Adapting to the culture

Hi all,

As an au pair you are going to experience a whole new environment and culture when you move to the United States. Everything in there is done a bit differently than you are used to do in your home country and in the beginning you might want to question certain things – why do they do things like that? Why can’t they do it like I do it in my home country? Those questions are part of the adapting process when moving to a new culture, and believe me – soon you will feel more comfortable in your new surroundings and start to think why I ever did things so differently in my own country.

I have been moving several times to a new culture within past few years, the latest one was just four months ago when I moved to Stockholm to start working here at the Cultural Care Au Pair Stockholm office for the Scandinavian au pair team. I have also been living in Germany and in Dubai and I have seen very radical differences compared to Finnish culture. As I come from Finland I thought “Sweden is not going to be so different, it’s just the neighbor country of Finland”. But as soon as I moved here, Stockholm, I realized that even here some things are done differently than in Finland.

First weeks at the office were very exhausting for me. I learned many new things and new ways to work. Even the fact that I had to learn how do I get to work and where can I find the closest grocery story to me made me tired. After work when I got home I was always very tired and usually went to sleep straight after eating the dinner. As an au pair your first weeks will be full of learning new things and it’s no wonder if you are super tired after your work shift is over. You might think before you move to another culture that you can’t get tired just because of learning new things but believe me – you can, and it’s totally fine. My tip for all the new au pairs is to give 100 % focus on the new things you will have to learn in your host family, new culture and surroundings and after you have done that: eat, sleep and collect some energy for the next day!

I wish all of you a nice and relaxing weekend, I hope the weather is spoiling you and you will get a lot of energy for the next week!

Sunny wishes from Stockholm,
Jenni

Time for some arts & crafts!

Easter is just around the corner and as an au pair in the USA it might be a bit different this year. Easter, like any other holiday has different traditions around the world and your Easter in the USA will most likely be a bit different than what you are used to! Maybe you are used to being visited by Easter Rooster, and this year it will be Easter Bunny's turn? It would be great if you can share your own Easter stories with us for example on our Facebook-page!

To make sure that you will have some fun with your host-children (or with other children you are taking care of if you are not yet in the USA), we have created a fun arts & craft for you to do - just follow the link and you can get the instructions!

If you are from Finland, click here!
If you are from Sweden, click here!
If you are from Denmark, click here!

We also would like to take this opportunity and wish you a Happy Easter wherever in the world you are!

Best, Mari

Give and take!

We asked some of current and past au pairs what the au pair-program gave for them and what kind of thoughts they have - do you agree? What did the program give you? Please share your own experiences and stories - we love to hear them and of course the others as well!

“Working as an au pair has totally opened up my eyes. When you live back at home and are only surrounded by people from your own country you necessarily do not understand how many different cultures and people there are around you. I have become much more open for new things and I understand so much more of the world. I am also braver and more confident and of course my English skills have improved so much! I would suggest traveling as an au pair for anyone who is ready to take onto new challenges and who have the inner urge to work abroad. Working as an au pair is a great way to get to work abroad. If you are ready to take a step to the unknown, traveling as an au pair is a great opportunity!" -Meri, au pair in Texas

”My time as an au pair has changed me a lot. I have become stronger, more independent and more open as a person. I have learned a lot about life and people. I have also gotten a better view of the person that I want to become. I am so proud of everything I have achieved during my time.

I recommend traveling as an au pair for everyone who is ready to spend time abroad working with children, and also for everyone who wants to take some time to find themselves and figure out their plans for the future. This is a great opportunity to improve your English and learn really to speak it. You get to see so much of the new culture and meet new and great people. I have also gotten a great change to travel and see a lot of USA. The most important qualities of au pair-job is getting along with children, the will to learn to know a new culture and also to accept all the differences between the culture in the USA and with your own.” -Riina, au pair in New Jersey

”I can honestly say that my life totally changed during my time as an au pair. I grew a lot personally and I learned so much about myself and the people around me – also a lot that I would not have learned back home. I am much more confident and I believe in myself and I know what I want from life. And most importantly – I got a new family in the USA and a lot of great friends that I will never forget.” -Jennica, au pair in Minnesota

"My host family and I have a great relationship. They have included me in everything since the day I came here and I'm really thankful for how they made me become a part of their family. I really couln't have found a better family to spend this year with. We are so much alike but we can also learn from our differences. It's hard coming from another country with another culture and then just live with a new family that doesn't work the same as your own in your home country. My host family have made this so much easier than it could have been. They are amazing people and I'm sure that they will stay in my life, as they will in my heart, forever." - Rebecca, au pair in Washington D.C.

 

 

Want to read more experiences from the au pairs from your country? Check our website:

Sweden: http://culturalcare.se/direkt-fran-usa/lar-kanna-vara-au-pairer/

Denmark: http://culturalcare.dk/historier/mod-vores-au-pairs/

Finland: http://culturalcare.fi/tarinoita/tapaa-au-pairejamme/

Write it down!

Other people are the greatest source of inspiration - everyone can agree on that right? One of my favorite things to do is to sit back on my chair at the office and browse through blogs that our au pairs who are currently in the USA are writing! I love to read through their everyday-experiences, how in the beginning everything is new, unfamiliar and usually most of the time also exciting! Many of the bloggers are being very honest when writing, and they also write about the tough times - culture shock, home-sickness, settling in, disagreement - and I personally think it is important to mention about those as well - later on you can look back and see how you grew with that experience or how something what at that moment seemed so big, maybe after all was not that big of a deal. It can also be relieving for the other au pairs to see - they are not the only ones struggling with the same issue, and it is perfectly normal!

I wrote a blog myself when I was an au pair, and it is fun to sometimes still go back to those days and read about the everyday-life I was living them. Of course not every au pair needs to write her blog, but as a tips - definitely make sure to write down something every now and then - you will regret after years if you didn't!

Click yourself to our homepage and read more of the adventures from our au pairs that are currently in the USA - and also remember to check out our blog - we do write also about our experiences and try to give our best tips!

Sweden: http://culturalcare.se/direkt-fran-usa/au-pair-blogs/
Denmark: http://culturalcare.dk/historier/au-pair-blogs/
Finland: http://culturalcare.fi/tarinoita/au-pair-blogs/

I hope all of you will have a great and very sunny week - if there is rain, read some blogs!

Best regards, Mari

Konserter!

Hej!

Förra lördagen var jag på Bruce Springsteen konsert här i Stockholm. Det var så bra! 3 timmar lång konsert, fullt hålligång! Jag är inget jätte-fan av the Boss men jag älskar att gå på konserter.

Under mitt år som au pair så var jag på många konserter. Jag gick på allt från Britney Spears, Usher, Jay-Z till Dolly Parton. Jag bara älskar hög musik, glad stämning och bra show!

Jag bodde på Long Island så jag hade ungefär 30 min in till Manhattan med tåg så när det var konsert på till exempel Madison Square Garden så var det inte så långt att åka in. Jag var även på basketmatch, ishockeymatch och baseballmatch under mitt år. Det gäller att passa på när man kan.

Har ni några roliga konserter eller tillställningar planerade under er tid i USA?

Hoppas ni får chansen till en riktig bra konsert när ni är i USA!

Trevlig helg, Carro