Category Archives: Uncategorized

Senior Community Counselor Visits Panama

“More and more fantastic Au Pairs are coming from Panama. I wanted to better undertanding of their country and the culture. I was lucky to have a chance to visit Panama City as well as the outlying islands, ” explained Victoria Paton, Au Pair in America’s Senior Community Counselor for Potomac, Bethesda, Cabin John and Glen Echo. In my 16 years as a Community Counselor, Au Pair in America has recruited an increasing number high-quality, childcare providers Latin America: Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru, Argentina, Chile, El Salvador, Mexico and, now, Panama.

Panama City was bussling with life from its Cathedral and Presidential Palace to the cozy piazzas for dining and music, and Shutterfly_Share_43the famous Panama Canal.20160308_114224

 

 

 

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I flew from Panama City to Bocas Del Toro, and from there, by boat from island to island amongst the indigenous peoples, cocoa plantations, and beautiful beaches.

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Visiting the gorgeous islands, I often had the chance to play with children. Life on the islands is simple: and cut off are from the rest of the world…no electricty, cars, internet or even a soccer ball to replace the one that was Shutterfly_Share_104Shutterfly_Share_51deflated.

The children on the left live in a beachside community and were fascinated with videos on my phone.

Shutterfly_Share_17Shutterfly_Share_29“So now when I welcome Au Pairs from Panama to my Cluster, I know so much more about their beautiful country, abundant in warm people and natural beauty.”

Country Line Dancing Was a Big Hit!

Over 60 Au Pairs in Montgomery County participated in a heel-kicking, boot-tapping country line dance class with our favorite instructor Mary who is always thrilled with the Au Pair’s enthusiasm.20160404_195125

Potomac Community Center was the venue for this year’s class which featured country line steps to more contemporary tunes….and it was a blast!20160404_195402

Something so fun and aerobic, was a great way for the Au Pairs, from over 20 countries, to experience something so truly American!

Three Pairs of Sisters in Victoria’s Happy Cluster

The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend.

– Cali Rae Turner

This quote could not be more true for 6 young women in my cluster – each is one of a pair of sisters who are currently Au Pairs in my cluster!Sisters x 3Being far from home is certainly helped by having a friend, a sister, nearby – not just in the USA at the same time, but in our cluster (about 20 minutes end to end)!

I recently invited all of my sister pairs to come together for a photo to celebrate this wonderful, and historic, Au Pair year. They had never met each other, so it was fun for them to become friends.

Pictured above are:

Diana and Nicky Glorius from Germany – They arrived to their host families on the exact same day!

Shantal and Seshnie Chetty from South Africa – Their 3rd sister wants to join the program soon!

Lorena and Laura Lopez from Colombia  – They work for the same host family!

 

Coats Off in Car Seats BEFORE Buckling

As cold weather may be coming our way (at last), new safety studies are indicating that it is unsafe to buckle a child into a car seat with his/her coat on. Please view this video from the TODAY show illustrating what can happen...the car seat is loosened by the extra fabric of a coat and in a crash situation, the child flies up and out of car seat.images

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If weather is cold, put the child’s coat ON TOP of the car seat buckle/belt for warmth.

Victoria Paton, Senior Community Counselor of Au Pair in America, has advised her Au Pairs to make note of this and for added safety to take the car with car seat to the next Safe Kids Worldwide “Car Seat Check-up Event:

Check Up Event – Safe Kids Montgomery County – 1/12/2016 – 8:00AM-6:00PM
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 – 8:00am to 6:00pm
Council Office Building
100 Maryland Avenue, Room 225
Rockville, MD 20850
or make an appointment at one of Montgomery County’s Car Seat Inspections Stations…click here.

Au Pair in America Au Pairs Celebrate Christmas at Krispy Kreme

xmas 2015 Victoria and APs

To celebrate Christmas away from home, Au Pair in America Au  Pairs in Victoria Paton’s cluster in20151218_204811 (2) Maryland (Potomac, Bethesda, Cabin John and Glen Echo) donned Santa hats and enjoyed a dessert party at Krispy Kreme in Rockville.

Au Pairs brought a gift to exchange, and in the spirit of the holidays, they also generously donated personal items for Streetlights USA (a charity that supports young women saved in America from trafficking).

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Four lighted trees were decorated by the Au Pairs and then raffled-off to four 20151218_210714 (2)20151218_210658 (2)happy winners.

 

Many Au Pairs would be spending the holidays with their Host Families while others were looking forward to learning more about America with travel to Florida, Las Vegas, San Diego etc.

Au Pair in America AU PAIR COLLEGE FAIR in Maryland

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FIRST EVER – Maryland Regional Au Pair in America
AU PAIR COLLEGE FAIR!
Au Pairs from around the region are invited to find out the options for fulfilling their Au Pair in America education requirement…
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 at 1230-230pm
Potomac Community Center
11315 Falls Road, Potomac, Maryland

Plenty of parking and is on the T2 bus stop in front (Friendship Heights/Rockville Metros)

Representatives from many Au Pair educational options will be there to help you:

 

  • Montgomery College Continuing Ed. and Credit Departments
  • LADO (English and TOEFL prep)
  • English House/International Language Institute (ESL and TOEFL prep)
  • Stratford University (event management)
  • Georgetown University (English related courses)
  • L’Academie de Cuisine (culinary)
  • Virginia International University (museum classes)
  • UCLA online program for Au Pairs
  • BMCC Travel courses

Come and find out what is available for Spring 2016!

 

Meetings at Montgomery College: Au Pairs and Educares Plan Their Academic Studies with Counselor

Chinese Au Pairs New York TimesAu Pair in America’s Au Pairs and Educares arrive Thursday nights to their new Host Families in the Potomac, Bethesda, Cabin John and Glen Echo Cluster. To facilitate signing-up for Fall courses, they are invited to meet their Senior Community Counselor, Victoria Paton, Fridays at Montgomery College. There she will assist each young woman to register at MC, or chat with the new arrival to determine if there might be another local institute of education that would better suit her academic goals.

Au Pairs work 45 hours/week and Educare Companions 30 hours/week and in their free time it is mandated by the State Department that they study at an accredited, secondary institute of education for 72 hours (Au Pairs) or 144 hours (Educares).

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Au Pairs in Montreal with BMCC Travel Course

“It is great fun to help Au Pairs and Educares think about how they might like to fulfill their State Department education requirement: Years ago an Au Pair from Sweden had wanted to try acting, but was afraid to do it back home, fearing her friends would laugh. So she signed up for Intro to Acting at MC and enjoyed it so much she decided to apply to the New York Academy of Music and Dramatic Art – and was accepted after she completed her Au Pair year! An Au Pair from Poland came to my cluster as a non-swimmer. She took swimming at MC and finished her Au Pair year as an accomplished swimmer. An Au Pairswimmer from South Africa was taking accounting courses but decided to get in shape with MC’s Intro to Personal Training class. She had such great results and she enjoyed the supportive nature of the group, that she chose to  pursue further classes in the subject and went home to become a Certified Personal Trainer.

Lives can be enhanced and career directions changed, when a young woman, as an Au Pair/Educare, has a chance to explore the educational options in the DC area with her Counselor or Host Family.” Victoria Paton

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Au Pairs participate in Culinary Program at Stratford University.

We are very fortunate to have MANY affordable options for the Au Pairs/Educares in the DC area:

Montgomery College (Credit and Workforce Development)

LADO, International Language Institute and Inlingua

BMCC Study/Travel Courses (Nashville, Boston, Chicago, Niagara Falls,  NYC etc.)

Stratford University in Tysons and Alexandria has created Au Pair survey courses in Event Management and Culinary Arts.

L’Academie de Cuisine has a series of Au Pair courses,

Georgetown University Continuing Education offers English language – related classes.

Virginia International University offers Saturday courses at museums in Washington, DC.

Au Pair in America has a joint program with UCLA for an online course with volunteer hours

Close Call…When a Deer Runs in Front of Your Car

What To Do to Avoid a Deer, Or Other Animal, that Might Run In Front Of Your Vehicle:

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Watch this excellent video to see a large herd crossing – where there is one there is usually more..

·         Scan the road ahead: Looking ahead helps provide enough reaction time if an animal is spotted. Also, remember some animals, like deer, move in groups, so when there is one, there are usually more in the area.

·         Use high beam headlights if there’s no oncoming traffic: This can help you spot deer or other wildlife sooner and give you time to slow down, move over or honk the horn to scare the animal away. High beams also help in spotting animals’ reflective eyes.

·         If a collision is unavoidable, apply the brakes firmly and remain in your lane: Swerving to avoid an animal can often cause a more serious crash or cause you to lose control of your vehicle. What’s more, drivers who swerve to miss a deer and hit something else may be charged for an at-fault accident.

·         Be extra cautious at dawn and dusk: Deer tend to be more active in the early morning and at dusk.

·         Slow down and use extra caution when traveling through areas with a high and active wildlife population: Be aware of increased deer movement in rural areas during the fall and early winter, as this is both hunting and mating season.

·         Always wear a seat belt and remain awake, alert and sober.

(Source: AAA)

Fro-Yo Fridays at Orange Leaf for Monthly Cluster Conversation Meetings

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Everyone likes a treat at the end of a long week, so once a month, about 30 au pairs gather at Orange Leaf in Cabin John Mall to chat with their Community Counselor and friends old and new. In addition to the major cluster meeting each month, we have an informal gathering also each month, just to chat and get to know each other.

We are so fortunate that a Host Family owns Orange Leaf and have been super accommodating to our Friday meetings – even staying open late on some nights if we get carried away in our conversations and stay after the Mall closes.

This is a super timorange-leaf-producte for new Au Pairs to be welcomed into the Cluster, and this week a fantastic newly-arrived Au Pair from Croatia decided to organize a “Club” for Au Pairs caring for children under the age of three (3) to organize play dates, give each other support and to organize fun activities in the evenings after  providing excellent childcare for very small children during the day.

Tasty Treats to Make With Pumpkin – Part 4 : Pumpkin Pie

As we prepare for America’s next big holiday, Thanksgiving, what to do with pumpkins? Practice making Pumpkin Pies!Pumpkin-Pie-Whole-Slice

The definition of Pumpkin Pie from Wikipedia:

Pumpkin pie is a traditional sweet dessert, often eaten during the fall and early winter, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the United States and Canada. The pumpkin is a symbol of harvest time and featured also at Halloween.

The pie consists of a pumpkin-based custard, ranging in color from orange to brown, baked in a single pie shell, rarely with a top crust. The pie is generally flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.

This pie is often made from canned pumpkin or packaged pumpkin pie filling (spices included).

To make Pumpkin Pie, you do not need to make the crust of the pie. Those you can buy at the grocery store in the FROZEN food department.

This is from a site called KidsCooking and it offers many recipes that you can make with children. They are pumpkin pie recipes that are so simple but they taste and look like they took hours to make!pie

Healthier Pumpkin Pie from Eclecticrecipes.com

From Mykidsallergies.com here is Pumpkin Pie – dairy free, nut free

And, finally, from the company that makes the pumpkin-in-a-can: LIBBY’s Famous Pumpkin Pie

Have fun!  And if you try any of these Pumpkin Pie recipes, let me know which one you liked the best 🙂

Victoria