Au pairs gathered by zoom to talk about their favorite spots to go with kids, family traditions from home – swimming and eating fresh fruit in South Africa in the heat, BBQs in New Zealand and Brazil, sending letters off by balloons to Santa in Colombia, the Austrian Krampus, the German passion plays and Christmas Eves, and cooking in pajamas in Panama. They revealed gifts and secret Santas and shared the 2020 silver linings: baby yoda, cheese plates, new romances, great families, wonderful host kids, and traveling around the state. 
Tag Archives: children
Turkey Trot and Culture Share Zoom – November 2020
Au pairs and host kids did some walking last month! Together we donated our time and money to Northwest Harvest, an APIA local partner for over a decade, which helps to supply our food banks around WA.
Congrats to Camila from Brazil, living in Lacey, and her host kids for winning our Top Turkey of the Turkey Trot Contest! She and her family walked a total of 575,225 steps in November. Way to go…and they are not done yet…checking their pedometers this month too! Thank you to everyone who went walking! The walks are clutch about now.
And on a zoom call, au pairs shared a bit of their culture with the group and asked some questions about childcare and education. Low key and just us. Attached is a shot of some of our lovelies in this zoom (black background shot) and of me, in perfect zoom spirit with eyes closed. Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday.
Fall Bucket List Challenge – October 2020
We got the spirit! The au pairs and their host kids were off to the races this month, making the most of their October. We got tons of pictures of them in action, getting out and about this Fall. Here are just a few of them and the photo contest that started it all. Congrats to Annika from Austria and Anna from Brazil who won gift cards to spend with their host children teammates. Such fun to watch virtually from the side lines! And in addition to those two teams, Ikky from Italy and Mariana from Brazil also made the national APIA instagram account. Inspiration!
https://www.instagram.com/theaupairinamerica/?hl=en
Sitting (alone, together) Pretty – July 2020
Au pairs in our cluster joined a group of au pairs nationwide to get pretty in a time when many of us are rarely leaving home. When we do, we are going to step out in style. Essie, a wonderful make-up artist out of NYC, showed our ladies some tips and tricks and we had a nice time learning and just relaxing. It was a fun summer evening, just us girls…
Bingo and Travel – May 2020
We had another zoom cluster event in light of Covid and enjoyed our cluster community playing Bingo and sharing the quotes that get us through the tough times. And last week, we traveled with Rousse to Peru and Maria to Colombia to see the sights, sounds, colors and food of their countries – virtually. This was fun listening to their APIA Global Awareness presentations and we travelers can’t wait for the world to re-open! https://www.globalawareness.com
APIA Class Reps Run Games in Zoom – April 2020
We kept safe and at home and in our zoom room this month again. Au pairs shared their favorite television shows, favorite zen places, and we did a temperature check of the moods/feelings we are all going through. These women are strong (together we are stronger) and their program will go on…just not how they had imagined.
Jan 2020 Kim’s Coffee Chat
Our very own Franzi from Germany has made the cut in the finals for Au Pair In America Au Pair of the Year. She is seen here receiving her award to return to the family who loves her so much. Our cluster sent in more contestants than most others nationwide. People here know how to pick a great family member! Congrats, Franzi! Thanks to Third Culture Coffee for hosting us!
UW Strong Women Meet up with APIA Strong Women – Jan 2020
The 20s are off to a bang and this month, nearly 100 strong, female au pairs from around the world gathered to watch other strong women in action. Our UW Women’s Husky Basketball team. The sounds were loud and the athleticism inspiring. Au pairs made the big screen, complete with television interviews. One of our favorite meetings as proud APIA community counselors.
Holiday Cheer Goes Global – December 2019
Au pairs from Brazil, Mexico, Germany, and Colombia shared their holiday traditions, both country and family and we enjoy a spirited game of white elephant and treats from around the globe. Some of these ladies are chefs in their own right! Coming together as a community is important around the holiday time and stopping to take stock in a tough, but amazing year is part of the au pair journey. And this game is just a lot of fun…https://happyhomefairy.com/a-super-fun-christmas-game/
A Sort of Thanksgiving – November 2019
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!
