Yearly Archives: 2011

Host Family International Day

Audubon Park was the setting for our annual Host Family International Day.

Host families and au pairs enjoyed the meeting in the beautiful surroundings while partaking of the delicious food prepared by au pairs.  A presentation by Juliana, our au pair from Columbia, encouraged everybody to visit her country.  A leaflet with tips on how to help children transition to a new au pair at the end of match invited host families to share their own experiences and suggestions.

It was a fun  get together on a gorgeous day. Thank you to all who participated!

AAA HomeDriving in the United States

A Driver Safety Course Custom Designed

with Au Pairs In Mind

No matter how much driving experience your new au pair may have, she is now preparing to drive in a foreign country.  If you have ever driven in a foreign country or even rented a car somewhere you have never driven before, it may help you to recall what that feels like. It can be a challenge for even the most experienced of drivers.

This is why Au Pair in America has partnered with AAA, the nation’s most trusted name in driver safety and instruction, to offer a custom course specifically designed for au pairs. This course differs from those offered in your community, in that AAA has taken the best of several of their courses, adapted them to be the most accessible to the au pair population, with special focus on driver and child passenger safety. Key components of the course include:

Ø  Driver Safety

Ø  Child passenger safety (car seats, communication, expectations)

Ø  Communication and traffic devices

Ø  Vehicle Awareness (understanding what your vehicle is “telling you.”)

Ø  Reducing Risks while Driving (includes defensive driving techniques, phone/texting issues, and drinking and driving awareness)

The course includes:

– AAA course designed exclusively for Au Pair In America.  Course includes a combination of lecture, group exercises, video/other media to ensure the maximum understanding to speakers of other languages or newly arrived to the US participants.

– An extra night and meals at the Holiday Inn Select, Stamford CT.   Au Pairs will arrive at orientation a day early, and attend the AAA course before the main orientation sessions begin.  Au pairs will depart from orientation on the regularly scheduled departure day to your home.

– Certificate of completion from AAA* with supporting documents for au pair and host family resource throughout the year.

For more information about the course please contact APIA community counselor.

Au Pairs Volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank

NOLFBankLaurasizeNOLFoodBankSylviaNOLFoodBanksizeOn Saturday, February 26, 2011 au pairs volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank of New Orleans and Acadiana, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending hunger in south Louisiana.  The au pairs contributed food items to the pantry and helped with sorting and repacking.  Working alongside other volunteers from local high schools and church group was fun and educational.  The au pairs appreciated the opportunity to get involved with the local community and support people in need.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans

NOLMardiGrasKingtoastCarnival is the time of festive celebrations just before the start of Lent, which in turn is the period of fasting and penitence preceding Easter.  Although Carnival is tied to the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church and used to be enjoyed in Catholic countries only, it is now celebrated all over the world…BUT… nobody does it better than New Orleans!! (even though we do get a bit of competition form Rio).

Huge, lavishly decorated floats start rolling down the New Orleans streets more than two weeks before Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).  Parades, dress up parties, fancy balls, King Cake eating contests, costume competitions, and the jostles to catch Mardi Gras beads and doubloons get more intense as Lent and the need for sobriety approaches.

For au pairs in our cluster the carnival season is the time to get their purple, green, and gold outfits ready and join their host families in a quintessentially New Orleans experience.

Have fun and SEE YOU AT THE PARADES!!

For parade schedule please consult http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html

P.S. Although gluttony is the order of the day during Carnival, for the health-minded a delicious and nutritious Mardi Gras Coleslaw recipe follows. Have it with your King Cake, lol.

MARDI GRAS SLAW
INGREDIENTS:

1/3 c frozen orange juice concentrate – thawed
1/3 c unseasoned rice vinegar
1/3 c canola oil
1 – 8 oz bag green cabbage
1- 8 oz bag purple cabbage
4 ears fresh corn or 2 cans niblet corn
2 med carrots peeled, grated
6 med green onions
1/2 c fresh cilantro chopped

PREPARATION:
Whisk orange juice concentrate, rice vinegar, and canola oil in small
bowl, season salt pepper – do ahead, cover refrigerate.

Combine slaw, corn, carrots, green onion, and cilantro in large bowl,
toss with dressing, coat well, let stand for 15 min for flavors to
blend. Toss again.

ENJOY!

Love is in the Air on Valentine's Day

Love is in the air on Valentine’s Day, but it doesn’t have to be romantic love only. Saint Valentine’s Day, observed annually on February 14, started as a celebration of intimate relationships, but has now turned into a joyful occasion to celebrate all amicable feelings.  In addition to diamonds, candlelit dinners, and bouquets of roses indulged in by starry–eyed lovers, we exchange Valentine cards, candy, pins, perfume, chocolates, and other tokens of affection with our near and dear.

valentine's day wreath

This simple Valentine’s Day wreath is a lovely gift children can make for parents, grandparents, or a favorite teacher. The idea comes from http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mvwreath.html, a useful source of holiday themed arts and crafts projects. You may want to bookmark the site for future reference.

Adult, Infant, and Child CPR and First Aid Class

NOLRedCrossclasssizeOn October 16, 2010 au pairs participated in the Adult, Infant, and Child CPR and First Aid class offered by the American Red Cross.  A day-long class reinforced the material au pairs learned at APIA Orientation, and made them even more confident they were well prepared to handle any emergency situation.