the distance and darkness falling, it was time to end the game. However, it is clear that our au pairs are ready to play more ball!
November Line Dancing Kicks It!
Au pairs came together on a cold and darkening evening to dance the chills away, have fun, and get some exercise in the process! We saw several techniques that au pairs brought from their own dancing styles to incorporate into the traditional Line Dancing steps. With master instruction from an experienced cowgirl, everyone was dancing in no time at all! Check out our photos on photobucket!
Apple Picking in October
Taste Testing!
Macoun, Macintosh, Granny Smith. What are they? They’re all tasty and all picked by many of the au pairs attending Patti and Melinda’s October cluster meeting! Under sunny skies and a very brisk wind, au pairs enjoyed cider and apple cider donuts together while we greeted several new au pairs. We then said goodbye to Alicia Cornellisen and Franzi Goerisch who shared their advice about having a great experience this year.
Then it was into the apple orchards for those who wanted to try their hands at picking. And pick they did, as you can see from the photos! Bites were taken and bags were filled to overflowing with the apples that they had reached high for! Some au pairs decided to skip the orchard and they retreated inside to enjoy the gift shop and various samples. As both activities were wrapping up, a huge rain cloud overhead burst, the winds began to blow harder, and we all ran for cover.
Luckily, the apple picking was pretty much done! Now the pie baking begins!
Summer Evenings
At the batting cage!
Our end of summer cluster meeting was held at Kimballs Farm. It was a perfect evening for ice cream and a perfect time to discuss classes and fall plans. The meeting was to include practice (or try for the first time) golf, but a distant rumble of thunder and lightning changed the venue to the batting cages. Amazing how many balls connected to the bats!!! Way to go girls!
More pictures here -> Cluster Pics
Au Pair in America at Barefoot Books
- Barefoot Books
Summer is a time of travel and adventure for children and adults alike. So, how can we travel to experience this sense of adventure, yet stay right in town? If you live in our area, it’s easy! Just step into the world of Barefoot Books at 89 Thoreau Street, Concord.
With the help of our au pairs from Canada, South Africa, Thailand, and Brazil, children visiting the bookstore have had the chance to visit the rainforests of Brazil and the north country of Canada, they’ve learned about the elephants of Thailand, and they have traveled along with a child living on the veld in South Africa. Au pairs have read engaging stories to the children and they have also happily worked with the children to create crafts related to a different group of countries each week during the month of July . This summer program at Barefoot Books has paired au pairs who want to teach about their own countries with children from far and wide who have come to the bookstore to step into another culture with an au pair.
Look at the photos to get your own view of our au pairs and the children at Barefoot Books. Join us in August to visit with au pairs from New Zealand and all of Europe. Welcome to another expression of cultural exchange provided by Au Pair in America!
More Barefoot Books Pics
Patti’s April Meeting
Farewell Hilda!
Cake and Ice Cream
What could be better for celebrating spring!!
Monday night we gathered at my home to welcome in Spring!!
This was Hilda’s last meeting after being a part of our group for two years. We were so fortunate that her mother was visiting and was able to join us! After introductions we settled down to the business of the up coming cultural fair, au pair marketing and the Boston Walk for Hunger. It was a good time to talk about spring activities for the children and I was able to take them to the APIA site and show them the seasonal calender and Kids Corner, many of the girls did not know that these resources were so available to them! A short discussion on disciplining children took place and an informative sheet was passed out with some additional info. We then sang Happy Birthday to May and some said tearful good-byes to Hilda.
Princess Warrior battles Harvard "nerd"
To end the evening the girls were given a choice of two games to play, Au Pair Bingo or using aluminum foil to design a dress (thank you counselors from our FACEBOOK page for the idea). The costumes that were created were so inventive and the girls had so much fun!
January Snow Tubes Fly
Nashoba Valley Snow Tubing
On a cold and dark January night, several local clusters gathered to snow tube down Nashoba Mountain. Six clusters met in the toasty lodge for winter treats and hot drinks provided by their counselors before beginning an evening on the slopes. After group tickets were bought, the fun began! With old friends and new, au pairs bundled up and picked out their tubes. The music was loud; the squeals of delight were as well! Everyone had a wonderful time and most were already planning a repeat visit as they drove off.
Holiday Partying with the Au Pairs!
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” were the operative words for close to one hundred au pairs at our multi-cluster holiday pot luck dinner party this past week. Held at the historic Concord Scout House, several Boston area clusters gathered for what has become an annual tradition of good food, good fun, and good cheer.
Santa's visit
For more pictures click -> Holiday Pictures
The evening started with the potluck dinner that reflected the diversity of au pairs that attended. We had appetizers from South Africa, India and Italy, salads from Italy and Colombia, desserts from Germany and Thailand, just to name a few. The community counselors came through with delicious roast ham, lasagnas, and potato casseroles, and our famous Au Pair Punch!
Our special guest, Santa, arrived to circulate and hear what is on our au pairs’ wish lists this year. Peals of laughter and lots of photo opportunities were a part of his extended visit. Then, it was on to the Yankee Swap during which we found out a lot that we did not know about each other, in addition to swapping gifts! It was all in good fun though.
One of the nicest parts of our traditional party is the holiday singing that ends the evening. Each of our many countries’ languages was represented on stage as au pairs gathered together to sing their favorite holiday songs in their native languages to us. This is a wonderful tradition that you can experience now in our YouTube video here on the blog.
Then, after all the festivities, it was time to say, “Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night” as au pairs bundled up and made their way out into the starry December night.