Tag Archives: au pair

Making Thanksgiving Memories Together

Thanksgiving is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year in the United States. It started as a harvest festival and has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789.  The most important part of Thanksgiving for American families is to spend family time together.

Martin Cathrae

 “My favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. Firstly, it was my first holiday with the whole family in America. Secondly, the whole family came together. All aunts and uncles and their kids came to grandma’s. We played football with all of them, including grandma and grandpa. It was the first time I played it and it was so much fun for all. We had a great dinner with all the typical things you can imagine … it was deeeelicious! It was so great to be with such a big family and I really enjoyed that day. I will remember it my whole life, I hope.” – Swantje from Germany

Here are a few tips to help you have a terrific Thanksgiving experience.

Host Parents
Please plan to include your au pair in your Thanksgiving celebration, if at all possible. If you are traveling or will not be able to invite your au pair to join you for Thanksgiving, give her plenty of notice and help her make alternate plans. You don’t want to leave your au pair alone over the holiday.

Au Pairs
If you are invited to attend dinner, please let your family know within 5 days of the invitation, whether you are planning to attend, so they may make plans. If your host family is unable to include you in their Thanksgiving plans, please let me know if you have trouble making other plans, so I can assist.

Make sure to discuss time off during this holiday weekend. Many host families work the Friday after Thanksgiving so do not assume you have this day off or the entire weekend. Talk to your host family, BEFORE you make any plans.

Bonus Tip for the Kids
If you are looking for a fun recipe to make with your au pair, check out these turkey cookies. Find more fun activities and recipes on the Au Pair in America Fall Holidays pinboard.

 

Avoiding Homesickness this Holiday Season

Homesickness can be a problem during the holidays, even if it hasn’t been at any other time of the year. Au pairs often miss their friends and family, familiar places and their own traditions and customs. The holiday activities in the United States seem, and may actually be, different just at a time when an au pair would welcome something familiar. 

It is common for au pairs’ emotions to be close to the surface during the holidays. Her highs are higher, her lows are lower. The enormity of what she has done–actually living in another country (which is an amazing thing when you think about it!)–hits her and throws her into a self-protective mode.

Host parents can help her through this unfamiliar territory by talking to her about what your specific family activities will be (gifts, meals, visitors, religious services, in-home traditions, or none of these, as the case may be.) In the spirit of cultural exchange, ask her if she has any favorite holiday traditions or foods that you might be able to incorporate into your family’s celebration of the season. Let her know what you will be doing, when you will be doing it, and what she can expect. Talk to her about what has to be accomplished and get her involved and interested. Don’t expect her to just “know” what needs to be done. Give her some clear, agreed upon assignments. Make her feel a part of things. And, let her know her contribution is needed and appreciated.

Photo: Sheila Sund (Flickr)

5 Thanksgiving Tips for Au Pairs & Host Parents

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year. Even though a few other countries also celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s still considered a uniquely American holiday, one that the au pairs look forward to experiencing. You can learn more about it here.

“I really enjoyed Thanksgiving with my host family. It was as I imagined! So much food to try. Everyone got dressed up and shared what they were thankful for. It was so warm and special. The next day we began to prepare for Christmas. It was magical.” Selina from Germany

Below you will find some tips to help you have a terrific Thanksgiving experience.

 

Host Parents

1.  Please plan to include your au pair in your Thanksgiving celebration, if at all possible. Thanksgiving with an au pair offers an opportunity to consider the relevance of the history and meaning of Thanksgiving as you compare the hospitality offered by the Native Americans to the recently arrived Pilgrims and the hospitality you offer your au pair.

2.  If you are traveling or will not be able to invite your au pair to join you for Thanksgiving, give her plenty of notice and help her make alternate plans. You don’t want to leave your au pair alone over the holiday.

Au Pairs

3.  If you are invited to attend dinner, please let your family know within 5 days of the invitation, whether you are planning to attend. It is considered rude in America to accept the invitation for dinner and then change your mind later in the month. Please be thoughtful.

4.  Make sure to discuss time off during this holiday weekend. Many host families work the Friday after Thanksgiving so do not assume you have this day off or the entire weekend. Talk to your host family, BEFORE you make any plans.

5.  If your host family is unable to include you in their Thanksgiving plans, please let me know if you have trouble making other plans. You may be able to join a friend and their host family for the holiday dinner.

Bonus Tip for the Kids

If you are looking for a fun recipe to make with your au pair, check out these turkey cupcakes. Find more fun activities and recipes on the Au Pair in America Fall Holidays pinboard.

Photo: Tim Sackton (Flickr)

Host Family Pumpkin Patch – Oct 2015

We were blessed with a beautiful fall evening at the pumpkin patch and plenty of activities from hay rides to hay bale mazes. I have to say there’s nothing cuter than our little ones picking out pumpkins that are twice their size! Thanks to everyone that came out and shared in the fun!Oct HF 2Oct HF 3Oct HF 4OCt HF 5Oct HF 1OCt HF 6

Film Night in Dolores Park – Sept 2015

With blankets in hand and picnic baskets full of snacks, we joined the crowd at Dolores Park. Everyone cheered along with the 1985 Back to the Future showing! It was great getting to introduce the Au Pairs to Marty and Doc Brown, and of course the DeLorean time traveling machine. Their lives are definitely more complete now that they’ve seen this American comic science fiction favorite. It was a wonderful fall evening with wonderful company! Sept Event 1 Sept Event 2

Red Cross Pediatric Training – August 2015

After a full day of training, all the Au Pairs walked away informed and ready to handle any emergency situation! Our Red Cross Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED was well received as we had Au Pairs travel in from North and South of the city to join in the fun. It was really impressive watching the young ladies in action, we should feel confident that our kiddos are in good hands! Aug Training Aug Training2 Aug Training3 Aug Training4

SF Scavenger Hunt – July 2015

What we did not know was that it was going to be 90 degrees outside, but that did not slow down these girls! We had a wonderful time scouting out local landmarks and San Francisco favorites as we raced against the clock to complete as many challenges as possible on our scavenger hunt. From pics of sourdough bread to hiking to the top of Buena Vista Park, there was never a dull moment. July EventJuly Pic 2July Pic 3

Urban Putt – June 2015

Putt Putt PicWell, we had some good laughs at our cluster event this month as the golf balls went flying in every direction and some made it into the holes. All the Au Pairs gathered at Urban Putt, over in the Mission District, this is an indoor miniature golf course set in an old Victorian building with the holes built around San Francisco Landmarks. It was a wonderful way to kick off the summer! Putt Putt Pic2

Twilight Picnic – May 2015

We gathered together on a beautiful, chilly evening to enjoy Off the Grid Twilight in the Presidio. It was easy to stay warm with good company, good food, and live music! The location provides amazing views of the bay and plenty of food trucks to peruse. It’s always such a joy to connect with each other and welcome the new Au Pair arrivals into our cluster.picnic

Visiting Alcatraz – April 2015

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in April our San Francisco Au Pair Cluster was delighted to join other Clusters from north and south of the city for a trip to Alcatraz. We were able to catch the last day of the Ai Weiwei exhibit, which was very inspiring! I think all the girls and counselors enjoyed the ferry trip across the bay and learning some of the history of the island.

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