APIA host families from around the Greater Seattle area and their au pairs participated in our annual cultural fair and family day (after a two year hiatus). So lovely to have the community together again to do word searches, tattoos, face painting, cultural bingos, water balloon tosses and a cultural fair put on by delegates from six countries. The kids had a blast learning about Poland, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Germany. Thanks to all who came and to this little one from Vashon Island who fell asleep on the host for an hour. A real gift to be together.
Tag Archives: culture
The Yearly Rite of Passage on Our Volcano – September 2018
Au pairs ascended the Mt Rainier volcano this past Sunday and another class of young women came down from that mountain stronger than ever. We had a nice day getting to know one another on the long bus ride there, playing a state trivia game and sleeping on the bus ride home. These pictures tell the rest of the story…
Hints for Success – Overcoming Homesickness
Almost everyone experiences homesickness and culture shock to some degree, when they come to live in a completely new environment. So much is different and it takes time to adjust.
It is normal to miss your own family, at home. Try to remember that they support you and want you to make the most of this experience. They will enjoy learning more about the U.S., through your eyes, as you share your adventures with them.
Top 5 Tips for Dealing with Homesickness
1. Make Friends – Don’t wait for other au pairs to reach out to you, reach out to them. There are other lots of new au pairs who are feeling the same way you are right now. Set a goal to reach out to a few of them each day. Some will respond and some will not. Don’t let that discourage you. No one will ever be mad at you for sending them a message to say hello or ask if they want to do something together. Make friends from various countries and you will also get a chance to practice your English skills together.
2. Stay in touch with your home country, but not too much. Skyping or talking on the phone every day with your family and/or friends back home normally makes homesickness worse. Try emailing instead and reduce the Skype and phone calls to once a week, until you feel stronger. It’s much harder seeing the faces and hearing the voices of those you miss.
3. Get out of the house (or your room specifically) – Go to cluster meetings, have coffee or movies with other au pairs, join a gym, go to the library, go for a walk, visit the mall, get a manicure, visit a museum. If someone invites you out, say “yes.” Also, don’t be afraid to do the inviting. If your host family invites you to do things with them, say “yes.” This will help you get to know each other and contribute to your overall happiness.
4. Realize that it definitely gets better – All au pairs experience homesickness and the vast majority of them get through it, stay and have a successful year (some even extend for a second year!) So, it must get better, right? Once you get past the initial homesickness, most au pairs report how quickly the year goes by.
5. Make Plans – Create your own Au Pair Bucket List (places you want to go, new foods to try, new things to experience during your year in the U.S.) and start doing them now. Post on our cluster Facebook group to find others who may want to join you on your adventures.
Photo by: Shimelle Laine (Flickr)
Digging Deep on a Beautiful Morning Beach Stroll – June 2017
It was just a handful of us, but it was one of the most powerful cluster events of the year, I might say. We got to go deep and really get to know more about each other. What has been learned, what has been surprising, and what we hope is yet to come. Thanks to this group of powerful, brave global travelers who put themselves out into the world and are now discovering the power they always had inside of them, but maybe never knew so well. Seems fitting we had this chat at the birthplace of Seattle here on Alki-New York where the first European settlers landed (cried out of homesickness), but were met by Chief Seattle and a new life in this corner of the U.S.
A Non-traditional Thanksgiving – Bring on the Swedish Meatballs
International Education Week (IEW) has been designated as Nov 14-18 by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It comes just before the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This was a celebration of two cultures and their peacefully learning about one another’s differences, starting from a common ground with the most basic of human needs. Food!
Our Greater Seattle cluster event this month focused on how to best share their culture, gathering for our own “non-traditional” Thanksgiving dinner at IKEA. We had more meatballs and mac-n-cheese than might be found at most host family tables perhaps, but we enjoyed a shared meal none-the-less, and spent some time learning about each other and the important cultural stories we hold dear.
Young women from Croatia, Sweden, Portugal, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, and Brazil shared sports jerseys, picture books, money, candy, chocolate, common holiday traditions and thoughts on their exchange year in the US. The hope now is that they continue to share. With families. With one another. With their childrens’ classrooms. With a boys/girls club. With a church group. With a library. At a birthday party. Anywhere. With anyone. After all, cultural exchange is the name of our game and what makes our world an exciting place. APIA provides tools via our Global Awareness program.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my 20 year career within J-1 visa programs has been in watching young women from around the globe test their inner strength and find their outer voice. Yesterday this group below did just that. The fear of public speaking crosses cultures, so we talked about how to best overcome this – practice. The goal of the J-1 visa is to gain a cross cultural understanding, but then ensure that learning is spread to others. These ladies spoke out loud and proud and are just getting started in making this world a better place.
Click here to read more about Global Awareness, a program of Au Pair In America.
Click here to read more about the State Department’s IEW events and how people on visa exchanges around the US are sharing cultures and appreciating differences.
Chocolate and Conversation – February 2015
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…
