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!
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.
Au pairs gathered from a few clusters to hear about some of the amazing things happening around the globe in the name of the Gates Foundation. From the innovative design of green toilets competing for attention in Europe, to the stoves made on Vashon Island, WA, inspiration abounds. Relying on data, the Gates family educates us about all the progress in the world with regard to disease and poverty. There really is so much to be excited about as a world citizen. We closed our time together talking about the APIA Explorer program and ways in which we might individually help our local community…enter the next cluster event stage right as we soon head to NW Harvest in March…
Nothing better than the power of a strong woman! We were 110 au pairs strong from around the globe watching these young UW college basketball athletes. Our joint cluster event was an inspirational success this January. Go Huskies! http://gohuskies.com/index.aspx?path=wbball
Play dough is the perfect modeling material for children. Their small hands can pat, poke, pinch, roll and knead it into many shapes. Keep it in an airtight container to use another day, or let it air dry into favorite shapes.
Measure 2 cups of flour, one cup of salt and 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of oil to one cup of water in a separate bowl then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. For colored play dough, squeeze 10-20 drops of food coloring into the water before you add it to the mixture. Cook the dough at low heat in a wide pan, stirring constantly until it becomes rubbery. Remove the dough from the heat and knead it for a few minutes. When it cools the kids can play too!
Photo: Kevin Jarrett (Flickr)
Our community gathered in Kirkland this season to share holiday traditions, sweets and gifts. Thanks to a generous host family who opened their home, we snuggled up with hot cocoa, socks, hats and trees to play games and reconnect. It’s tough to be far from home during this season, but being together, makes it that much easier. 
We had an important week last month in the year of a J-1 visa exchange – IEW was Nov 13-17!
https://eca.state.gov/programs-and-initiatives/initiatives/international-education-week
In light of this IEW, our cluster event was about how best to share our cultures. Thanksgiving itself was the celebrations of two cultures getting to know more about one another, starting from common ground with the most basic of human needs. Food! Nearly 40 au pairs brought money, flags, stories of their sisters and grandmothers, and many other items that represented home to them. And one au pair from Brazil shared how she shared – her tips and tricks for the Global Awareness presentations that APIA supports and encourages. Thank you, Danielle!
Mutual respect for diversity and this inclusive community are inspirational to watch in action. That, after all, is the heart of the Thanksgiving holiday…
Au pairs gathered at the Emerald City Trapeze Arts Studio to enjoy an amazing (and really spooky) show. Strong women from Costa Rica, Brazil, Germany, Austria, South Africa, and Poland watched as more strong women from around the globe dazzled us with their balance and strength. (The guys were pretty good too.) Taking their cues from popular music and movies and music movies, the performers were true artists. It’s a lesser known fact that Seattle hosts one of the largest circus school in the US, but these au pairs now know the truth.
