Tag Archives: Au Pair in America

February 3- Super Bowl Sunday!

Super bowl sunday
The Super Bowl is the National Football League championship game, played annually between the champions of the National and the American Football Conferences. This year’s game features the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Baltimore Ravens, and it will be played at the “Mercedez-Benz Superdome” in New Orleans, Louisiana at 6:30 p.m. “Super Bowl Sunday” is a major event in the U.S., and a popular time for friends and family to gather in front of the TV. Many people host or attend “Super Bowl Parties” where they watch the game together while enjoying food and drink. Each year millions of people watch the game, the half-time show – or just the commercials!  People will be talking about the commercials for days. To learn more about football visit the “Life in the US” section of the Au Pair in America website: http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/football.asp

November Cluster Meeting -Thanksgiving Dinner

Our November cluster meeting, held on Friday, November 16, gave Rhode Island au pairs the opportunity to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal together — the menu consisted of roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, apple pie, and hot mulled apple cider. It was a fun evening, and gave au pairs a preview of a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner prior to the November 22 Thanksgiving Holiday, which most au pairs plan to celebrate with their host families.
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Wishing all of our Jewish host families, au pairs and friends a peaceful Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur also known as the Day of Atonement is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jewish people traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services.

Yom Kippur is considered one of the holiest of Jewish holidays and it is observed by many secular Jews who may not observe other holidays. Many secular Jews fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, where the number of worshippers attending is often double or triple the normal attendance.

This year Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Tuesday evening, September 25, and ends on Wednesday evening.

Here are a couple of links with more information:

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/yom-kippur

http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/yomkippur.htm

and for children http://www.akhlah.com/holidays/yomkippur/yomkippur.php

Independence Day in the U.S.

image005Known as the Fourth of July and Independence Day, July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83). In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 until the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues.

Rhode Island Au Pairs Give Back to Their Communities Once Again

Serve RI
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Rhode Island au pairs have volunteered for a "Classroom Makeover Project" which will involve cleaning, repairing and repainting a classroom in an older urban public school in the Providence area. On Saturday, June 30, au pairs will dedicate about 5 hours to the project; and when they are through, they will have been responsible for a complete classroom makeover which will benefit many children. The entire classroom makeover project is made possible by volunteers – those who are physically involved in the makeover (our group of au pairs), and others who donate the necessary equipment (paint, supplies, etc). These classroom makeovers are coordinated through "Serve Rhode Island”.
This is the second volunteer activity that Au Pair in America’s Rhode Island au pairs have participated in during the month of June. On June 2, au pairs spent much of their day volunteering as house guides for Providence Preservation Society’s 33rd annual Festival of Historic Houses. It is encouraging to see au pairs so willing to give back to the communities in which they are living while they are here, and hopefully will inspire other young Rhode Islanders to become more inolved in such community activites!

Au Pair in America May Cluster Meeting – Waterfire, Providence

Au pairs met at Waterplace Park on Monday evening, May 21, for the first Waterfire of the season. It was a partial lighting in the Basin area. The “official” season will begin Memorial Day weekend, with a full lighting scheduled on Saturday evening, May 26. The full Waterfire schedule, which takes place from the end of May through the end of September, can be found here: http://www.waterfire.org/season-schedule
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Au Pair in America to Participate in 2012 Providence Preservation Society Festival of Historic Houses

Au Pairs will volunteer once again this year for the Providence Preservation Society’s Festival of Historic Houses, their annual fundraising event, now in its 33rd year. This year’s festival will be held on Friday, June 1; Saturday, June 2; and Sunday, June 3. Friday evening, June 1, will feature a candlelight tour between 6-9 p.m. Saturday, June 2, will be the “traditional” tour of private houses from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., focusing on Elmgrove Avenue on the East Side of Providence. On Sunday, June 3, the focus shifts to the Jewelry District, between 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Rhode Island au pairs from Colombia, Czech Rebublic, Germany, Turkey and the Ukraine will be working together as house guides. They will be welcoming and providing information to tour guests, and will answer any questions that guests may have about the history and architecture of the houses. For more information about the PPS Festival of Historic Homes, click here: http://www.ppsri.org/events/view/90
2012 PPS Festival of Historic Houses

Valentine's Day Around The World

Today is February 14, Valentine’s Day. Many people in the United States celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving cards, letters, candy, flowers, or gifts to their loved ones. Since we have au pairs here in Rhode Island from many countries around the world, it might be fun to take a look at how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in different countries around the world. Check out this link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/datablog/2012/feb/14/valentines-day-world-mapped?newsfeed=true

Happy Valentine’s Day! valentine