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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
