Tag Archives: Au Pair

Holiday Party with the Boston Cluster

December 8, 2012 – 11:24 am

This year we celebrated with our Boston cluster together the upcoming Holidays at our December cluster meeting at the counselors home.

We enjoyed a potluck dinner where each aupair brought a prepared home made dish of their home country to share with us. This was a very special international buffet and we all had a blast to try so many delicious dishes and desserts.

To experience a typical American tradition we did a gift exchange : Yankee swap

For our agenda of the meeting we had “Help Children Cope with Stress: Tips for the Holiday Season” and “Ideas for Christmas and Chanukah Activities with Kids”.

Anita from Germany who is already in her second year as an aupair in Boston

Franzi, Linda and Lara from Germany

Jessica, Jacki and Amy from South Africa

Laura, Katja, Judith, Kristina, Kim, Birgit and Anika from Germany

Soy, Nat, Por and a friend of Medford all from Thailand except me on the left

Soy, Nat, Por and a friend aupair of Medford. All from Thailand except me on the left

Nina from Austria, Anita from Germany and Erika from Brazil. Erika just finished her extension time and will fly back to Brazil next week.

Beatriz from Brazil who just arrived in the US to start her year as an aupair

Violetta from Germany, Maria from Mexico, Dany from Ecuador and Ari from Spain. Violetta and Maria just arrived a few days ago in the USA

Violetta from Germany, Maria from Spain, Dany from Ecuador and Ari from Spain. Violetta and Maria just arrived a few days ago in the USA

Me with Franzi and Isa from Germany who became best buddies

Victoria , Lovisa and Caroline from Sweden who also became best buddies

Michelle from Germany and Korina from Croatia

Vanessa and Dennisse from Mexico. Dennisse just started her second year in Boston

Vanessa from Brazil and Dennisse from Mexico. Dennisse just started her second year in Boston

Beatriz and Erika from Brazil. Both aupairs are in the same hostfamily. Erika who will fly home next week helped Beatriz to adjust to her new host family.

Such a colorful dessert table

Gift exchange: Yankee swap

Our Christmas tree

Singing carols together: Jingle bells....

Small gift from the counselor for the aupairs : Advent calendar

Dennisse from Mexico, Beatriz and Erika from Brazil with Vanessa from Mexico

Dennisse from Mexico, Beatriz, Erika and Vanessa from Brazil

All pictures to view are at Holiday Party 2012 .

October Cluster meeting: Zumba class

October 22, 2012 – 4:35 pm

For our October cluster meeting we enjoyed a free Zumba class at the Healthwork gym in Chestnut Hill. Liza Elmstrom a former aupair from Sweden some years ago who is now a fitness trainer at the Healthwork gym introduced our cluster group to a fun class with great music.

From left: Marine from France, Corina from Croatia and Lisa from Germany

The whole cluster had fun to dance the Latin rhythm together. Front: Linda from Germany

After one hour of dancing Zumba

A wonderful way to get connected and have fun together. We welcomed our new aupair Corina from Croatia who just arrived to our Boston cluster in October.

Left in pink: Fitness trainer Liza Elmstroem of http://www.healthworksfitness.com

For more pictures go to: Zumba at Healthwork

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

Kayaking for our August cluster meeting

August 19, 2012 – 3:18 pm

We met with our aupairs in our cluster today for a kayaking event as our August cluster meeting at the Charles River.

Many new aupairs who just arrived last week had a chance to get connections to others and saw the Boston skyline for their first time. We had wonderful weather and it was dry and not too hot to paddle along the river through the salt and pepper bridge that connects Boston with Cambridge.

After signing in we waited for everybody to be there

Lu from Brazil with Jessica and Hannah from South Africa

Franzi, Theresa and Lara from Germany who arrived just 2 days ago in Boston

Sammi and Jamie from South Korea shared a kayak together

Joyce from China and Jamie from South Korea shared a kayak together

Vanessa from Brazil with her friend also shared one kayak

Vanessa from Brazil with her friend Mayara also shared one kayak

Afterwards we had a pic nic together to share information about education together

Afterwards we had a picnic together to share information about education and other parts of the aupair program

For some aupairs it was also their last cluster meeting because they will go home after being an aupair for one successful year like Maria from Germany does in the Educare program. Or like Hannah from South Africa who will extend her stay as an aupair in the standart aupair program for another year in a different area of the US.

It was a wonderful meeting to share memories, exchange experiences to give out hints and tips for new aupairs and to enjoy the outdoors together. To see all pix please go to Kayaking August cluster meeting 2012.

More pictures of our last cluster meeting

July 25, 2012 – 7:21 am

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I have a few more pix to share of our last July cluster meeting. Please go to July cluster meeting 2012 to view them all.

100 Things to do with kids this summer

July 17, 2012 – 6:14 am

It’s officially summer and what a great time to get outside and have some FUN! With the kids out of school and home during most of the day, it is a good idea to plan some activities that will keep them entertained and have a great time doing it! Check out the APiA Summer Fun Pinterest Board for some terrific new ideas, crafts, and creative snacking.

Enjoy!

July cluster meeting at the counselor’s house

July 16, 2012 – 1:04 pm

Summer is the time when many aupairs leave and many arrive in the US. A fantastic opportunity for them to exchange their experience as aupairs and living in our wonderful city Boston.

At our July Cluster meeting last Sunday we had a wonderful time to help the new arrivals to get to know each other.

As always we have had an agenda for our meeting which was this time: Healthy snacks for kids.

Not so healthy but delicious was the contribution of Katrine from Denmark to our meeting :

I love my cluster 🙂

Some pictures of the meeting are below and more you can see at : July cluster meeting 2012

Left: Nina from Germany arrived to Chestnut Hill last Thursday, right: Vanessa from Brazil moved with her host family to our Chestnut Hill area

From left to right: Laura from the UK had to say good bye to two good friiends: Katrine from Denmark and Ashleigh from the UK. She also made new friends with Amy-Louise from South Africa and Lovisa from Sweden who just arrived 3 days ago

From left to right: Laura from the UK had to say good bye to two good friends: Katrine from Denmark and Ashleigh from the UK. She also made new friends with Amy-Louise from South Africa and Lovisa from Sweden who just arrived 3 days ago

left to right: Nat from Thailand moved recently to Boston and Katja from Germany and Nina from Austria just arrived last Thursday to the Chestnut Hill area

left to right: Nat from Thailand welcomed one of our new aupairs: Warin from Thailand who also just arrived this week to Chestnut Hill

Meeting at the Vapiano restaurant in Boston

July 9, 2012 – 9:23 am

Lisa, Mareike and Linda from Germany who will go home after one year of being an aupair

We got together with a group of aupairs to say good bye’s to many of them who will go back to their home country soon after spending one or two years in Boston as an aupair with their hostfamilies.

We shared many great experiences and new friendships developed easily with new arrivals who came for their first meeting.

Left: Anika form Germany who just arrived in our cluster, Right: Vanessa from Germany who will start her travel month soon after being an aupair for 2 years.

Christina from Germany with her boyfriend Wes from Brazil. She also spend two years as an aupair in Boston. We will miss her !

From left: Maye from Mexico, Susanna from Costa Rica and Candice from South Africa.

For more pictures go to meeting at the Vapiano restaurant 2012.