This fun loving group ran the streets of this gorgeous island this month, taking selfies at various vendors and getting to know new APIA community members. Au pairs worked on teams and raced to the finish line for ice cream prizes. We took some time beforehand to talk about how to best talk through conflict when you work where you live and how to support one another through the most rewarding, but most challenging year many will face. Together we are stronger!
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…
This gorgeous group humored me and my phone’s new portrait mode as we strolled through the Bellevue Botanical gardens. These young women from around the globe, some just arrived, some headed home after a year, ate ice cream and summer safety quizzed. It was casual and it was nice.
A smaller group of au pairs headed to the lake to have brunch and soak our toes just talking and another crew headed to show their support and experience the Pride Parade in Seattle. The lake crew discussed some highlights and lowlights of their experience so far on program and what they have learned, experiencing all of them. We shared cross-cultural frustrations, memories of travel adventures, and personal growth moments. I personally appreciate the small group setting for getting to better know one another, but also loved there being a group experiencing the zeitgeist of Seattle.
Getting an insider view on the Seahawk’s home turf, these au pairs got to see the press room, media center, locker room, jersey wall, and special box seats during our day at the field. We learned more about the #12 fans ability to create seismic earthquakes with their enthusiasm and see the city from the gorgeous views of the stadium’s upper decks. A beautiful day together being 12s from around the world.
What was more gorgeous – these falls or the new found strength of these globally-minded women? Au pairs headed to see the famous Snoqualmie Falls this past sunny Sunday. We “hiked” down the hill, allowing the strong water to mist our faces as we talked about the impact of the program and the confidence and voices gained when challenged by differing languages, cultures and styles. We bid a fond farewell to three special friends from Poland, Germany and China who had great advice for the group. To paraphrase, “Put yourself out there and don’t be afraid. This year will be what you make it!”
How many branches does the US government have? How often are Senators elected? What date is the President sworn in every 4 years? These and many other questions were answered in our video presentation and trivia game last weekend in Redmond. Au pairs walked away with more knowledge, but were admittedly impressively wise from the start! Then we ate pizza…
Nothing better than the power of a strong woman! We were 90 au pairs strong from 30 countries 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
Our crew came together to dine, draw, describe celebrations of home and dream of new adventures to have here in the US during the holiday season. The au pairs cooked their hearts out and we shared goodies and stories from Thailand, Austria, Netherlands, Brazil, Sweden, France, China, Germany and Canada. Stories of the beaches of Brazil, Chinese New Year, Austrian music and wreaths, French foie gras, German Krampus and Thai lanterns were a part of the evenings activities as was drawing on our heads, a white elephant gift exchange and packing up plates of cookies to savor later. It was a special night with a special class of au pairs.
