On a beautiful August afternoon, all 4 Long Island Au Pair in America Clusters canoed on the Nissequogue River. The trip took about 2 hours, and we canoed in with the tide from Kings Park to the Smithtown Paul T. Givens Park.
16 canoes filled with au pairs and 4 Community Counselors paddled along the winding river. Lots of other people were kayaking and canoeing along side us. After the trip, au pairs relaxed waiting for their friends to all finish the route.
Fun day spent with friends! Au Pair cluster activities provide au pairs with time with friends, opportunities to get to know each other and their counselors better. It is an important part of the Au Pair in America experience!
On a sunny Saturday afternoon 21 Long Island Au Pairs and 3 Community Counselors headed out on our annual canoe trip on the Nissequoque River. Postponed one week due to storms we were all excited to have a fun afternoon on the river.
8 Canoes headed out with 2 to 3 au pairs per canoe. Most had never canoed before and they had to get the feel of the paddles and put the strongest au pair in the rear to captain the canoe.
Counselors Cindy Garruba, Eileen Friedman and Captain Kristi Halpern joined the group and gave some guidance as they canoed along side the au pairs.
About half way into the trip dark clouds covered the sky and soon a series of intense downpours rained upon the group. Several of the canoe teams pulled to the side and had to dump out their canoes, take shelter and wait for the storm to subside. After awhile the storms subsided and blue skies returned.
Drenched and tired, we all made it to the end of the river. Counselor Andrea Wax was waiting for us to return, she had reassured au pairs who called her during the storm. She took pictures of the returning teams. Everyone had an unforgettable experience and said it was fun, even with the storm. Au Pairs from Au Pair in America are adventurous young women ready to tackle any challenge they face!
Today, Sunday July 27th, Cindy Garruba and Eileen Friedman enjoyed canoeing the Nissequogue River with 25 au pairs from their Long Island clusters. Rain was in the forecast this morning and this evening, but the daytime was perfect for canoeing. 2 to 3 au pairs matched up in canoes for the 2 hour trip.
We passed families of swans and one group even saw a water turtle! A few tangles into the reeds growing along the river bank and then everyone got the hang of it. At the end of the trip, some of the group picnicked at the Paul T. Givens park near the famous Smithtown Bull.
3 of the au pairs were at their very last cluster activity with their Long Island friends. They each had spent at least one year on Long Island, one is heading for a 2nd year but in Connecticut this time.
Our August activity includes some host families, too! What could be more American than an evening of baseball? We will be going to a Sunday evening Long Island Ducks baseball game!
On a beautiful August afternoon, all 4 Long Island Au Pair in America Clusters canoed on the Nissequogue River. The trip took about 2 hours, and we canoed in with the tide from Kings Park to the Smithtown Paul T. Givens Park.
