Suffolk County Community Counselor Cindy Garruba and her Au Pairs donated Au Pair in America shopping bags to HELP Suffolk. They were used to distribute food to feed hungry families this Thanksgiving. The bags are reusuable shopping bags and the families will be able to use them even after the food has been eaten.
On Sunday November 21 the Au Pairs in Suffolk County learned about the holiday season in the USA. The discussion began with Thanksgiving and what we are grateful for this year. Many of the host families had sent messages to their au pairs on what they are grateful to them for this year and the au pairs were very touched to see how much they are appreciated! They expressed their gratitude as well. The au pairs loved the pumpkin pie served at the meeting, too!
Here are some thanks from the Host Families:
Thankful Host Families
I am thankful to my au pair because she doesn’t leave us even though my children (especially my son) are very naughty and give her a hard time.
We are thankful for our Au Pair for the great care she takes of our daughter. We are thankful that she is considerate and willing to always help out.
We are thankful to our au pair because she is flexible, friendly, honest and caring. She loves playing soccer with the kids and she is always having fun and hearty laugh with the boys. Thanks to her for joining our family.
We are grateful to our au pair because she is a lovely and kind person. She truly cares for our children and she is interested in everything that our family does. In just a few months, she has become an integral member of our family (much appreciated also by grandparents on both sides) and we cannot imagine being without her!!!
She hasn’t quit even though our children can be difficult and a bit bratty!
She eats well and keeps the junk food away from us!
We are thankful because she plays so nice with our son. He LOVES her so much! I am very thankful for her because she is very flexible and accommodating with her schedule all the time. We appreciate her helping us out with our busy lives!! 🙂
We are grateful to our au pair because she takes such good care of our kids, and is a great cook and a terrific Spanish and salsa teacher.
We are grateful to our au pair because she is more than just an au pair…she is the second best thing to mommy, a sister, a friend, an angel sent to our family…we love her so much!We are thankful beyond all reasonable expectations for the wonderful, thoughtful, kind, smart, funny and all around easy going yet amazing au pair. We are lucky to have her in our lives and all five of us in our family feel the same way about her!
We are grateful to our au pair because she has done so much to fit into our lives, while having to give up so much of hers.
We are thankful for her kindness and creativity. She has also quickly assimilated into our family and we cannot imagine our lives without her.
We are grateful to our au pair because she has become a wonderful addition to our family. She takes wonderful care of our children and we know she loves them too. That makes it so much easier for us to leave and go to work because we know our children are in such great hands. Every mother should be blessed enough to have an au pair like ours. We can’t thank her enough for all of her help and the wonderful things she does for our family. The kids say “I is thankful because “she makes great brigadero and she has fun with me and my brother!” The brother says, “I am because “she has fun with me!” The baby says he is thankful because “aaaa!”
And thanks from the Au Pairs:
I am thankful for the great year I’ve been spending in USA, for my awesome host family, lovely and fun children and for the great friends I’ve made here!
I am thankful for being happy here in the USA. I’m having the biggest experience of my life. That’s just amazing! I love my host kids and I feel they love me back and that’s wonderful!
I am thankful for living here, for my host family being friendly with me and for knowing new people and visiting a lot of places.
I am thankful for my host family who are very very nice to me.
I am thankful for having a good host family and for because I’m here in the USA living this experience.
I am thankful for the support of my family because they supported my dream to come to America!
I am thankful for being in America and having a wonderful, caring and loving host family.
I am thankful for having the most awesome host family that anyone could wish for. I am also over the top thankful for finding my BIF (Best International Friend. I know she’s going to be a friend for life! <3
I am thankful for being a really great host family and staying in amazing country!
I am thankful for my great host family and that they treat me like a family member, taking me to all their activities. I’m also very thankful to have found such a great friend!
I am thankful for a host family who makes me happy and gives me a good time in USA!
I am thankful for being an au pair in my host family, having a chance to stay in America, and having a good time with the kids and host parents, and meeting new friends from all over the world!
I am thankful for the great opportunity to spend one year in the USA and to live with a very interesting and nice host family. I am very happy to meet everyone!
I am thankful for my whole year with my host family and friends. I am thankful for having this opportunity.
I am thankful for the opportunity of being here and enjoying this great time with my host family and friends!
I am thankful for having this opportunity. I am thankful for the babies I take care of and for all the friends I have.
I am thankful for having been here 9 months with one of the most great host families. For the good friends and for this great experience in my life! Dreams come true!
October 24, 2010 was the 2nd annual NYC Scavenger Hunt for the NY Au Pair in America Au Pairs. Au Pairs from as far east as the Long Island Hamptons ventured into the city to join other Long Island Au Pairs, Au Pairs from NYC and Westchester to spend two hours running all over NYC to find items on the list. We started out on the steps of the main NYC Library and ended in Bryant Park. There were awards for 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th place won by the teams who were the quickest and found the most items on the list. Some au pairs also won raffles and everyone went home with a Halloween goody bag! Lots of fun and a great way to experience NYC!
The Long Island Au Pair in America Clusters went to the LI Ducks baseball game. Everyone had fun, the Community Counselors tried to explain the game to everyone, mostly the Au Pairs enjoyed cheering when the crowd cheered. The whole crowd helped when the singer stumbled through the National Anthem. It was a moving experience and fun to see how the whole crowd cheered the singer! The 7th inning stretch included a rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” with the whole singing along. It was a great American cultural experience for all the Au Pairs who come from all over the world to spend one or two years in the USA caring for children in a host family.
Each June Community Counselor Cindy Garruba teaches a cluster meeting to prepare her Au Pairs for the Long Island Summer Childcare. All of the Suffolk County Au Pair in America Au Pairs will spend time at a beach or pool with their host children. It is important that they learn water safety and prevention of drowning. An experienced former Red Cross Lifeguard and Swim Instructor, Cindy stresses safety tips from her years of experience growing up along the Long Island Sound Shore.
Cindy also does training on sunscreen and sunburn prevention, basic first aid for cuts and scrapes, poison ivy identification and treatments, identification of ticks, lyme disease symptons, rashes, prevention and treatment recommendations.
This training is essential for a safe and fun summer in Suffolk County Long Island, NY.
Smmer Safety meeting at Cindy's Beach house
German Au Pair Patty Bak is exploring careers while here in the USA. Always interested in journalism, Patty decided to volunteer at a local Hampton newspaper. She got a chance to cover a screening and discussion of a movie hosted by actor Alec Baldwin!
Suffolk County Au Pair in America Au Pairs decorated a holiday tree in Stony Brook Village Promenade of Trees. The theme of the tree is “we bring the world together!” All the trees are on display through the New Year’s weekend. The au pairs enjoyed decorating the tree and walking through the village to view the other trees on display. We even saw Santa arrive in his sleigh! We hope all our host families and friends visit Stony Brook Village for the holiday season, see Santa and our tree!
Canoeing in September on the Nissequoque River with Long Island Au Pair in America clusters!
Canoe Group 2009
Summer fun at Cindy’s Beach house in Northville. Also a great childcare lesson on water and summer safety!
An “All American Experience” = Au Pairs enjoy a Long Island Ducks Baseball Game
We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge on a beautiful May day with other Au Pair in America clusters. Then we enjoyed shopping and great food in Chinatown and Little Italy!
