Tag Archives: Pinterest

Winter Fun and School Closures

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As we prepare to endure a couple more snow days this week, a few reminders!

*If you have school aged kids who will be home due to school closures, this will change your au pairs work hours. Host parents and au pairs should work together to adjust the schedule as needed to stay within the regulations from the Dept. of State.

*Remember, no more than 10 hours per day and no more than 45 hours per work week. Host parents should be cognizant of this and if you are home too, look at having the au pair start late or end early. You can also choose a middle of the day break, but remember, a meaningful break is three hours minimum. The key here is to be flexible and prepared! Always have a back up plan!

*Remember that days on end in the house due to the weather and now more days can be draining. Be empathetic and offer encouragement and ideas. When the roads are safe in your area, suggest she get out for a couple of hours while off duty. This will offer her a chance to have a break and recharge. As parents, we all know the need for that.

*Check out our Pinterest boards for some great ideas on beating the winter blues! Do you want to build a snowman (inside where it’s warm)? Check out the Olaf activity. How about “painting” snow? We can show you how! Make sure you bundle up when heading outside. Don’t forget hot chocolate or tea when you come back in! For some fun ideas, check out the –

APIA Pinterest Board – Winter Fun!

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.