A group of ladies met me at Maple Valley Days to walk around the booths and sit under the shade of a tree discussing foods they missed, cultural differences and the life of an au pair. It was a nice afternoon spent getting to know each other more and sharing this unique, life-changing experience.
A group of au pairs gathered at the NW Harvest warehouse yesterday to give back to their host community. 1 out of every 7 person in Washington is hungry. We are ranked 15th in the entire U.S. NW Harvest and APIA have partnered for a few years now lending a hand to help these statistics. We worked hard packing 5,368 pounds of edamame which would mean 4,129 meals for families around the state. The weather outside was gorgeous and au pairs had worked hard all week, so it was very special that these strong, caring young women took time from their cherished weekend to work so hard. Thank you, ladies!
Happy Earth Day! Reps gathered from various parts of our shared globe – Italy, The Ukraine, Brazil, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand and Poland…and a raccoon and fish for good measure. We lounged in the sun, signed cougar petitions, took selfies, made whale sounds with PNW Native American flutists, and in between the songs of the big band, did a summer safety quiz!
A fantastic group of au pairs – seasoned and new – braved the rain and joined me at the rollerskating rink in Bellevue for a quick lesson for some of us less equipped on 8 wheels. We informally discussed safety elements of being an au pair outside of work hours. Online dating, buddy systems, and the recent issues at the UW fraternity parties. Safety is number one with our the kids in our trust, and also number one with those who take care of those kids!
Our sweet (pun intended) group of au pairs arrived ready to tour and eat our way through Theo Chocolate last Sunday. Despite the hairnets, it was a delight to learn the chocolate making process and do it with a group of wonderful young women. Then we got to sit by the fire for 1:1 chats about how the year was going and ways to cope through the winter doldrums….we can all agree, chocolate helps…
Our cluster of au pairs gathered in my home this past Sunday for a customized webinar by one of the official APIA trainers. The APs were polled and selected the topic, “Activity Time – Infants and Toddlers”. We got great ideas on how to entertain our host babies (keeping them safe above all), using puppets and potato stamps with toddlers and making wonderful Valentine’s projects with children of all ages. We then took a snack break to get to know one another more and circled back again to talk about TAXES. A nice discussion about a complex topic…with more on this to come…
Over 10 countries shared their unique holiday traditions this past Sunday in a host family home in Kirkland. We heard about beach Santa’s shorts in Mexico and South Africa, St Lucia’s red (blood) belt from Sweden, St Nikolas’s shoes from Germany, and many more stories of holiday spirit around the world. Then we stole gifts from one another in good fun and shared homemade sweets to take home and devour.
I’m the luckiest counselor around to have this crew of au pairs!
A nameless group of au pairs set out on a quest to answer clues and find stores in Bellevue Square Mall. It was a spirited game with two groups vying for first place, but when there is leftover Halloween candy, everyone is a winner!
Another gorgeous day with our au pair community. A big group of APIA au pairs milled around the Issaquah Salmon Days festival this past Sunday, shopping, eating and connecting. Some of us watched the salmon swim, while others just ate them, loving the PNW all the while.
Over 60 au pairs and the APIA counselors of WA climbed to the top of Paradise on Mt Rainier this past weekend. The hike was short, but hot this weekend (same weekend last year was hailing!). We chased chipmunks, smelled wild flowers and made new friends. Thanks to all who came and made our community day together so special.
