Seventy-five au pairs from the Chicago area enjoyed an afternoon together at the Indiana Dunes. The weather did not cooperate, but au pairs had no trouble making the day fun!
Yearly Archives: 2012
Impact!
Impacting lives of young people through cultural exchange is vital to the mission of APIA, so we love to hear back from our au pairs. The following email came to a staff person in our Stamford, CT headquarters:
Hi Mary, I hope all is well with you…I really appreciate you and all of the AuPair in America staff. Yesterday 9 years ago I entered the US for the very first time in my life not knowing what wonderful things were ahead of me. It all started with orientation and I still have such vivid memories from those very first few days in this country like it was just last month. Now I am a doctor in this country and just feel so very blessed. I have truly gained a second family in my host family and we are still in such close contact and I can’t wait for my first vacation so I can go see them again. Without you and the organization I would not be the person who I am today and that is what I want to thank you for today! Thank you for all you do for all the au pairs! Love, Melanie
Au Pairs and our Community
Au pairs in the western suburbs got together to make a blanket for Project Linus. Project Linus provides security blankets for children who are ill or experiencing trauma. We will be collecting fleece for a major Project Linus Initiative planned for the fall 2012. Contact aupairdupage@gmail.com for more information.
Driving-Do you have your state driver's license?
Links to the Department of Motor Vehicles for all states can be found here.
http://aupairinamerica.com/state/index.asp
A US driver’s license is a requirement in some states and it makes a great souvenir!
Illinois does not accept the International Driving Permit. Once you have your Social Security card, your next adventure is to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles closest to you.
~Drivers moving to Illinois may use their valid driver’s license from their home state or country for 90 days. There are two parts to getting an Illinois drivers license. The written test and a road test. If you are from Germany or France you do not need to take the tests, call your community counselor to get details of what you need to do. If you have a car accident, you can be asked to pay a deductible of up to $500. Parking tickets are expensive and are you pay for them, so pay attention to parking restrictions.
Bring your DS 2019, passport, Social Security card, two pieces of mail showing your address (use the envelope with your Social Security card and mail yourself a letter) driver’s license from your home country and all papers you have received from APIA that have your name on them.
June is National Zoo and Aquarium Month
Kids love animals! The Chicago area is full of wonderful places to see them. Brookfield Zoo (www.brookfieldzoo.org) in the Western Suburbs, Shedd Aquarium (www.sheddaquarium.org), and Lincoln Park Zoo (lpzoo.org) in the city are among the world class places you can visit. But you can’t do big trips with the kids every day, so younger children might enjoy setting up a pretend zoo with play animals and blocks. Older siblings can create a map of the zoo’s exhibits and “tickets” for host moms and dads to use while touring the zoo. And, of course, nothing is more fun than adding the soundtrack (animal sounds!). The library is full of animal books. For young ones read Dr. Seuss books like If I Ran the Zoo and older ones will enjoy checking out animal fact books or DVDs like National Geographic’s Blue Planet. Animal fun will go as far as your creativity can take you!
When is an au pair's last work day?
An au pair’s last work day is the date before her arrival in New York. For example, if an au pair arrives on May 14, her last work day would be May 13 of the following year.
Winter Sports & Insurance
Winter is upon us here in Chicago, and some of you may be lured downtown to Millenieum Park to go Ice Skating. You need special insurance to cover you in case you injure yourself while Ice Skating or doing any number of sports ( see partial list below) . If you do not have the Sports insurance and get injured doing one of these sports, insurance will NOT pay the hospital bill, you will be responsible for it. If you do not know what type of insurance you have, call your counselor and she can tell you.
The Sports Insurance Package was available pre-departure and may also be purchased at any time during your year. It takes effect within 48 hours of your enrollment and it is good for the remainder of the year. The cost will be the same whether you have one month left or your whole year ahead of you. Below is a partial list of sports that are only covered with the sports insurance package:
Football, Rugby, Scuba diving, Wakeboarding, Skydiving, Parachuting, Rock climbing, Zip line, Skate boarding, Rollerblading, Roller skating, Ice Skating, Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowmobiles & Snowshoeing.
Happy Valentine's Day
AAA Driving Course
Au Pair in America has partnered with AAA, the nation’s most trusted name in driver safety and instruction to offer a custom classroom course specifically designed for au pairs. Exclusive to Au Pair in America, the AAA driving course is one of a kind, tailored to the needs of the international driver and specific to the safety needs of driving children in a car.![AAA[1]](https://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/chicagoarea/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2012/02/AAA1-150x150.jpg)