Monthly Archives: August 2017

Homesickness

Believe in Your Dreams:

It is completely normal to feel homesick sometimes when we are far from home.  Homesickness comes from feeling disconnected from people, places and routines.  It is an emotion that passes with time.  Remember: It.is.normal.

Here are some things to do if you are feeling a little blue:

  • Be a tourist, get to know where you live, visit the local sights and explore just as you would if on vacation.  Start a list of favorite places. Check out the blog for ideas.
  • Plan a trip with a friend, a day trip or a weekend, get excited about doing something new with a new friend and before you know it you will be excited and chatting about the trip instead of talking about what you are missing at home.
  • Post in the cluster Facebook group that you are off on Saturday or Sunday and that you are looking for a buddy to hang out with! Don’t wait for someone else to plan it, take the initiative!
  • Go to your cluster meeting. It’s not just a requirement of the program, it’s a beneficial part of your experience. Cluster meetings are a great way to meet new friends and get a hug and support!
  • Not everything has to change.  If you loved jogging at home, do it here. There are some habits you love that you can keep. Played soccer at home? Love basketball or singing or digital photography? Ask me, I can help you find activities within the community to join!
  • Create a routine.  Having a routine will help you feel at home and settle into life here. It’s tempting to sleep in on the weekends, but you’ll miss out on fun! It’s okay some times, but remember, you only have 52 weekends here! Make the most out of them!
  • Get enough sleep! Go to bed at a reasonable time. Planning a quiet activity for the hour or so before bed can help you establish and maintain good sleep habits.
  • Get involved in activities that will help you meet Americans! Other than classes, consider finding a church with a young adult group, volunteer, join an interest group! Building friendships is important and you will have a richer cultural exchange as a result!
  • Do not stay home.  Get out and about, go to the gym, the park, a coffee shop, a movie, staying home alone will not help homesickness.
  • Tell your me that you are feeling homesick. I can help you! It may be a first for you, but it isn’t for me. I can help connect you with another au pair who was also homesick. There’s nothing better than talking to someone who has been in your shoes.
  • Start an American Dream album on Facebook, write your memories in a private blog, save a few special reminders – ticket stubs, postcards, small souvenirs, etc. from your year.  It will give you something to work on when you have quiet time alone and as your year progresses you will be able to see what an amazing experience you are having.  You’ll have a wonderful keepsake to have of you year (or two).
  • Most importantly, talk to someone, if you feel sad or homesick, talk to your host family, call me, or a friend.  Being part of a cluster enables us to help and support each other.
  • If you aren’t homesick, reach out to others who you think might be. Be a friend. We were all new once. That new girl nearby would love for you to pick her up and go to a movie or for coffee or ice cream. Dare to be bold. Dare to be fearless!
  • Keep the circle wide open for everyone to join in. Building friendships with people outside of your culture will richly reward your year here and your life in general. It’s a wonderful thing to watch au pairs maintain their cross cultural friendships after they go home.

A little inspiration from a former au pair… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3IBmRWGnwA

American Experiences – Kindness Rocks and Community Service

This past weekend we gathered to have a classic American 50’s style diner experience! While we enjoyed the unique decor and the heavy presence of Elvis, we ordered sundaes and milkshakes and got down to creating art for our community service project! Each year we dedicate some of our time to doing something that benefits the local community.

New to us this year is the Kindness Rock movement! What is the Kindness Rocks Project? Goal #1: Inspire others through randomly placed rocks along the way. Goal #2: Recruit every person who stumbles upon it to join in the pursuit of inspiring others through random acts of kindness. Rocks bring happiness, meaning, comfort, etc to their recipients. Mostly, they bring a sense that they matter, they they are loved. By participating in this project, the au pairs are expressing their creative side, joining in an activity that fosters happiness, lending support, and brings people outside and connecting.

Our au pairs created special country flag rocks along with artistic, supportive and happy rocks. Each au pair left the gathering with finished rocks to hide somewhere in their specific community. As we were preparing to depart from Bert’s Diner, we spotted a Kindness Rock sitting outside. We picked it up, napped a picture and placed it back for someone else to find and share a smile! Our au pairs know all too well how important a random kindness can be, how much a smile can change a day. #fearlessglobalcitizen

This year, we are continuing to support Sending Smiles. Sending Smiles is a local 501C3 charity started by local sisters and their cousins! Their mission is to send messages of hope to sick children and their families. We want to help those who are battling cancer, sickness, or other conditions to SMILE by sending them crazy fun postcards!! To date they have sent over 25,000 postcards to children and families across the United States. You can check out the amazing work Sending Smiles does by visiting their Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/SistersSendingSmiles/

Back to School!!

Kids in our cluster are returning to school. This means changes to the au pair schedule and possibly to the duties.  It is very important to communicate these changes to avoid problems.

I suggest you discuss the following (if applicable):

  • Au pair’s work schedule.
  • The children’s school and activity schedules.
  • Where the children get dropped off and picked up and who will be doing this.
  • What to do if a child is staying home sick, late to school, does not get off the bus (if they are supposed to).
  • How to tell if school has been canceled or delayed for bad weather
  • Add the au pair to your list of people allowed to pick up the kids from school (remind her that she will be asked to show a photo id).
  • What to pack for lunch (don’t forget the cold packs)
  • The routine after school (do they have free time before starting homework, what to give for snack, any chores, where do they put their backpacks & lunchboxes).
  • How to communicate about what’s going on at school.
  • Specific instructions for driving on and off school grounds, where to park, direction of travel. Do you get out or does staff open the doors, etc.
  • Driving around school buses.  How a school bus in traffic is to be handled. What to do when the flashers come on, etc.

Here are some Printable Fill-in-the-Blank School Notes for parents. You may print these out and use them for times when the kids are absent, late, have early dismissal or you need to give permission for something.

If the au pair will be the one going through the children’s back pack and helping with homework, I suggest you designate an area for putting things that need to be read and/or signed by parents.

School Buses – Remember to discuss school bus safety and the rules about driving when school buses are near. Stopping when the lights flash and the stop sign comes out unless the road is divided, etc.

Reminder: It is illegal in the State of Maryland for a child under the age of 8 to be left alone in the home or car.  Please make sure that your drop off routine does not include leaving children under 8 at home or in the car while dropping off another child.  Even if a host parent gives permission to do this, it is not allowed, because it is against the law.

Photo by Jens Rost

Photo by Jens Rost