IT IS SUMMER TIME!

I don't think there are quite many who disagree with me - summer is absolutely the best! Nature is alive, it is green, sun is shining, people feel happier (and actually friendlier), nights are brighter, you can spend so much more time outside, ice cream tastes better (and there is always new tastes), there is so much more to do - and oh so many more things! I think it is quite clear that I absolutely love summer and could not be happier now that it is around!

For many au pairs, summertime means also that your host kids no longer are at school during the daytime, so this might also mean that you will be working more during the daytime - I know it might sound discouraging and something you are not looking forward to, but do not worry - we're here to give few tips. These proved to be successful during my time as an au pair! Please make sure to double-check always with your host parents that they are okay with these activities! 

- Pool (as long as your host kids can swim and you feel like you can be responsible for all of the children at once). I am sure most of the children love swimming, and this is a great way to cool off on a sunny day!
- Picnic in a park. Pack some water and snacks, and remember to stay in shade! Any au pairs in the area who have kids in the same age? Invite them and make it a play date!
- Outdoor games. We all have games that we have played outdoors back at home - how about some mölkky or kubb for example? A great way to once again - share your culture, that's what the program is all about! 
- Library. Sometimes it is nice to escape the sun and warmth and have a story-moment at the library! Gather some favorite books and cuddle up in the corner. Many libraries often also organize different story time activities. Maybe you can find the book that you loved as a child and can share it with your host children?
- Museums. Find out about different museums in the area - I am sure there is a good selection and you can definitely find something that is both of interest for you and your host kids!
- Road trip. If you have a car you can use during your work time, why not try to explore what is around you and take a tiny road-trip with your children? Find some of your favorite music, blast it out and sing along and see what your neighborhood has to offer! 
- Water battle. Is it hot? Is it sunny? Bring out some water guns, water balloons, you name it and cool off on a hot day! 
- Bring indoors outdoors. Who says you cannot play board games or read books outside? Exactly, no one! Bring indoors outdoors and enjoy summer weather!

Remember, use sunscreen and drink lots of water and stay in shade! Happy summer days!

Best,
Mari

"Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving"

I think at the moment I can relate to what many of the au pairs are going through. In about a month, I will be moving. I will be moving to another country, starting a new job, making new friends and making a new city into my new home in a month. I am going to be honest, I am going through quite a big pile of mixed feelings - every other day I am beyond excited, every other day I just want to cancel my plans and wonder if I am just crazy for leaving everything familiar behind and starting everything from scratch.

I have done this many times before, and it feels as weird, hard, heart-breaking, exciting, amazing and all of that at the same time. Every time it has always been as hard, but it has also always turned to be one of the best decisions I have ever made - yes, I might have ended up "giving up" something, but I gained so much in return.

Making the decision to become an au pair is probably one of the biggest ones you have ever made in your life so far. I know it is a hard one. I know you will lose few night's sleep over it, both because you are so excited but also because you are just so worried about what will happen.

I have one advice for you: DO IT. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. I know it is scary, I know you might wonder where it will lead you, but you know what? You cannot plan every single detail in your life.

That is something that I am also trying to learn. Today I am excited, tomorrow I might wonder why I decided to do this, but in the end I know that this opportunity will give me something new. 

Let's take over the world!
-Mari

Nothing like family!

Going as an au pair was absolutely one of the best things I ever did - I actually loved it so much I did it twice. The first time around I was just a fresh out of high school, doing something bigger for the first time - and of course all by myself! I was beyond excited and a bit scared at the same time. My parents were a big help and support for me during the application process and I think they actually did a much more than I even realized at that point - I really did learn that once I arrived to the USA!

Being an au pair made me realize how thankful I am for my family and everything that my family has done for me. My mom really had made my life very easy (mainly in a good way) and it was a point of growing up for me. I have to admit, I did not always give the credit my parents would have deserved to my parents - I was too busy exploring the world and being independent!

It has taken me few years to realize that family truly is the best kind of friends and support system you can have around you! Your family is always there for you, they always love and support you. They are also the ones who have been with you all of your life! Remember to appreciate your family and give them the love and support they need - after all, there is nothing like family!

Sometimes you have to be far to notice it. I see my family only few times every year but nothing is better than a quick skype call with some of my family members! I know that they will always be there for you.

My hardest time as an au pair gave me the greatest time as an au pair!

During my time as an au pair, I faced some rocky times too, and I am going to share the story that turned my entire time in the USA upside down - the good kind upside down!

I was in my room with my suitcase packed, tears running down my cheeks. I had just spoken with my sister back home in Sweden. It's only two years between us but for some reason I felt like she was about ten years older with her knowledge and determination. We had just hung up the phone and the ticket home would have been only few clicks away. At that time I had spent about 6 months in the USA and this family was not working out at all for several reasons.

We had tried talking and I had been in great contact with Cultural Care Au Pair's office in Boston and maybe been a bit too blue-eyed and optimistic about my rematch. Unfortunately things do not always work out - I believe that me and the family were more like oil and water rather than a good match -- we had very different lifestyles, believes and hopes for the au pair year.

As I was sitting there on the floor and looking at all the stuff that once seemed so important to bring over I realized I would do anything, give it all away in order to be happy and stay in the USA.  I had a dream of completing my au pair year, I had a strong feeling that the time (faith if so) had bigger plans for me and going home to my hometown was not an option.

I cried a lot during this day and decided to call my contact person at Cultural Care Au Pair to say that I obviously sucked at this job and wanted to go home.

Her voice was soft and she calmed me down and the sobbing turned to single tears. We talked about my year so far, she made me think of my year from another perspective, what could/should I have done and she made me own the mistakes I had done. This was most likely the most difficult conversation I had ever had, but at the same time it was probably the call that made me to the person I am today and the reason I stayed in the States in the end. The woman on the phone finally said, "I have one more family I would like you to speak to." I remember thinking that she was crazy and that it was a waste of time. I was not good at caring for children - or that was what I at least felt like at the moment!

The call with the family, the host mom come to change my life in so many ways.
We spoke for what felt like a lifetime, about my previous experience in the program, shared interests, the children and what they were looking for.
My mentality was "I will tell her all about me, about what went wrong and she will quickly realize that I suck at this job".

When the call came to an end, she said "Can I pick you up on Wednesday?" The feeling that came along was indescribable, happiness like the prince on a white horse had just arrived (now in the shape of a blue suburban car and mom of four was the only difference!) Karen took me home and I got to meet my four new host children that was very excited to be with me. The feeling of being loved and cared for was the best feeling since I left Sweden! Pulling into the driveway in Sacramento and I knew I was finally home!

I ended up extending my time with this family and gained so much confidence that I CAN DO it and I AM a great au pair! Today I pay it forward and love to help current au pairs to reach their dreams or fulfill their dreams to be in the USA as an au pair!

I am a two-time grand-au pair now!

Every au pair has a little different view on how old children they want to work with as au pairs - and to tell the truth, I honestly think every age has it's own pros and cons. With younger children you get to witness many milestones and get to teach them a lot new things and be there to see their development. When I was an au pair for the second time I actually was taking care of a boy who had just turned 2 years, and it indeed was fun to see how he grew from a little toddler to a small boy.  During my first year as an au pair, my host family consisted of 4 children and the oldest one was a teenage girl. Many au pairs are a bit doubtful when it comes to being an au pair for teenagers, but I can very warmly recommend it -- you are often close in age and usually the responsibilities are a bit different when it comes to taking care of younger children. Often the relationship that gets built between you two will be more sisterly/brotherly and they will of course remember you in the future!

In the beginning of course it was hard - my host child was very attached to her previous au pair, and it took time for us to build a relationship. As there were 3 younger children in the family, I spent most of my time taking care of them and not too much with the teenager. Our one-on-one time was always in the afternoons when I picked her up from school and we would drive home. Slowly but surely these drives would become the part that both of us were looking most forward to during the day. That would be the time of the day we could gossip about boys, plan our next shopping trip, plan which movies to watch, talk about her school days and teachers and so much more. During my year as her au pair, we definitely grew and inseparable bond and we continued to stay in touch and keep that bond strong. The other children in the family well still fairly young after I left so I did stay in touch with them through the parents in the family but with the oldest child we kept in touch. Few years ago she reached out to me and told that she was expecting her first baby, and now she is currently expecting her second baby! I like to call myself now a "double-grand au pair"! Even though we do not keep in touch always that often, I am still happy to have become part of their lives and follow both my host-kid's (not that she is that much of a child anymore haha) and her family's life!

One of my absolute favorite part about going as an au pair definitely was the fact, that you create relationships that last for life.

“The new girl” at Stockholm office!

Here I am! Annimaija, 28 years old and I come from Finland. I have been working at Cultural Care Au Pair for three weeks now. To be part of this Pink team is so much fun with all tasks and days that are so different from each other and the team here is just great!

Some weeks ago I was still working in the hotel and restaurant business as a concierge and helped people from “Matti Meikäläinen” to Lady Gaga to be happy while staying at our hotel and make sure they will get memories for their life. My motto is: never say never and be open minded because you can make all “impossible” things possible if you really want to! 

At Cultural Care Au Pair I work with helping people from Finland and Copenhagen to become an  au pair to the USA. My job is to help YOU to get the most fantastic work experience with children in the new country with a new culture. I really want you to be able to enjoy and learn as much as possible during your au pair time!

P.S: I’ve also been working as an au pair in a foreign country. I will tell you more about it next time… 

February, the Month of LOVE!

When February comes around in the USA it almost feels like stores and restaurants ban all colors except red and pink. The grocery stores display candy in silky papers and shiny heart-shaped balloons. Valentine’s Day can be the best day to really get the courage to ask that special someone out. It could also feel like the longest and most overrated commercialized holiday ever if you do not share the feeling of butterflies in your belly, with all those happy in-love people.I didn’t plan to stop communicating with my crush weeks before Valentine’s Day, but that’s exactly what happened. I thought to myself: I am in the USA only ONE year and I’m going to miss experiencing this day! Just my luck!

Driving in my family’s blue Chevy Suburban that more resembled the size of a small villa by Swedish standards, I dialed my best friend Eric’s number. I had met him through mutual friends. Eric was tall and very American. We had spent a lot of time together and we always had a great time. This day, he had also been stood up by his crush, a girl I’m sure later came to regret that day many times.

I suggested we would grab some food and make a picnic on blankets by the river. This was in no terms a date to either of us but it was clear to all our friends that something was changing. I think it was at that time my feelings about our friendship took a turn into Lovevillage and I was lost.

You never control who you fall in love with and I knew it was a bad idea to start something that would never work since I had to go back to Sweden in 6 months.

Fast forward and 3 months later and we were applying for his visa to move across the world with me. I remember thinking that he would turn in the airplane door when he sees all the snow and feels the cold. Really, who in their right mind would trade the California sun for most-of-the-year-dark Sweden?

That’s right, only someone in love! Now, 5 years later and we love our life together in Sweden, but even if you haven’t found “the one” yet that doesn’t mean Valentine’s Day is not worth celebrating. In fact, I hope my story encourages you to take a chance this year.

Even if you don’t have a date or find the love of your life, make sure you are seeing the love that comes in other forms, such as a host family that will forever be in your life, or the best friend that you found.  You never would have met if it wasn’t for being an au pair.

I can’t help feeling reminded every time the “month of love” comes around that love is everywhere, in everyone and across continents, so open your hearts and take in all red and pink hearts of the world.

Being there for your au pair friends!

You are going to be making a lot of friends during your time as an au pair. Most likely a good portion of those are going to be au pairs. During your time you will also experience difficulties with your host family, just like you do with your family back at home. It can be small things or big things, but you will find yourself needing to problem solve. Good problem solving skills are something we expect from all our au pairs.

You might also find yourself in a position where you aren’t the one in need of advice, but the one being asked for it. What do you do when your friend is having problems with their host family? What do you say? How can you help them in the best possible way?

Listen

Sometimes the only thing you are looking for when you have a problem is a sympathetic ear to listen to you. Let your friend vent, let them get all their cards on the table as we say in the USA. After I listen to someone’s problem, I like to repeat it back to them in a concise summary.  “Ok, so let me see if I understand right, you are saying that…” This helps a lot because sometimes when you hear your own problem said out loud by someone else you get a whole new perspective.

Another thing that you rarely do when you have a problem yourself is to look at the other side’s point of view. This can be sensitive, since your friend probably wants you to be on their side. BUT this can often lead to, once again, a new perspective. Wonder what their host parents are thinking? Well, actually think about it. How does the problem look like from their side? It is rare that someone will give in 100%, so most likely the problem will be resolved by meeting in the middle. Helping your friend think up a solution that benefits both sides will help them be prepared when they actually confront the problem.

Encourage Action

Take charge of the problem! If you let problems fester, they build up. I think that is something that everyone knows, but it is so easy to push stuff aside so it is something that we rarely do. It’s pretty rare for a problem to just disappear. The first step is to admit that there is a problem, which your friend has done by talking to you. The next step is to communicate. Their host family might not even be aware there is a problem or what their au pairs point of view. Encourage your friend to sit down and speak with their host parents. We always want our au pairs to try and resolve the problem on their own first and being the first to take the step shows character.

When its time to involve Cultural Care Au Pair

It is vital for you to know when you should involve Cultural Care Au Pair. As I mentioned above, we do want to see our au pairs and host families communicate. But sometimes it is important to involve us. If the problem has to do with safety, it’s important that your friend gets help straight away. That means theirs, the host kids, or host parents physical safety.  Also, know your rights as an au pair. They are all written in the different materials that you have received before going to the USA. Is your friend or their host family breaking the rules then it is important that we are able to help them get back on the correct path. You can contact your LCC, our Boston office, or even your home country office. Even if it’s just for advice, we are glad to be of assistance! We do not read minds just yet, so you do need to be the one to take the first step.

Be the support your friend needs. No one goes into the au pair program expecting to end it early or even to have problems. Also, it’s rare for an au pair to go into the program having any friends. This means our au pairs usually develop tight friendships quickly with people they do not know very well. But, with that said, you are all experiencing the same thing. It is you, not their friends or parents back home that can best relate to the problem at hand. So use your own experiences, our tips and your best intuition to be a problem solving superstar!

Being an au pair totally changed my career plans!

We interviewed our recruitment leader Susanna from Finland, who has been interviewing and coaching our applicants for over two years, and even before that she has started her "career" with Cultural Care Au Pair in Massachusetts! Susanna is currently studying to become a teacher, and now she tells how going as an au pair totally changed her career plans!

1. Why did you decide to work with children?
Actually, I swore from early age that I would be anything else except a primary school teacher, since my mother is a primary school teacher. But then, my little brother and sister were born and from that on I just started to work with children; as a nanny, a group leader in camps, an au pair! And then when it came time to apply to an university, I found myself applying to study to be a primary school teacher, and only that, since nothing else was closer to my heart. Before I started studying I spent a year as an au pair in Boston, MA, USA and that year made clear to me that I had made the right decision to study especially in Intercultural Teacher Education.

 2.  What would your advice be to someone thinking about a career working with children?
Get experience! It does not matter what the experience is, but just get to know children and their world and interact with them. When working with children, and especially teaching, you are never ready. You learn everyday about yourself and the children. And enjoy the company of children, they are so much more fun than adults are most of the time! 

 3.Having experience as a babysitter and then transitioning into working full-time with children, what would you say is the biggest difference in interacting with the children?As a babysitter I was there to take care of the children and have fun with them, and make sure their day went well, upbringing them in small situations and discussions. Now I am interacting all the time with 15 or more children and going through quite big discussions with them. I find myself now somehow being more on the background and giving the children more space to talk and ponder on those big questions and trying to help them to think for themselves rather than just telling them what to do. With over 10 years of experience from children I would strongly advice everyone to listen to them with your mind open. Usually children think outside of the box, and we adults have hard time understanding them!

 4.  What do you see as the benefit for kids in having an au pair?
There are plenty! First of all, from very young age onwards children get to experience closely someone from a different culture and practice interacting with that someone. Further in life we interact daily with people from different cultures, so I think it is very valuable for children to already notice that people are different depending from the culture and also with a culture. I think children also gain a lot of confidence from au pairs since they usually speak English as a second language and children get the chance to be "teachers" for the au pair. And of course, one close caring adult in a child's life is always great.

5.How can au pairs best help their host children prepare for school?
Listen to the children and make sure they feel good - school days are often full of different situations that  might be troubling children afterwards and they can have an effect to how the child feels about school. School is so much more than just doing exercises in class and learning from the teacher. Before the school day, make sure they have all they need for school and go through the day with them, this helps the child to be confident and if they forget something, this is when they usually remember it. After the school day, pay interest to the child's day: ask what they did, who did they play with and what do they have for homework, and what did they learn? This will help the children do way better in school and motivate them too!

 6. What do you think the benefits are for young kids in being exposed to different cultures early on?Chidlhood is the time to get educated for the upcoming life, so what could be a better practise to interact with people from different cultures than living with an au pair? Since in the modern day world we are required to be global and interculturally competetive, it is more than good to start from young to practise communication skills and also reflect on one's own culture. When children are exposed to different cultures from early on, I believe, that they become less judgemental when it comes to other cultures and learn from early on to appreciate the differences and richness of different cultures!

Sharing is caring!

As some of you may know from previous blog entries, I am the resident American here at the Cultural Care office. In truth I am Swedish American, with Swedish parents who moved to the USA just a few years before I was born there.  This didn’t make me too different, as mostly everyone in the USA come from somewhere else, whether it’s themselves or a few generations back. But Americans tend to be very passionate about their heritage and cling to what makes them unique… this taught me to always be very patriotic growing up!

The time of the year that I must say I identified most with my Swedish heritage was the Christmas holidays. This was the culmination of a lot of traditions that are rather unique, especially since I was the only swede in my group of friends.  My friends were always really curious about our traditions so my family always included everyone in our celebrations. We would explain how to make glögg, why we ate pickled fish, and especially why we were allowed to open our presents a day earlier. It was always fun to try to explain because, from the beginning, we didn’t really know the why. My parents, having grown up in Sweden, hadn’t really bothered with the reasoning behind what we did very much. I don’t think many people do, some just follow tradition with little knowledge of the reasoning behind it. Now that their children were asking, they had to find out! I remember looking everything up, calling my grandparents, and then figuring out how to explain it in English. We learned quite a bit!

So for those of you spending your holiday season in the USA, be prepared to share! Sharing your culture and traditions is a huge part of being an au pair. But my personal tip is to also take the time to understand how to explain your traditions as well. Especially kids ask A LOT of questions and you do not want to leave them hanging! You might even learn some more about yourself during the process!

-          Why does Santa come to your door while ours goes down the chimney?

-          Why do you leave porridge for Santa and we leave cookies?

-          Why, oh why, do you pickle fish!?

Remember, most of these questions can be turned around, so don’t be afraid to ask your host family about their own traditions! You and your host kids might have a chance to learn a lot this holiday season!

Happy Holidays!

Camilla 

Shopping in the USA!

A while ago I went for our fall business meeting in Boston. As always it’s great to see colleagues from all over the world and talk about the upcoming year in the pink-blue world of Cultural Care Au Pair.

I spent two extra days in Boston before going home, where I got to see friends. It’s always lovely to come there, and I am lucky to have a job that allows me to travel to places I love.

I had decided before I left that I would start my Christmas shopping. I love bringing home gifts from the USA that is hard to find here in Sweden + that would be so much more expensive to buy here. I spent basically 1,5 full days shopping and ended up buying a ton of stuff – for myself…. The last few hours I pulled myself together and went to buy a few gifts that I intended to give to my father, brother in law and possibly my boyfriend.

Two weeks after I had come home, my boyfriend found the pile of things intended for Christmas and said “Oh, who is this for, I love this” and of course I couldn’t resist and gave it all to him.

So, I am back on square zero in terms of Christmas gifts, my closet is full of clothes for myself and the bank account is a little emptier than it was before. Why does it sound familiar? Because it’s what usually happens every time I go to the USA. And I love it.

Happy Christmas shopping,
Victoria

The moments that change your life

High School graduation was soon on the horizon and I knew I wanted a change. I had seen a pink poster in the hallway of our school saying something along the lines of “work in the USA as an au pair.” At fist I was not too sure even what an au pair really did but somehow I could not get the pink poster out of my head. At 3:20 p.m. when school was out, I wrote down the number from the poster and once home I called.

That phone call changed my life. I went from being curious to certain that I WANTED and HAD to be an au pair!

I started my application that night and worked really hard on collecting pictures from my daily life. I knew every picture, every finished section, would be one step closer to finding my future family.

The feeling of sending in my application was better than Christmas itself: the exciting feeling that soon my email would show “one unread message” and that message would be from a family matched with me!

 The day finally came and I remember my first interview. The woman’s voice on the other line was calm, nice and warm. She told me about her family, about their life and I could just feel that this match was meant for me!

Six weeks later and I was on the plane going to the USA for the very first time. The butterflies in my stomach kept me awake most of the flight and all I could think of was “I’m glad I made that call.”

-Amanda

Travel, explore, experience

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”  - Terry Pratchett

When talking to au pairs who are currently applying to become a Cultural Care au pair to the United States, almost all of them mention that one of the biggest reasons they want to become au pairs beyond the reason of wanting to experience USA and to take care of children is that they want to travel and see new places. Au pairs who have returned home often mention how one of the most favorite and memorable part of their time as au pairs in the USA was when they got to travel and see and experience so many different places.

I cannot agree more. I myself was an au pair in Salt Lake City, Utah, which I absolutely loved. During my time I got to travel a lot in the neighbouring states, and even see for example Georgia and travel to Cancun, Mexico! Every state in the USA has their own culture and all of them feel like their own countries. It is definitely true when they say that you learn and see so much when you travel - I truly felt it opened my eyes.

Me going as an au pair is really what got the travel bug to bite me. Ever since returning back home from the USA I have lived abroad and tried to travel whenever I get a chance. Travel opens the world to you - you get to experience new people, cultures, food, language, so much more! Do yourself a favour and go and travel and explore. How about starting it by going as an au pair?

Nicoline tells us about what she gained from being an au pair!

When I was 18 and had just finished high school, I decided to take a gap year and work as an au pair in the USA. It was a very sudden decision – but a decision that changed my life.

Not only did I have the time of my life, this year taught me so many things and helped me develop as a person. First of all, my year as an au pair helped me to improve my English! Today I study international business at Copenhagen Business School where the level of English is very advanced. Second, my time in the USA gave me so many memories and a great network! I have kept in contact with most of the people I’ve met during my year and we still have reunions. Thanks to my year abroad, I now know a lot of people around the world and every time I travel to a new city I stay at my friends’ places.

Third, My year as an au pair has taught me that you need to grab every opportunity you have in life and then new doors will open. After having travelled to the USA all by myself for such a long time, without knowing anyone, I now feel like there is nothing I can’t do. After I got back from the USa, I moved to a new city where I did not know anyone to begin with. But from my experience in America I knew that it is only a matter of time before a new place feels like home – and I was right. I am very grateful for this amazing opportunity the au pair program has given me, and I am so happy that I grabbed the chance to move to the US as an au pair, because it definitely changed by life!

- Nicoline

Challenge yourself!

Whether you currently are an au pair or you are going to become an au pair, you know that traveling abroad and leaving everything familiar behind takes some guts and courage! I want to congratulate you for taking that step – stepping out of your own comfort zone and taking a big responsibility of yourself.

Traveling is one of my greatest passions, for many reasons: you get to see the places you have never seen before (maybe only in pictures), you get to meet so many different kind of people who will wide up your perspective of life and you get to experience so many unforgettable things you would never experience if you would stay at home. All this gives you so much energy for the future! But –as Peter Parker in Spiderman once said- “With great power comes a great responsibility!”

When traveling as an au pair you will face many new and sometimes even difficult situations. Whether it is a matter of applying your visa, calling to an unfamiliar office in English or check-in to your flight for the first time in your life, remember: take responsibility of what you are doing! Take it as a challenge that will make you stronger for the future and a challenge that will make you grow! We at Cultural Care Au Pair Nordics office are more than happy to assist you with all your questions and dilemmas – but first I challenge you to try to solve your situation by yourself. After solving a problem that might seem insurmountable, you feel like there is basically nothing in this world that you cannot handle! I often like to challenge myself with new things that come around. It usually helps me when I think what my mother always tells me “Everything will be all right in the end.” And that’s how it has always been! There is not even one problem I haven’t fixed in the end. Sometimes that might take you twice the energy to try to solve it by yourself instead of taking the easy way out and ask right away, but it will reward you in the end!

Traveling by yourself gives you a great responsibility to manage things on your own! That’s one thing I love about traveling – independency. You are the only person who can make the decision to survive through difficult situations or give up. If you choose to make your way through, you will be 100% stronger and more independent!

Best regards,
Jenni

Hot summer and wakeboarding

 

This is one of the hottest summers I can remember. All I want to do is spend the days at the beach or on our boat in a bikini. (And so I’ve done, when I haven’t been in the office that is…) One thing this summer has been perfect for was learning a new sport. I tried wakeboarding for the first time, and now I am hooked.

 

Every time I am getting into the water I am a little afraid (I am actually not that comfortable with water although I love being on our boat and being by the sea) and I am thinking about getting back in the boat again, but once I am up I get the adrenaline rush.

That’s the best part about learning something that you are actually a little afraid of, whether it’s parachuting, diving, wakeboarding or skiing, once you take the step you get so proud of yourself.  At least I do.

When I was an au pair in the USA I faced many things that I was worried or insecure about, and I guess that’s why the year was so developing in many ways.  If you however decide to try new sports or challenge yourself physically – don’t forget the Erika Insurance Coverage :)

Cheers and happy wakeboarding!

Victoria

My favorite moment

Have you ever had a moment in your life, when you feel that nothing is impossible and everything just feels great? I have one of those moments from my time in the USA, that I remember as it was yesterday.

This was during a vacation I went to with my host family in 2010, we went to Oceans City, Maryland. It was a great vacation, where we both had time for mini golf and also a beautiful wedding and many days at the beach. We actually lived in a beach house, so we played every day at the beach, doing cartwheels and building forts of sand.

We were there for two weeks, and almost every morning, around 7 AM, I woke up and went for a run, before anyone else woke up. I ran down the beach all the way next to the boardwalk to the pier with all the carousels. And then I ran back. Only this feeling was great, watching the quiet fishermen standing barefoot in the low waves. One of those days though was to become my favorite moment.

I sat down, after my run, to catch my breath, looking out the ocean, thinking about nothing. There and then there came 7 dolphins jumping out the water, only a couple of meters out. I watched them and, remember thinking; this is so beautiful, I am so happy, nothing is impossible and I love my life.

I will forever remember this moment, and now, so will you.

/Jenny

To all the future au pairs!

For the upcoming weeks we are having plenty of au pairs taking off for their au pair adventure in the USA. At the office we are very busy collecting the last documents and making sure all of our au pairs have their visa in time for the departure. I know it is a lot of things to complete because I have been in the very same situation myself.  But in all this and emotions about leaving family and friends behind I am hoping everyone is taking some time just to reflect over the great moments you will have ahead of you. Allt the fantastic places you will see, all the people you will meet , everything you will achive, learn and discover about yourself. Even if your upcoming time as an au pair will also bring out some tough times, keep in mind to stay focused on the postive things and do things that makes you happy!  Also remember during those times” Something good comes out of all bad things”. My wise host mom (who I did not agreed with all the time but that I respected ) actually taught me that and I think it is a great expressen!

Now it is time for you to experience something new!!!

 

Best regards,

Nina from the office

 

Greetings from Andreas in Denmark!

Andreas currently works as a recruitment leader in Denmark - if you are an au pair from Denmark, there is a high chance you have or will be interviewed and coached by him! Andreas described few of his highlights from his time with his host family with the following text.

I traveled to Madison, WI in the Summer of 2011, where I took care of 4 great kids.
And in the fall we had three big family events.

At first we had my host dad who finished an Ironman in our hometown, the kids and I made a pretty banner for him, and went two blocks away from our house, where the bike trail went by twice. It was very touching to see him step off his bike both times to hug the kids, and greet the rest of us, and then afterwards undeterred got on the bike, and continued the race.

A month later on the 31st of October we had Halloween, where both the kids and I got dressed and went out trick-or-treating, my host family where great friends with another host family, with kids of similar age. Then the oldest kids went off together and the youngest walked with the other au pair and I. It was great seeing the smiles of the kids and happiness everywhere we went, just like Christmas morning. This was my first big American holiday with my family. And it was amazing to experience the spirit and how all the houses were decorated from scary to scariest.

The last thing I experienced in the fall of my year was Thanksgiving, at this point I was almost halfway through my year. When we had family gatherings, everybody showed up at my host family and everybody brought parts of the dinner. My host mother didn't like sport, which meant the big NFL thanksgiving game between Detroit and Green Bay was followed on the phone by all the men in the house, and when we got up and went into the kitchen to get food from the giant food fest we had in there, all the guys would talk about how well the was going (which Green Bay luckily ended up winning). After the dinner, the family took part with us, and we stayed at home watching a movie the entire family together.

That was three mayor parts of my great fall of my fantastic year, with my host family.

Stars and stripes

 

 

I love sharing stories with friends and family, au pairs and colleagues, about the various festivities that I had the chance to celerate during my time in the states. This Friday is a special day for our beloved Americans, namely 4th of July (Independence Day for the USA), and here's how I experienced the celebrations:

 

Let's start out with how I shared this with my hostchildren. My oldest hostchild made sure to teach me the "must know facts" and I remember the two of us reading a textbook stating the historic facts. My youngest hostchild, still at pre-school, brought back coloring templates and other arts and crafts that we kept busy with. I think this is a great example on one of the many times I shared, a true learning experience and cultural exchange, with the two of them.

 

The actual day of July 4th I was fortunate enough to spend with my American friends. On the agenda was bar-b-queing, while enjoying the company of good friends, live music and the Californian sun shining on us in Dolores Park in downtown San Francisco.

You will often hear how Americans come across as somewhat patriotic, at least more so than what most of us Northern Europeans are used to. In my oppinion and to my delight, this was very much true during the occasion of 4th of July. Everyone was dressed in patterns of stars and stripes, shimering in blue, white and red. Singing about the waving flag. As the sun started to set behind the hills of San Fran, we changed locations and soon found ourselves on a rooftop, overlooking the Golden Gate to the left and the Bay Bridge to the right. From here we had the perfect view while watching the enormous firework display. And yes, it's one of those very special moments, that I will forever remember, and smile when I do.

 

With this being said, I want to encourage you all, to take the opportuniy to take part in, learn from and celebrate the festivities that comes as part of your au pair experience in the States.

All the best,

Amy