Monthly Archives: September 2015

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 someone 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.

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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, go to get ice cream. 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, some even come back for a second au pair experience after being back home 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. Make sure you tell your host family, counselor and au pair friends that you are homesick – we’ll help you!

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. Pinterest is a great option to plan your adventures! Post on our cluster Facebook group to find others who may want to join you on your adventures.

Taste of St. Mary’s

It was a magnificent afternoon today in historic Leonardtown as we gathered to enjoy the sights, sounds and eats at the Taste of St. Mary’s! As always, live music was playing, the antique cars were there for viewing, and of course, LOTS of great food to sample! Some of the great food we tried – Peach Bourbon Brisket Sliders; Crab, shrimp and mac n cheese balls; beef lumpia; strawberry banana smoothies; cannoli; cream of crab soup; jerk chicken; sea salt handmade caramels; and chocolate mousse!

Giant cookies from McKay’s were a big hit with Renata –

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Atessa tried the gazpacho fro Linda’s Cafe –

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Marise – got behind the wheel of this AWESOME Ford –

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We all enjoyed a visit with a deputy from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office –

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Urgent Care Resources

I am sick or hurt! Now what? If you find that you need medical care, please remember these important things:

All au pairs are covered under a medical insurance policy arranged by Au Pair in America. The cost of this policy is covered by the program fees that the host family pays. Details of the medical insurance, including the policy number, dollar limits of coverage, and exclusions are available in the Insurance Brochures, which you can download below.

Download the Insurance Brochure
Click here if you arrived in 2015
Click here if you arrived in 2014

Need to file a claim?
Click here here to get the form. Submit form and attachments to:

Cultural Insurance Services International
1 High Ridge Park
Stamford, CT 06905

For claim submission questions, call (800) 303-8120 ext. 5130 or e-mail claimhelp@culturalinsurance.com

List of Preferred Physicians, Hospitals and Medical Centers
To access a listing of preferred physicians, hospitals and medical centers in the U.S., please visit http://www.culturalinsurance.com/usprovidersearch/. If there is no participating provider in your area, then you may use any physician or hospital.

Southern Maryland Resources –

Calvert County:

Calvert Memorial Hospital Dunkirk Urgent Care
10845 Town Center Blvd Ste 108
Dunkirk, MD 20754-2712
410-286-7911
Calvert Memorial Hospital Prince Frederick
130 Hospital Rd Ste 102
Prince Frederick, MD 20678-4029
410-535-8911

Calvert Memorial Hospital Solomons Urgent Care

14090 HG Trueman Rd
Solomons, MD 20688-3151
410-394-2800
Charles County:
Use St. Mary’s resources at Charlotte Hall
St. Mary’s County:
St Marys Hospital Express Care:
37767 Market Dr
Charlotte Hall, MD 20622-3188
301-290-1499
For more on insurance, check the au pair resources on the APIA website.

Saying goodbye….

Beautiful girl, you can do hard things.

Today I did what I have done many times before – I said goodbye to yet another extraordinary young woman. She had finished her time here as an au pair and she was heading home. Home to familiar faces and lots of new experiences. We sat having coffee for one last time, reflecting on her experiences in the US and discussed the new opportunities she would be embarking on. Some exciting, some a bit scary, one thing was clear…she was forever changed during her time here in the US. She had traveled, studied, grown in her independence, made a bunch of amazing friends from all over the world and learned a lot about herself in the process. She has made a close connection with two host families, a life long kind of connection.  She made a connection with me.

Tonight as I watched an amazing sunset, I reflected on what my role is in this process for the au pair.  Many have said I am like a second mom to them, others consider me a friend, some have more of a distant, casual relationship. I am good with any one of these.  I have the privilege of helping them in a small portion of their journey. I can support and encourage and educate them. I can provide them with opportunities to explore the US and it’s customs, foods, cultures. We can share idioms and find common ground. I personally love to watch these amazing young women transform literally before my eyes. They do not leave the same. They all grow and change and experience.

I’ve sat with young women who are suffering from homesickness, worry for a loved one, or are missing a special family event. I’ve shared Christmas with an au pair, I’ve tried an amazing collection of foods from other countries. I’ve watched them experience their first Halloween, their first snow (some of them), I have helped plan education and travel, offered countless hugs, sat with sick ones, held them as they cry in sadness. I have redirected, cheered, and encouraged them. I have a saying with the au pairs, Beautiful girl, you can do hard things!

I have grown and changed too. With each new au pair comes a new experience, new adventures, new cultures to learn about. I am forever changed…

Saying goodbye isn’t really goodbye. I am connected still to many of them, though we are thousands of miles apart. We have email, social media, skype, etc. I see posts and catch glimpses of their lives. For many, I am still cheering, still encouraging, still connected.

To the young woman who left today….

Beautiful girl, you can do hard things….I know today is full of conflicting emotions. You are a bit sad to leave, maybe wishing for more time, more opportunities. Excited to go home and be with your family, snuggle that new nephew, move into a flat with your best friend and follow your dreams.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your life experience. It is an honor.