As always and forever au pairs enjoyed celebrating Mardi Gras with their host families and friends. Many things delighted them – festive crowds, music, dancing, pageantry, King Cakes slathered in thick, gooey but oh so delicious icing … and the fun of making and parading in their very own carnival costumes!!
Nadine from Germany put her inner costume designer in overdrive and came up not with just one but four different carnival outfits!!
Valentine’s day is celebrated in the United States every year on February 14th. There are many stories and legends behind who the real St. Valentine was, but most scholars agree that he was a martyr who was killed by Roman soldiers because he was marrying people in secret at a time when marriage was outlawed. Later in the Middle Ages, a great writer named Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem as a present to King Richard II, who was going to be married soon. In it, he mentioned St. Valentine, and over time, the idea of Valentine’s Day became associated with the idea of love.
Below is the partial list of volunteering options in New Orleans. There are quite a few more opportunities where you can show your volunteering spirit but this list should be sufficient to get you started.
Why volunteer? Because volunteering is a very important part of American culture that you’ll only appreciate if you give it a try. It also helps you “broaden your horizons”, both physically and mentally, and allows you to make friends that you’d never meet otherwise.
Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans
http://www.voagno.org/about-us
Hands on New Orleans
http://www.handsonneworleans.org/
Beacon of Hope Resource Center
www.beaconofhopenola.org
Camp Restore
www.camprestore.org
Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans
www.ccano.org
Common Ground Relief
www.commongroundrelief.org
Grow Dat Youth Farm
www.growdatyouthfarm.org
Habitat for Humanity
www.habitat-nola.org
Hike for KaTREEna
www.hikeforkatreena.org
Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans
www.jagno.org
KidSmart
www.kidsmart.org
Projects with Purpose
www.projectswithpurpose.org
Rebuilding Together New Orleans
www.rtno.org
Second Harvest Food Bank
www.no-hunger.org
Jewish Community Center
www.nojcc.org
Youth Rebuilding New Orleans
yrno.com
New Orleans City Park Volunteer
http://neworleanscitypark.com/info/volunteer
Audubon Institute (Zoo, Aquarium, Insectarium)
http://www.auduboninstitute.org/volunteers
Uptown Shepherds Center
http://uptownshepherdcenter.wix.com/uptownshepherdcenter
Louisiana’s Children’s Museum
http://lcm.org/volunteer-internships
New Orleans Museum of Art
https://noma.org/support/volunteer/
Longue Vue House and Gardens
https://longuevue.com/give/volunteer/
Contemporary Arts Center
http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/support-us/volunteer
Touro Hospital
http://www.touro.com/content/careers/volunteer.htm
Tulane Medical Center
http://tulanehealthcare.com/about/volunteer.dot
Children’s Hospital
http://www.chnola.org/Volunteer
East Jefferson General Hospital
http://ejgh1.tru-m.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=71
New Orleans Public Library
Anyone interested in volunteering may contact Human Resources at 504 596-2607
Jazz Fest
http://www.jazzandheritage.org/get-involved
French Quarter Festivals
http://fqfi.org/pages/detail/118/Volunteers
Mahalia Jackson Theatre
http://mahaliajacksontheater.com/general-info/volunteer
Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre
http://summerlyric.tulane.edu/audition.cfm
Jefferson Performing Arts Society
http://www.jpas.org/support-us/volunteer-with-jpas/
SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
http://www.la-spca.org/donate/volunteer/opportunities
Crescent City Classic (racing)
http://www.ccc10k.com/volunteers
Susan G. Komen New Orleans (cure for breast cancer)
http://komenneworleans.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Rock & Roll Marathon Series
http://www.runrocknroll.com/new-orleans/the-weekend/volunteer/
New Orleans Museum of Art is the perfect destination for both passionate art lovers and casual amusement seekers. On a recent early afternoon Sunday au pairs joined a docent-led tour to explore the highlights of the collection. Everybody picked their favorites, be it a grand portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette in her finery, an Andy Warhol likeness of intense Mick Jagger, or a Flemish still life showing a table laden with all manner of consumables.
A bite of king cake after the tour completed a fun and interesting outing.
FLEXIBILITY
Holidays are a lot of fun but they also require much planning, communicating, visiting, and accommodating other family members’ schedules, all of which may cause quite a bit of stress for your host parents. Try to be as helpful and flexible as possible to help your host family have a truly enjoyable time.
Childcare
More childcare duties will be required when children are out of school. Have a plan for the time when they put aside their Xmas toys and look for other amusement. Check out APIA website http://www.aupairinamerica.com/resources/activities/index.asp to get ideas on how to keep your host kids happily occupied.
Driving
Traffic tends to be heavier around the holidays. My best advice is to leave earlier than normal and take your time. Be the “bigger person” and allow that one last car to slip in ahead of you. It may avoid an accident. Remember au pairs can be asked to pay up to $500 of the deductible for an accident.
Healthy eating
Is your house filled with treats, and goodies that are tempting you? It is the season, and you are here for a cultural exchange, so try some of the traditional sweets your host family is offering, but it is a good idea to downsize your portions – how much you eat is as important as what you eat.
Tips for Host Families
Scheduling
Letting your au pair know her schedule in advance is important at any time but especially during holidays. For most au pairs these will be the only Xmas & New Year holidays in the States. Host families are asked to make an effort to follow the spirit of APIA program, which is cultural exchange, and both include AP in their celebrations and also give AP some time to experience and enjoy them with her friends.
Childcare
Please let your au pair know exactly what your expectations are regarding childcare. Is she supposed to let the kids be so they can enjoy unstructured time with visiting family members? Or is she supposed to keep them occupied so you can enjoy a quiet conversation with your brother and sister-in-law? Will grandparents take an active role in caring for the kids or should au pair get them ready for bedtime and read them a good night story?
Safety
If there is an alarm system for the house, be sure that the au pair is listed with the alarm company as a legitimate user of the alarm. Also, the au pair must know the appropriate security code in case of a false alarm.
TLC
If holidays can be stressful for host families, they can be doubly so for au pairs. Please keep in mind that your au pair is in a foreign country, away from her family, friends, and familiar circumstances at the time when we all celebrate family and togetherness! Please make sure to give your au pair some Tender Loving Care that you’d like your daughter to receive were she to be an au pair far away from home.
As usual in December, au pairs got together for a big holiday party. After sharing stories about different celebrations in their respective countries, au pairs decided to follow one of the American customs and played Dirty Santa Game, a Christmas gift exchange that calls for participants to “steal gifts” from each other.
Another fun game involved drawing a Christmas scene on a paper plate placed on au pair’s head.
Fortified with hot chocolate and an array of cookies and snacks, au pairs set out to continue the fun evening at Celebration in the Oaks in City Park.
It was fun and educational for au pairs to set out on a scavenger hunt and discover the many museums, galleries and monuments in New Orleans Warehouse District.
Doing crafts with host children is one of the most fun things that au pair’s job entails. Here are a few ideas that will help children develop their creativity.
Adult supervision is essential. Always accompany the children if they are going door to door to trick or treat
Try tick-or-treat-friendly homes. Ensure the children only visit houses with lights on. And, you might also suggest the houses they visit have some sort of Halloween decoration on the porch.
Stay outside. Make sure the children don’t go inside someone’s house. They can trick or treat on the porch.
Remain visible. Dress the children in bright costumes or have them wear reflective strips or carry a glow stick or flashlight.
Quality-check treats. Check the candy before they eat it. Throw out any candy that is not in its original wrapper or looks like it has been tampered with.
Say “no” to strangers. Remind the children to never accept a ride or go anywhere with a stranger.
Have a great time! Finally, make sure your kids have tons of fun and enjoy the night.
Hello dear au pairs,
I hope the pumpkins are carved, the costumes are ready and you’re looking forward to going trick and treating with your host children.
Happy Halloween!
Halloween, what is it all about?
Halloween is celebrated across the United States on October 31st. Not all, but most families will participate in some aspect of the Halloween holiday traditions. This may be a new experience for you so It is a good idea to talk to your host family ahead of time and find out how they celebrate.
Like many other holidays, Halloween has changed throughout history. Over 2,000 years ago people called the Celts lived in what is now Ireland, the UK, and parts of Northern France. November 1 was their New Year’s Day. They believed that the night before the New Year (October 31) was a time when the living and the dead came together.
More than a thousand years ago the Christian church named November 1st All Saints Day. This was a special holy day to honor the saints and other people who died for their religion. The night before All Hallows was called Hallows Eve. Later the name was changed to Halloween.
Like the Celts, the Europeans of that time also believed that the spirits of the dead would visit the earth on Halloween. They worried that evil spirits would cause problems or hurt them. So on that night people wore costumes that looked like ghosts or other evil creatures. They thought if they dressed like that, the spirits would think they were also dead and not harm them.
The tradition of Halloween was carried to America by the immigrating Europeans. Some of the traditions changed a little, though. For example, on Halloween in Europe some people would carry lanterns made from turnips. In America, pumpkins were more common. So people began putting candles inside them and using them as lanterns. That is why you see Jack ‘o lanterns today.
These days Halloween is not usually considered a religious holiday. It is primarily a fun day for children. Children dress up in costumes like people did a thousand years ago. But instead of worrying about evil spirits, they go from house to house. They knock on doors and say “trick or treat.” The owner of each house gives candy or something special to each trick or treater.
