If you feel homesick or lonely or just down please listen to this wonderful song that an aupair from Germany wrote :
Tag Archives: aupair info
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur 2013 begins in the evening of
Friday, September 13
and ends in the evening of Saturday, September 14
and ends in the evening of Saturday, September 14
Yom Kippur also known as the Day of Atonement is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jewish people traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services.
Yom Kippur is considered one of the holiest of Jewish holidays and it is observed by many secular Jews who may not observe other holidays. Many secular Jews fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, where the number of worshippers attending is often double or triple the normal attendance.
Please pass along a little information to your au pairs who are with Jewish families, it’s nice for them to know that this is such an important holiday.Here are a couple of links with more information:
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/yom-kippur
http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/yomkippur.htm
and for children http://www.akhlah.com/holidays/yomkippur/yomkippur.php
Hints for Success – Homesickness/Culture Shock
Almost everyone experiences culture shock when they come to a completely new environment. Everything is different: the language, the food, and the people.
Here are my Top 5 Tips for
Dealing with Homesickness
1. Make Friends – Don’t wait for other au pairs to reach out to you, reach out to them. There are other lots of new au pairs who are feeling the same way you are right now. Set a goal to reach out to a few of them each day. Some will respond and some will not. Don’t let that discourage you. No one will ever be mad at you for sending them a message to say hello or ask if they want to do something together. Make friends from various countries and you will also get a chance to practice your English skills together.
2. Stay in touch with your home country, but not too much. Skyping or talking on the phone every day with your family and/or friends back home normally makes homesickness worse. Try emailing instead and reduce the Skype and phone calls to once a week, until you feel stronger. It’s much harder seeing the faces and hearing the voices of those you miss.
3. Get out of the house (or your room specifically) – Go to cluster meetings, have coffee or movies with other au pairs, join a gym, go to the library, go for a walk, visit the mall, get a manicure, visit a museum. If someone invites you out, say “yes.” Also, don’t be afraid to do the inviting. If your host family invites you to do things with them, say “yes.” This will help you get to know each other and contribute to your overall happiness.
4. Realize that it definitely gets better – All au pairs experience homesickness and nearly all of them stay and have a successful year (some stay for two years.) So, it must get better, right? Once you get past the initial homesickness, most au pairs report how quickly the year goes by.
5. Make Plans – Create your own Au Pair Bucket List (places you want to go, new foods to try, new things to experience during your year in the U.S.) and start doing them now. Post on our cluster Facebook group to find others who may want to join you on your adventures.
Contest: Au pairs in my cluster, make your Au Pair Bucket List and send me a file, link or picture of it for a chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card. Entries must be received by October 1’st. Winner will be announced at the October 6 cluster meeting.
Labor Day
The first Monday of September is known as Labor Day in The United States of America.
It is a holiday very similar to May Day, as it honours the achievements of workers. But unlike May Day, which is a tribute to working class only, Labor Day is a tribute to the entire workforce.
Labor Day originated in Toronto in April 1872 with the first workingmen’s demonstration organized by the Toronto Trades Assembly. Ten years later, in July, a parade took place in Toronto and Peter J. McGuire of New York was invited to hold a speech. Upon his return to NY he proposed an official celebration to honor workers, and in September 1882 Central Labor Union held its first Labor Day celebration in New York City.
In 1884 first Monday of September officially became Labor Day and over the years it has been celebrated with parades, fireworks and festivals; slowly losing its political connotations and becoming an unofficial end of summer holiday.
Stopping for School Buses
With school back in session and many new au pairs who have recently arrived, I wanted to remind everyone about what to do in different situations with school buses. If you have questions, please ask myself or your host parents.
The rules regarding stopping for school buses are:
- It is against the law to pass a stopped school bus while its lights are flashing and its’ stop arm is extended.
- On undivided roadways, with no physical barrier or median, vehicles must stop on both sides of the roadway.
- Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.
- Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate that the bus has stopped, and children are getting on or off. Motorists approaching from either direction must wait until the red lights stop flashing before proceeding.
Police, who observe a motorist failing to stop and remained stopped for a school bus, can issue the violator a citation which carries a $570.00 fine and 3 points. Drivers failing to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk can be issued a citation for $80.00, and drivers failing to exercise due caution when encountering children can be issued a citation for $70.00.
Pool Party July cluster meeting
For our July cluster meeting we met at my home in Braintree for a Pool party since the weather was sunny and hot.
Our agenda this time was water safety for kids which is an important topic to know during the summer. Every 3 month we are required to have one safety meeting.
We also chatted with new aupair who just arrived this week in the US and said good bye to many who came for their last cluster meeting. Nobody could believe how fast this time ran by. Either just one year or even two if the aupair extended for a second year like Janika from Germany. They all promised to visit again since Boston became their home, they experienced so much, have seen so many places in the US, made so many friends and also became part of their host families daily live.
Going back means also starting over in a new/old culture and that they will experience almost the same culture shock as when they arrived here in the US.
From left: Theresa and Lara who almost finished their year as Educare aupair with Lara's sister who is visiting her
Talking about water safety while cooling of with the feet in the pool
Andrea from Mexico was one of many who finished her required education and received her certificate of completion at our meeting
Eating ice cream as dessert was part of the lunch we had
Jennifer from Germany also received her certificate of completion for her 6 credits
Lynn from Germany also won with this picture our summer picture contest where she had to have the Au Pair in America t-shirt on together with something of Boston. Her prize was an "I LOVE BOSTON" shirt. See below 🙂
Group picture at the Sunset Lake
For all pictures please go to Pool Party July Cluster meeting 2013
Is it good or bad to eat watermelon?
Watermelon, a fruit that many people love to eat, specially during the summer months! This fruit is fat free and it is a good source of vitamins A, B6, and C. It contains potassium, beneficial natural plant chemicals such as lycopene and citrulline, as well as antioxidants that help reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases.
However, can eating too much watermelon be more harmful than good? According to research, consuming large amounts of this fruit, potentially can result in adverse effects, including digestive problems, cardiovascular and nerve disorders.
So what do we make of it? – Well, you can read a full explanation by following the link bellow: http://www.livestrong.com/article/410054-side-effects-of-eating-too-much-watermelon/
Lightning safety during a thunderstorm
You observe and/or hear lightning and thunder, or a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect. What should you do?
At Home
If you are at home, protect yourself and your family by following the safety tips below:
- Follow weather reports. Make sure a battery-powered radio is nearby.
- Do not turn on the television. Listen to a battery-powered radio for the most current information.
- Lightning can cause power surges. Unplug all appliances before the storm hits.
- Avoid using the phone. Telephone lines can conduct electricity.
- Metal pipes also conduct electricity. Stay away from faucets, sinks, and bathtubs.
- Close the blinds and shades of your window, then keep away from them.
- Keep pets on a leash or in a carrier.
Away From Home
There are times when storms come up suddenly.
If you are away from home, protect yourself and your family by taking cover in the best shelter you can find. If you are in or near the water, go to land immediately and find shelter.
- If choosing between a building or a car, choose the building.
- If choosing between a hard-top and a convertible, choose the hard-top.
If you’re in a car, keep the windows closed. - If there is no shelter, find a low-lying, open place that is a safe distance from trees, poles, or metal objects that can conduct electricity. Make sure it is not likely to flood.
- Assume a tucked position: Squat low to the ground. Place your hands on your knees with your head tucked between them. Try to touch as little of your body to the ground as possible.
- Do not lie flat on the ground, as your fully-extended body will provide a larger surface to conduct electricity. Stay in a tuck position well after the storm passes.
- Watch for local flooding; you may have to move if water begins to accumulate.
- If you feel your hair stand on end in a storm, drop into the tuck position immediately. This sensation means electric charges are already rushing up your body from the ground toward an electrically charged cloud. Minimize your contact with the ground to minimize your injury.
Information from http://www.weather.com
Heat Safety Tips for Children
Children are more susceptible to heat stress than adults for a number of reasons:
- Children don’t have as much ability to sweat, to dispel heat
- Children begin sweating only when their body reaches a higher temperature
- Sunlight hits children more than adults, proportionately: Children have larger heads in proportion to their bodies, and more surface area in proportion to body mass.
- Children don’t know or understand the symptoms of heat stress, and will play to the point of exhaustion
- Thirst is not an accurate measure of how much fluid a person needs, and children rarely know how much fluids they need
To avoid dehydration and other effects of the heat, experts recommend:
- Have them drink a glass of water one to two hours before going out, and another glass 10 to 15 minutes before going outside to play
- Encourage children to drink regularly, every 20 to 30 minutes; have them drink until they’re not thirsty, and then another half glass (for kids under 10 years old) to full glass (for kids 10 and older)
- Limit outdoors playtime between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., when the sun is at its peak
- Protect children with SPF 15 or higher sunblock, and reapply often
- Dress children in loose-fitting, light-colored clothing made from natural fibers, which “breathe” better than synthetic fibers
Danger in Cars
While heat stress can take its toll on children playing outside, the most dangerous place for children is in a car. More than 30 children died in the summer of 1999 when they were left in vehicles.
NEVER leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even with the windows down. When it’s 83 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car with the windows rolled down two inches can rise to 109 degrees in just 15 minutes.
If your child is locked in a car, call 911 immediately!
Also, touch the car seat before you put a child in it, to make sure the surface isn’t so hot that it could hurt. A child can be severely burned in just one second. The following chart from the National SAFE KIDS Campaign shows how hot a vehicle’s interior can get when the outside temperature is 79 degrees.
| Interior Color | Potential Temperature |
| White | 135 degrees |
| Red | 154 degrees |
| Blue/Green | 165 degrees |
| Black | 192 degrees |
Happy Fourth of July
Known as the Fourth of July and Independence Day, July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83). In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 until the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues.
And for the children, visit this link for fun coloring pages, craft ideas, puzzles and games to celebrate the 4th of July holiday.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/fourth-of-july/
Wishing you all a very happy and safe holiday
Boston Celebrations click here !
with important information on restrictions on what is allowed to bring to the esplanade.