Our crew gathered in West Seattle this month for some pie tasting and craft making. Johanna from Germany led us in a Blidergebnis fur Laternen craft. The story goes that St Martin, being a kind man, cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm. On Nov 11, this day celebrates altruism and modesty. Since APIA is all about sharing, we thought it relevant this season. Thank you to our host families who sharing their Thanksgiving tables with young women from around the world!
Bainbridge Island was hit by a mob of frantic au pairs. We played some get-to-know-you games, ran around an island completing clues in a photo scavenger hunt and ended our time…eating ice cream. Good times and tasty treats with friends from around the globe. Doesn’t get much better.
90+ APIA fans headed up into the clouds of Mt Rainier at Paradise. We didn’t have clear skies, but we didn’t have rain either. And while the beauty of the mountain might have alluded us in the bigger picture, we did enjoy the wild flowers, wild beasts (some even caught a glimpse of a bear) and one another in the wild. A bit of speed dating on the way up on the bus and we are off to another beautiful fall season as a community of interculturalists, set to support one another on this cross-cultural journey.
Au Pair In America has the best cross cultural child care community out there. Yep, I said it. (and I used alliteration for bonus points…). This WA community gathered to celebrate our connections – people who are globally minded, adventurously spirited and just good ole’ kid fans. And boy did those kids party. We were 165 people and 12 nations strong in Redmond with our multi-cluster day: sharing culture in a culture fair put on by hard working and proud au pairs, throwing water balloons, scavenger hunting, tattooing, face painting and crown making.
Our cluster gathers more intimately monthly for coffee meetings around town and this month, we hit the pool and left the coffee behind. Au pairs gathered for sandwiches and ice cream at the Arbor Heights pool in West Seattle. Delightful to soak with this crew and just unwind. #welovesummer
Au pairs gathered for our annual Mariner’s baseball game this past weekend. It was a beautiful sunny day spent watching a very American past time in a city that the world is also enjoying. Play ball!
Absolutely deserved. Daniela has been a leader in our Eastside WA cluster for her entire time on program. She has shared her multicultural views in Global Awareness presentations in schools, worked hard as an au pair with her host family and host son and volunteered her free time teaching others to have the courage to use their voices using their English abilities. Read Daniela’s own words in her winning letter about ELLA to APIA here:
https://www.aupairinamerica.com/communityservice/winners.asp
Symbolism abounds in our day together. The counselor is lost. Two au pairs lead the way with better hiking apps and we find ourselves on the No Name trail and have a time. Our adventuous group stops along the way to count our gratitudes and eat some Seattle chocolate and ends our time by sharing what challenges us, but also what we are hopeful for. Heard in conversations, “I’m grateful for the woman I am right now.” Great final words for this Sunday.
How many pictures can we take? Ladies were looking great in the sunshine, in the press boxes and in the locker rooms at the Century Link stadium tour. It was really fascinating to hear about the history of the spot where our Seattle Seahawks play and we had a fine time spending time with one another as 12s on a gorgeous day.
Below is a gorgeous group of giving girls. This past weekend was beautiful outside and here in Seattle, we wait for those sunny, winter days. But this crew went inside and for their precious time off, helped pack thousands of pounds of oats for those hungry around WA state at NW Harvest. It is not the most popular of our cluster events, but it is a favorite for those who feel its true meaning and impact on the community this global village shares together for one or two years. In this picture are representatives from Bolivia, Mexico, Brazil, Austria, Germany, China, South Africa and Colombia helping out the US – one person at a time.
