Yearly Archives: 2010

Life in America – Ayanda

Wow, where do I start! Ok, my life in America has seriously been like a yo-yo! Amazing times and rough times but above all a lot of growth! So, I arrived in America in August 2009. Oh, was it a huge change of scenery compared to South Africa.

  1. The food oooh was/is American food delicious! But oh is it also oh so weighty! So all I wanted to do was test, test, test  all foods and I happened to love everything, what I did forget to do was to exercise and limit myself, so that’s how my jeans sadly started saying “no ma’am”.
  2. Then another thing that absolutely caught me off guard were the prices, man were things cheap in America! I mean a sneaker for $89 that’s nothing right? Umm, Ayanda honey, wake-up call!! Convert that to south African rand and you’ll realize you just spent +-R900.00 oops!! *shrugs* so I started converting prices before I spent just so I wouldn’t  be fooled again!
  3. I knew that Americans drive on the right and that the steering wheel was on the left, total opposite to south Africa!  So, I opted to be a passenger for at least a month or two until I got the hang of it! Oh now I’m a pro, I’m nervous for home now haha!
  4. The most irritating thing was shopping for clothes and shoes.
    Me: “excuse me do you know the size conversion of USA and S.A?”
    Worker: “no ma’am”  *screams*
    To this day, I have no idea what my true size is in AMERICA.
  5. OK and America and its numbered highways. Hmm-ok, I won’t complain because now I know but at first omg I had no clue what you meant by 495 or I-95. I was like “huh, what?” but I’m good now!
  6. My American life has been flamazing*!! But, I must say I hated being under age. I mean I’m so legal in my country! So, that kept me from clubs and alcohol of course. I am in a way thankful because it sure kept me out of trouble.
  7. The friends I made were an absolute thumbs up! I met different races and ethnicities and was just able to learn so much!

Living here was like in the movies, everything I watched I saw and sometimes lived the movie life!! So, yes America sure did deliver!

HIGHLIGHT OF MY YEAR! DISNEY LAND!! Pure bliss, it was surreal! I would re-live that week anytime. I absolutely loved loved loved it!

I don’t think though it would have been so amazing had it not been for the wonderful host family I matched with! A true blessing from God, I’m so thankful for them and my year wouldn’t have been such a success had they not contributed so well to it! Thank you, Hulton family for an amazing year, this ain’t goodbye its see ya later!

Thank you America, its been a pleasure!!

Note from Christine: For anyone (like me) who didn’t recognize the word flamazing.  I had to google it and found out that it means fly + amazing. : )

Perler Beads

In the kids activity kits a few months ago, I included a perler bead fish craft.  I heard from some of you that the kids had a lot of fun making those.  My kids love perler beads.  There are days where they will work on bead projects for hours.

If you want to give them a try, you can find mini kits for $1 at Michaels and A.C. Moore that include everything needed to make one small project.  Perler beads are a great fine motor skills activity.  If you have kids ages 3-5 who have trouble with the tiny beads, they now have a larger size available that will be easier for them.

From this:

To this:  (Here is a gallery of my kid’s perler creations from the past 6 months.)

Life in America – Anna

This week’s au pair featured in my Life in America blog series is Anna from Germany.
Anna and her best friend in New Yorks Times Square

Anna and her best friend in New York's Times Square

“I wanted to go America pretty much since I was 15 years old. For some reason at that point I got more and more excited about everything I saw in the movies and the TV. Especially when we talked about this country in our English lessons at school I was really into it! Becoming an Au Pair and going to the USA for one year was a big dream come true. And from the first day in the USA until now I was and still am fascinated by this country and everything about it!

Starting this year with the orientation in Newark and having a tour with all the Au Pairs through New York in the very first days was the best possible start and an overwhelming first impression of the United States! Since then I went to New York a couple of other times and it is one of the most fascinating cities I saw in my year. Actually not comparable. And you see so many things that remind you of all the great movies!

The rest of the my year I got to see so many different places in America, like Miami, Niagara Falls, Washington DC, Chicago, …..  and every single trip was an amazing experience and left a lot of great and different impression. And I think the most impressive fact for me was, that you were just flying in a different state but suddenly it felt like you were in a different world.

I fell in love with this country, that’s for sure. I think what I´m gonna miss the most are the American people, the way they live and think, the way they celebrate holidays, the way they make this country what it is!

This year was the best that could have happened to me. I am very grateful that I could make this great experience, see so much of this country and meet so many people. I couldn´t have imagined it being better. And I really hope that such a great year happens to every Au Pair! :)”

Suntrek Contest – Win a Free Tour

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Au Pair Competition: win a free Suntrek tour!

1st prize: one free California Discovery tour (SRCD or SRCS)
2nd prize: one free Western Sun tour (SOWS or SOSS)
3rd-10th prize: 40% discount on any 1-3 week USA tour

Quiz Questions:
1) On which trek can you visit the Grand Canyon?
A: Transamerica (SOTA), B: Eastern Discovery (SRED), C: California Discovery (SRCD)

2) Which tour goes to Las Vegas?
A: Eastern Pioneer (SREP), B: Eastern Shores (SOEA), C: California Dreamin’ (SOCL)

3) On which tour can you go to Miami?
A: Southwest (SOTS), B: Sunshine Trail (SOST), C: Florida Fantasy (SRFF)

How you can win: Just answer the quiz questions and mention “APIA competition” by July 31, 2010 by email to: suntrek@intrepidsuntrek.com. Hint: order our au pair brochure or go online at www.intrepidsuntrek.com. If you’ve already booked your Intrepid Suntrek tour and have not traveled yet, don’t worry, we’ll credit your prize towards your tour payment. Conditions: prizes are non-transferable, not redeemable in cash and travel must be completed in 2010. Credits are not applicable on past travel.

Montgomery County Farm Tour & Harvest Sale

Thanks to Sara, a host mom in our cluster for sharing this with me.  It looks like a great event.

Montgomery County will celebrate its agricultural heritage, promote local farms and indulge in seasonally fresh food during the 21st Annual Farm Tour and Harvest Sale.

Fourteen farms will participate this year on Saturday July 24, and 10 will reopen for a second day on Sunday, July 25.  The farms will be open both days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will take place rain or shine; however, if it rains, some events and activities scheduled at the farms may be delayed or cancelled.  This year, the tour also coincides with the Buy Local Challenge which encourages people to eat locally grown food.

Residents can purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants and other local products. Several farms have hayrides, pony rides, music, demonstrations and other fun and educational activities planned for people of all ages.

See The Farm Tour and Harvest Sale brochure at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/farmtour or for additional information, call
301-590-2823.

We Had Fun at Watkins Park Yesterday!

A bunch of au pairs from our cluster brought their host kids for a park play day yesterday.  We went to Watkins Regional Park in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Here are some of the things we did…

Rode the train & antique carousel

Visited the farm


Went on a hayride

Found a toad

Climbed a tree

Played at the playground


It was a lot of fun! There is so much to do there, that we didn’t even make it to the nature center or the play mini golf.  I am guessing that a lot of kids fell asleep on the ride home.  I saw a few of the little ones who were falling asleep before they left.

Weekend Courses in Baltimore Area

I have had lots of au pairs take the Sojourner Douglass weekend courses and they have been very pleased.  They have told me that the instructors and staff are helpful and professional, the courses are interesting and the facilities are nice.  Below you will find information on their upcoming course offerings.

Sojourner Douglass College, Division of Professional and Continuing Studies

The Fall 2010 schedule is available and posted on the website.  The summer courses are filling up quickly.

New classes added this summer:

  • American Cooking
  • Interior Design: Shape, Color and Furniture Placement
  • Balinese Dance
  • Fencing
  • Computer Software Training
  • ESL: English as a Second Language
  • Emergency Preparedness for Childcare Providers
  • Cultural Differences
  • American Politics

2010 Schedule of Weekend Classes (subject to change based on enrollment)

July 10-11, 2010 American Culture and Personal Development

August 6-8, 2010 TOEFL Review- few slots remaining

August 7-8, 2010 American Language, Culture and Tourism

September 11-12, 2010 Child Development and American Government

October 9-10, 2010 Experiencing America

October 9, 2010 Infant and Child CPR and First Aid

November 6-7, 2010 American Culture and Personal Development

December 4-5, 2010 Understanding American Culture and Government

Two Weekend Program

  • Hospitality and Tourism October 9-10, 2010 and December 4-5, 2010
  • Child Care September 11-12, 2010 and November 6-7, 2010

To register visit our new website:  www.weekendprogram.org

Please note the location of Weekend Courses:

The Conference Center at the Maritime Institute

692 Maritime Boulevard Linthicum, MD 21090-1952

(410)-859-5700 Front Desk ext 0

For questions call Angela Garnett, Program Coordinator at 301-213-2404 or email: info@weekendprogram.org

Life in America – Candy

This is the first installment of a new series of posts asking au pairs about their impressions of life in America.  The first au pair to take part is WenWen (nickname Candy) from China.

Candy visiting Great Falls Park in Virginia

Candy visiting Great Falls Park in Virginia

5 Things that Surprised You Most About Life in the U.S.

  1. Good protection on nature environment (such as trees, parks etc.)
  2. Open minded
  3. Some things are expensive.
    • College and university tuition is really, really high, not only for international students, but for U.S citizens who are not in the same state as the college need to pay out-of-state fee.
    • Need to pay for everything, even prescription, and too expensive.
    • Mostly, need to pay tax for everything.
  4. Good education for children with special needs in school. The class I went to do volunteering has four kids, one teacher, and two or three educators; summer school for special needs children.
  5. Lots of NGOs (non-government organizations) and volunteers

Any of those things you were were surprised to find you like?

# 1, 4 & 5 above

Anything exactly like you had seen in American movies or TV?

People are open minded

Anything very different from what you had seen in American movies or TV?

The food was not delicious to me.  I thought it would be when seeing it before.

Best Experiences Living in the U.S.

  1. Have met lots of nice people  (no matter they are Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, etc.) everywhere I’ve been to.
  2. Went to a special education school and some NGOs to do volunteering.
  3. Have learned about Buddhism.

May you be well and happy!
愿我（您）无害，愿我（您）无怨，愿我（您）无恼，愿我（您）快乐！

Au Pair Deadlines Reminder

Deadline Clock

If you arrived in October, November or December, you have some deadlines coming up.  Please read the information below.  If you have any questions, let me know.

EXTENSION PACKAGES

Below are the due dates and deadlines for the Extension Program:
Arrival Date November 2009 – Extension Package Mailed: June 29, 2010
Deadline to send in Extension Package: August 18, 2010

Arrival Date December 2009 – Extension Package Mailed: August 3, 2010
Deadline to send in Extension Package: September 22, 2010

RETURN FLIGHT PACKAGES

Please submit your flight request before the deadline to avoid the late fees. Instructions on how to request your return flight, the departure dates and flight supplement fees* are available online here.

*Many au pairs will have flight supplement fees, depending on the departure and arrival cities they select. Please check the website and make plans to save money, if you will need to pay a flight supplement fee.

You can view your return flight details here, four weeks before your departure date.

Arrival Date November 2009 – Return Flight Package Mailed: July 13, 2010
Deadline to send in flight request forms: August 18, 2009

Arrival Date December 2009 – Return Flight Package Mailed: August 17, 2010
Deadline to send in flight request forms:  September 22, 2010

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT

I must have this information for you to receive the completion bonus on time at the end of your year. Completion bonuses are mailed 2 weeks prior to your contract end date.  It will arrive in the mail in the form of a debit card, not a check.  Acceptable proof of education: certificate from college, letter from teacher or registrar on college letterhead, transcript.  Au pairs who submit their education late will not receive their completion bonus until after they return home.

Arrival Date October 2009 – Deadline to send me proof of education completed: August 16, 2010

Arrival Date November 2009 – Deadline to send me proof of education completed: September 13, 2010

Host Family Deadline Reminders

dont forget

EXTENDING WITH YOUR CURRENT AU PAIR

If you are extending with your au pair, below are the due dates and deadlines for the Extension Program:

Arrival Date November 2009 – Extension Package Mailed: June 29, 2010
Deadline to send in Extension Package: August 18, 2010

Arrival Date December 2009 – Extension Package Mailed: August 3, 2010
Deadline to send in Extension Package: September 22, 2010

OR

BEGINNING THE SEARCH FOR YOUR NEXT AU PAIR

If you are not extending your contract with your current au pair and want to have continuous au pair childcare, the following are the recommended dates to submit your repeat application. Applying early gives you plenty of time to view applications and make a match with an au pair from any country, regardless of visa timeline.

Re-applying online is easier than ever. You just login with your Host Family ID number and password and update the information we have on file for you.  There is no application fee for repeating host families.

Target Arrival Date November 2010 – Recommended that you re-apply in July or August.

Target Arrival Date December 2010 – Recommended that you re-apply in August or September.

Don’t forget to check out our Host Family Loyalty Site with information on several ways to save $500+ off your program fee.