Category Archives: Fun Things We Do

Kayaking at the Charles River with the cluster

June 9, 2013 – 10:50 pm

Getting ready to board the kayaks

Today we went with the aupair cluster for our June cluster meeting kayaking on the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge.

We were lucky with the weather since it was warm, sunny and just a bit breezy.

We enjoyed the beautiful skyline of Boston.

P1090179 - Copy We also celebrated the birthday of Franzi M. from Germany who received today her certificate for finishing her education requirements as an extraordinaire aupair.

DSC_0151 - Copy P1090197 - Copy DSC_0119 - Copy Stacey from South Africa and Caren from Namibia just arrived this week in the US to start their year as aupair in the Boston area.

Last instructions on how to deal with the kayak

Please view all pictures at kayaking cluster meeting 2013

Au Pair In America Regional Host Family Event at the Foxboro stadium

May 23, 2013 – 1:41 pm

Northwest MLS NE Revolution 48"x60" Tapestry Throw

On Sunday, June 2, Au Pair in America will host a Tailgate Party/Soccer Game Event at Gillette Stadium*, One Patriot Place, Foxboro, MA. Host families and au pairs throughout the entire New England region will be participating in the event.

2:00 p.m. Tailgate Party (Free)
Refreshments will be served, and there will be games, prizes, raffles, and fun surprises!

4:00 p.m. Soccer Game – New England Revolutions vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
(Tickets to the game are $17 and should be purchased by 5/28/13)

Host Families and/or Au Pairs who would like to attend can reserve tickets by sending a check for $17 for each ticket to:

Leeann Keady
8 Haven Road
Medfield MA 02052

Please reserve by 5/28/13 and be sure to include your name and email address to your check or money order.

*Gillette Stadium is the home stadium for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution soccer team. Located in Foxboro, Massachusetts, the facility opened in 2002, replacing Foxboro Stadium. The seating capacity is 68,756, including 6,000 club seats and 87 luxury suites. The stadium is owned and operated by American businessman Robert Kraft, who also owns the Patriots and Revolution.

Direction to the Foxboro stadium and some more info about the stadium.

Walk for Hunger

May 6, 2013 – 8:41 am

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The Walk for Hunger which we offer to all cluster of the greater Boston area was a great event this year. Many of our aupairs went through the whole course of 20 miles started in Boston, then walked through Brookline, Newton, Cambridge and back to Boston. The weather was perfect despite some early morning chill.

Aurelie and Marie from France with Amy-Louise from South Africa right before the start on the Walk

Aurelie and Marie from France with Amy-Louise from South Africa right before the start of the Walk

Jackie from South Africa with her friend in the spirit to walk

Together with some aupairs at the 5 mile mark: Christin, Franzi, Isa from Germany with Amy from South Africa

Walk around the Chestnut Hill reservoir

Amy from South Africa and me halfway through

Tami, Lynn, Judith, Viktoria and Amy at the snack point after 12 miles.

Tami from Germany at the 12 miles mark

Shuttle back to Boston

Katja and Birgit from Germany arrived the finish line after 5 hours and 24 minutes

Katja and Birgit from Germany arrived at the finish line after 5 hours and 24 minutes

Caroline and Lovisa from Sweden at the finish line after 6 hours

Many more aupairs finished the 20 miles and I am very proud of them as well as of so many who walked part of this course too.

To walk for a good cause and to have family and friends sponsoring them is an American tradition and new to many aupairs who come from so many different countries to experience the American way of live here in the US. With this walk our Aupairs raised more then we expected to help the hungry in Massachusetts.

Many more pix can be seen at : Walk for Hunger 2013

Boston Strong for the Walk for Hunger

April 23, 2013 – 1:35 pm

Now more then ever we will race, run or walk for a good cause.

Our Walk for Hunger is coming up. Please sign up at the Au Pair in America team at:

http://www.projectbread.org/site/TR/Walk/General?px=1531861&pg=personal&fr_id=1210

These two aupairs enjoyed the Walk for Hunger 2012

Coffee meeting for aupairs today

April 12, 2013 – 3:22 pm

Today we met at Athan’s bakery in Brookline to talk about extension and aupair taxes. We had a great time to get to know a new aupair Aurelie from France who just arrived in Brookline yesterday. What a wonderful chance for her to find friends right away who live close to her.

Amy from South Africa, Aurelie from France and Dennisse from Mexico

We also could celebrate the third place of our snowman contest here today. Amy did a great job with her snowman with the Au Pair in America baseball cap. She got a ” I love Boston T-shirt” for her effort.

Amy with the picture of an excellent snowman build after the last snowstorm

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Another aupair got her certificate of completion of her education part of the aupair program:

Caroline from Sweden got all her 6 credits which is the requirement to have during the one year as an aupair in the US.

Left to right:Tamy from Germany, Dennisse from Mexico, Amy from South Africa, Aurelie from France and Caroline from Sweden.

April Cluster meeting in the Blue Hills

April 7, 2013 – 5:17 pm

We met today in the Blue Hills in Milton to hike together up to an outlook to enjoy the view over the Boston skyline. Up on the hill we had a picnic together and talked about the outdoors and about plants who are not familiar to many aupairs who come from places where they don’t exist: Poison Ivy. Since none of them has leaves yet, they are hard to find but it’s best to know about them before the leaves are out. I guess everybody is now aware of the “leaves of three, let them be” in order to avoid rashes on themself and the children.

We celebrated the award of the snowman contest which we had after our Nemo blizzard: Lynn from Germany won the first prize and got a T-shirt : I Love Boston

P1080879 - Copy We also celebrated Jia ‘s award she got from AIFS for her volunteering at a Boston food pantry. She won the 2’nd prize in this national volunteering award competition.

P1080892 - Copy Jia talked to the whole group about her experience with volunteering and encourage them to do this too since it is so rewarding for her.

P1080885 - Copy Two new aupairs arrived last week in our cluster: Veronica from Colombia and Anja from Germany. Both of them were able to attend our meeting already and had a great chance to get in contact with many other aupairs on our hike.

Andrea and Ivonne from Mexico ,Kristine and Kim from Germany, Ceci from another cluster and Veronica from Colombia who just arrived in the US last week.

Anja from Germany who just arrived and Anika who will go home to Germany soon after being an aupair in the USA for one year.

Jennifer from Germany who just arrived in our cluster with a friend from Newton

Marie from France and Isabella from Germany who both arrived just a month ago.

More pictures of our cluster event at Hike in the Blue Hills 2013.

Prudential center skywalk March cluster meeting

March 3, 2013 – 3:07 pm

For our March cluster meeting we met with two other cluster of the greater Boston area at the Prudential center skywalk to enjoy the view over the whole city of Boston.

We welcomed a new aupair Marie from France to our cluster who just arrived last week in Boston South end.

Charlotte, Marie and Marine from France

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Gloria and Joyce from China with Sammi from South Korea

Beatriz and Lu from Brazil

Jana from Germany

To view all pix please go to Prudential center skywalk 2013

Valentine’s Day cluster meeting

February 10, 2013 – 10:03 pm

At our Valentine’s Day cluster meeting we welcomed a new aupair: Mari from Panama who just arrived 2 weeks ago in Sharon.

Mari from Panama

We also had three aupairs to whom she we had to say good bye: Dany from Ecuador who is going to move with her hostfamily to MD, Megan from South Africa who will go back home as well as Hellen from Germany after two years of being an aupair with Au Pair in America.

They shared they experience as aupairs with us assured us that they will miss their lives in the US very much.

Kim from Germany, Lu from Brazil, Lovisa from Sweden and Dany from Ecuador

These four aupairs got a certificate for their completion of their education part during their aupair year. Every aupair needs to get 6 credits as a standart aupair or extraordinaire aupair of 12 credits as educare aupair while they stay in the aupair program. This government regulation gives aupairs the opportunity to experience college live in the US.

Dany from Ecuador, Mari from Panama and Hellen from Germany

Beatriz and Lu from Brazil

Petra from the Czeck Republic, Judith and Veronika from Germany

Linda from Germany with Lovisa and Caroline from Sweden

Katja from Germany who helped to create heart shaped Pizza bread pieces

Having a great time chatting with each other and discuss experiences and give advise to newcomers

Having a great time chatting with each other, discuss experiences and give advise to newcomers

More pictures you can see here: Valentine’s Day Party 2013

Snow tubing event for our aupairs was fun

January 24, 2013 – 8:23 am

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Despite fridig temperatures we had many aupairs attending the January cluster meeting at Nashoba Valley snow tubing park. Everybody was great prepared for the weather conditions with many layers of clothing and warmed up inside during breaks with hot chocolate and hot tea.

It was a lot of fun for all and for many aupairs who had never experienced snow a really special event. Our cluster met with 4 other cluster from the greater Boston area who offer the snow tubing as a yearly tradition from Au Pair in America during the winter season.

Birgit, Kim and Katja from Germany. Katja is in the Educare program that is offered for host families who will need less childcare hours while their kids are already in school age.

Amy from South Africa, Jannika from Germany and Chloe from the UK, who just arrived last week

Judith from Germany who also just arrived last week to start her year as extraordinaire aupair in Brookline

Annika from Germany, Charlotte from France, Tamy from Germany and Petra from the Czech Republic

Judith enjoyed the doughnuts during break times indoors

Judith and Veronika who both just arrived last week in the US to provide childcare with host families in Brookline

Jamie and Sammi from South Africa, Nina from Germany and Joyce from China while warming up with hot chocolate

Jamie and Sammi from South Korea, Nina from Germany and Joyce from China warming up with hot chocolate

Sandra from France, Mariana and Ivonne from Mexico with Charlotte from France

Sandra and Charlotte from France with Mariana and Ivonne from Mexico

To view all pictures please go to: Snowtubing 2013

First Prize for the International Peace Day competition

September 24, 2012 – 2:31 pm

Meet Your Global Neighbor

In honor of the International Day of Peace which is celebrated on Sept 21, Au Pair in America au pairs submitted their visions of peace. Heike Krizun, a community counselor in MA encouraged her au pairs to work together to create one entry. Here is a quilt of many colors from many nations. This is cultural exchange in action; the au pairs are learning about each other and from each other-the first step towards peace in another generation. Check this out: http://www.globalawareness.com/

The Winning Entry! A quilt from many nations. Brookline, MA Cluster Created Winning Entry

Heide's APs Au Pairs at work