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

I will never go hungry as an au pair!

Some call it the most important meal of the day, some just skip it and go straight to lunch but I must say, skipping breakfast is like staying home on Black Friday AND that would NEVER happen!

Breakfast, yes the meal I love the most and USA has all the options for each taste!

My host family, love them very much but I will never understand their breakfast routines --the mom never had time and ran out of the door before I had even started working, the dad, he usually just ate a granola bar (a energy bar) and a cup of hot chocolate, very strange to this day, but as long as it satisfied his belly right?

In my family back home we always have breakfast together so this was a BIG culture shock, I came to realize that this is something I can show them, something from my very ow culture - so I took on this project and decided to introduce my passion for breakfast to the four kids. I actually many times used the breakfast as a way to get them all out of their beds fast!

Many days I made them pancakes, waffles, hot cereal or bacon. Yes it took some time but what I really like about breakfast is not the fact the lovely food but the time to spend with the family together before the day starts.

I would often sit with the children when they were eating and ask them what their day would be like. My six-year-old girl would tell me about the boyfriends, it was always 5 different boys in her school at the same time.  I often was left feeling like my own dating game was kind of boring compared to hers!

My best tips for great places in the USA are:

• Crape Escape- Sacramento, CA
• I.H.O.P (International house of pancakes) Located all over the U.S.A!
• Starbucks for awesome coffee and great bagels
• Dennis Dining for cheap and great eggs
• Peeta bread café, really good sandwiches!

Enjoy your breakfast time!

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.

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 

Becoming a real family member to your host family while being an au pair

"When I first joined the program in 2012, my biggest dream was to travel across the United States and experience a whole new culture. I had been working with children and loved the joy they brought to my life, so I thought this was a great and affordable opportunity to get an experience I could carry with me for the rest of my life.    

 

I think most people dream about becoming a family member to their host family, but what is it really like? When are you a family member to them and how do you know it? I had no doubt about what they meant to me. It was scary that someone who was completely strangers to you less that a year back suddenly could mean the world to you. 

 

 I experienced three days as an au pair where my youngest girl was sick.  She felt terrible and only wanted to sleep and lay on the couch all day. This was the same girl who usually had more energy than a whole army – she did soccer, karate, gymnastics and softball but not these three days. I felt sick to my stomach and would have taken her illness on me if I could. Isn’t it crazy how you can feel sick when somebody you love feels bad? I felt what they felt. When my oldest girl did her gymnastics competitions and were on the balance beam doing flips, I would hold my breath until she was done and I knew she was safe. When they were happy I was happy and when they cried my heart could break into a million pieces. I felt loved and appreciated by these girls and by their parents too. When I picked them up from school and they came running into my arms. When they took my hand and begged me to never leave them. When I tugged them in at night and they would tell me secrets. When they had a family photo taken and wanted me to join in. 

 

They brought me on vacations, I got to celebrate holidays with them, which were different from mine since they were Jewish and I’m Christian. They let me speak and be a part of the prayer around the table and introduced me to their religion. They celebrated my birthday like my friends and family would have done. The house was open for my friends to visit. When I felt sick and my host parents where out of town, the grandparents would take me into their house and treat me like the grandchild, trying to make me feel better. The grandparents addressed their messages ‘’Love Nana’’ and when I went back to visit them this summer 2014, the family picked me up in the airport, we drove to the aunt and uncles house to celebrate Father’s day and the they would introduce me as ‘’This is Camilla and she is a part of our family’’. Before I left the United States to go back to Denmark, they gave me a necklace – a key with a heart melted into it. On the side I found a note saying ‘’you have the key to our hearts and our home’’. And that’s when I for sure knew it was mine home to. This was my family – my second family."

 

 

Snack time!

Something I learned pretty quickly caring for children on a daily basis was: Always bring snacks! (and water and Band-Aid, and extra socks etc.)

Before my time in the US I worked out a lot and the only snacks I was used to were fruits, and a bottle of water, basically. While in the US I still worked out a lot, still ate my fruits, but except from that a whole lot of other snacks as well.

I always had something with me for the children to snack on, even if it was only a shorter car ride, just in case they got hungry. That also meant that if they did want a snack, I could not be without.

After my time in the US, I do not leave my apartment without an extra snack in my purse, since I never know when I will need it.  And if I for some reason forget, you can believe I’ll be starving way before lunch.  

My favorite snack in the US (Please use Google to find out if you don’t know what I’m talking about) was:          

1.       Gogurt (yoghurt in winter and ice cream in summer)      

2.       Diet Coke (fitted perfectly in my cars cup holder)             

3.       JIF- peanut butter                                                                          

4.       Doritos (the red bag)                                                                    

5.       Beef Jerky (all different kinds)                  

What do you snack on?

Have a great one!

/Jenny, the snacker

Make fall a memorable season as an au pair!

 

Camilla is one of our managers for Cultural Care Au Pair here at the Stockholm office and the one and only former host child! Her family hosted a total of 8 au pairs through Cultural Care Au Pair during her childhood, whilst growing up outside of Boston, Massachusets.

When the weather starts getting cooler, the leaves start falling, and the rain starts pouring… you know fall is in full force. But this doesn’t mean that the fun has to stop! Growing up in the United States as a host child with au pairs, I want to share some of my favorite fall activities from when I was younger.
One “chore’ my siblings and I were always excited to help with was raking the leaves. We would have a competition about who could gather together the largest pile and then, at the end, we would rake them all together into one massive pile and then spend a good hour jumping into them. One year our au pair actually found garbage bags that looked like pumpkins… filling those with leaves formed great garden decorations!

On the rainy days we would usually be found inside doing fun projects. My favorite was making caramel apples.  We would find a recipe for caramel online, usually a healthier version, and our au pair would make it on the stove, with us watching avidly of course. Once it cooled a bit we would get to cover our apples on a stick in nice gooey caramel and then roll it in some treats. We had everything from coconut shavings, to raisins, to gummy bears. Then our au pair would get a little down time while we started the sticky and time consuming task of trying to eat our creations. Putting down some newspaper on the table is highly HIGHLY recommened!

Lastly, my siblings and I were huge arts and crafts fans! We loved anything artsy. We would often go on leaf walks with our au pair and pick up the prettiest and biggest leaves we could find and bring them home. After waiting for them to dry, we would use them to make leaf rubbings with crayons. We made our own cards out of these, which we would send to friends, relatives, and even home to the au pair’s family!

So even though it’s sad that summer is over, make sure you and your host kids appreciate fall to the utmost extent! It’s a wonderful time of year and you better hurry and enjoy… before the snow comes!

Happy Days!

Camilla

Never judge a book by its cover so set aside expectations about your future host family!

Host families are as unique and different as we au pairs are. When I applied to be an au pair many moons ago, I had decided I would live with a typical American family. In my mind such a family consisted of two parents, 2-3 children, a dog and a pool. I had pictured myself living in NYC and to be honest I thought things would be like in the movies. Oh boy, did things turn out differently. I was matched with the Brown family and when I saw they were from a tiny town in Georgia, far away from everything, I was worried not to say the least. I actually called the Cultural Care Au Pair office to ask if they could release my match. What happened next I am eternally grateful for. She told me to talk to the family first and then decide whether to turn them down. My host mom e-mailed me explaining about their lives and daily routines. We would be moving from Georgia to Arlington in Virginia as she had a major career change. We decided to talk on the phone and the moment after the phone call I just knew this was going to be my new family. We kept in touch for weeks before my arrival and she even sent me pictures and guidebooks for Washington DC, my soon to be new home.

Furthermore, my host family was everything but typical. But then again what really is typical in the USA? It is a melting pot full of different people from all over the world. My host mom is a single mother by choice and her first son was conceived through sperm donation. She has since had a second adorable boy, who was adopted. My time with them was the most enriching and fun I could have had. Not only did I get to experience two very different states but I became part of their family.

My host mother is an U.S. Diplomat and moves around the world. Sure, I do not have a “typical” second home in the US anymore. However, home is not a place but people. I have gotten the opportunity to spend valuable time with them exploring Iceland, Morocco and Oman and I know I will visit them in many more places. This year we will meet in Hawaii and I cannot wait!

A tip from a former au pair to you future au pairs: remember to be open-minded and set aside expectations and stereotypes. It really does not matter at all, where you will live as long as you have a great host family, where you feel comfortable and at home. I know I have found mine! 

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.

The sweetness of life

I have to say that in general I do believe that we in the Nordic countries are better than the US Aat one thing: that to me is baking goods. When you first go to the USA there are so many new exciting tastes and dishes that you might not think about the lack of true cinnamon rolls, cookies and cakes.

After one year in the USA I did notice and took it into my own hands of solving my cravings. The rest of my year I made a habit of weekly baking with the children. A great activity they love and also an activity I would bribe them with to behave when being to rowdy.

I brought some of my favorite recipes home and try to do them as often as I can when missing my au pair time.

Here is one great recipe I did this weekend!  

 

Ingredients

• 200 grams hazelnuts
• 150 grams unsalted butter
• 75 grams caster sugar
• 75 grams dark brown muscovado sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 150 grams plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• salt
• 150 grams dark chocolate chips roughly chopped

Here's how you do it!

1. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan on a medium heat. Let them cool a little.
2. Take half of the toasted hazelnuts, skins and all, and whizz them to a fine crumb in a food processor.
3. Remove the skins from the remaining hazelnuts by rubbing a handful at a time into your palms. The skins will simply slip off and can be discarded.
4. Put the skinned hazelnuts into a food bag and give them a quick bash to break them up into big chunks (or chop them roughly if you prefer; personally I find the bashing cathartic).
5. Cream the butter and sugars together until soft and coffee-coloured.
6. Beat in the egg and vanilla essence.
7. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and ground hazelnuts and combine to form a lovely soft dough.
8. Mix in the smashed hazelnut pieces and chocolate chunks.
9. Tip the dough onto a wide, long sheet of clingfilm and form it into a log shape, wrapping as you go. Once the log is completely wrapped, pop it in the freezer.
10. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Take the log out of the freezer and set it on a chopping board for 5 minutes – just enough time to make it possible for a knife to be pushed through it but not so long that the whole log defrosts unless you are making the full batch at once.
11. Carefully, because the dough will be very stiff, and with a thick, sharp knife, cut 1cm slices from the log and lay them on a non-stick or lined baking sheet. Leave plenty of space between the cookies as they will spread in the oven.
12. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are just –and no more – starting to darken and the centre still looks soft. Leave the cookies on the hot tray for another 5 minutes and then slide a palette knife under them and move them onto a cooling rack.
13. And give yourself a pat on the back for every cookie that you don’t eat directly off the baking sheet.

Hope you have a wonderful start of the week!

Best,

Amanda

 

Hello from Malin!

Happy Thursday!

In 2009, I moved abroad to become an au pair in the USA and took care of three wonderful children (5, 7 and 9 years old). I started off my year as an au pair in Los Angeles, and after 10 amazing months together with my host family I had an opportunity to move with my host family across the USA to Cape Cod, approximately two hours outside of Boston, Massachusetts. When working as an au pair you really get the chance of exploring and living in the American culture, which is such an amazing part of our au pair program! Luckily, I had the chance to experience both the American culture on the West Coast as well as on the East Coast.

 

 

I have always loved spending time with children and when working as an au pair I truly got the opportunity to work with children full-time. Besides loving to work with children I learned a lot during my time as an au pair. I quickly realized that there was no day like the other when working as an au pair. Typical day at work with my host children usually took place in the playground, at the soccer field, baseball field, at the beach or just hang around at home doing homework or playing together.

During the last two years I have been working as a recruitment leader in Jönköping and Skövde region in Sweden (meaning that Malin is responsible for holding information meetings of our program as well as interviewing au pairs). Today, I’m currently one of the summer staff at the Stockholm office, if you call in and we get a chance to talk, don’t hesitate to ask any further questions about my time as an au pair. I love inspiring others to become an au pair in the USA since I believe it is one of the greatest things I have accomplished so far.

 

 

In the end of July I will be visiting my host family for the second time after my return back to Sweden, I’m super excited to see them again!

I hope you get a chance to look further into working as an au pair in the USA & I wish you an amazing rest of the summer!

Best wishes,

Malin

Caring for future!

One month before Christmas I visited my host family in Boston for the second time since I was an au pair with them. We had some wonderful days together and it was great seeing them again after a couple of years apart . We kept us busy with some shopping of course, had dinner at few nice restaurants in the area and walked around at the famous local apple orchards.

I also spent a lot of one on one time with my host child who took the opportunity to beat me in monopoly and a board game called ”mini-curling”. He  also had a long conversation with me about their current president and took some time to explain to me about ”Obamacare”. Once in a while I forgot that he was the same boy I carried around  6 years ago with his blanket and pacifiers. I definitely noticed that he had turned out to be this fantastic little person - wise, clever and social young boy with a big sense of humor. It also crossed my mind that he had spent his life with 6 different au pairs and all of these au pairs have been a part of his development and part of who he is today. Keep that in mind: the smallest things in the everydaylife with your host children might have a big impact on their future. I love my host child and he is always going to have a special place in my heart.

I'm so happy I extended!

Hi all current and future au pairs!

When you first start to think about traveling as an au pair, one year might seems like a long time, but as most of the au pairs say, it goes by so quickly! I often say that it's only one month of of each, like one January, one February, one March etc, and with the USA and all their holidays and seasons, you would want to experience everything. Luckily, if you feel than one year just isn't enough, you have the opportunity to extend - an au pair experience doesn't to be 12 months, it can be 18, 21 or even 24 months! I'm so happy that my au pair experience was 22 awesome months!

The reason I extended wasn't just that I enjoyed my time as an au pair in my host family (I extended with the same family, but you also have the possibility to exchange with another family) - I wanted to explore more of the USA, and the longer you stay the more time you've got to travel, meet new people and to explore new places. I was living in NYC with my host family and it took me about a year to find my favorite spots in the Big Apple. During my second year I really took the advantage of having one weekend per month just to travel - you get pretty far in the USA with just a bus ride! Me and my friends were able to visit Boston, Washington D.C and Philadelphia, and we did even few longer trips to places like to Miami and Las Vegas. The best thing about extending was of course, to get to know my host family even more, and see the development my host kids did during two years - being part of that is something I truly cherish.

I hope that everyone that becomes an au pair will consider the opportunity to extend, it was one of my best decisions ever!

Best regards,

Madeleine

If you want to read more experiences about extending, you can read it here:
Finland: http://culturalcare.fi/uutiset-ja-tarjoukset/au-pair-extendaus/
Sweden: http://culturalcare.se/nyheter-och-erbjudanden/forlanga-din-aupair-tid/
Denmark: http://culturalcare.dk/nyheder-og-tilbud/extend-aupair/
Estonia: http://culturalcare.ee/uudised-ja-pakkumised/au-pair-kaks-aasta/

 

 

 

 

Showing your culture for your host family...

Today in Sweden we are celebrating a holiday called “Valborgsmässoafton,” which is celebrated every year on last day of April. So the question is, how can you introduce this celebration to your host families and host children? In Sweden we light bonfires, but we DO NOT recommend that while working with children J  Instead maybe tell them why we celebrate!  And be creative, draw a picture of the fire!

Besides this, today is also the Kings birthday. A perfect time to tell the children that we have kings, queens, princes and princesses here in Scandinavia. Why not dress up, take a twirl and play with knights and dragons!

 

Remember, any holiday from your home country is a great opportunity to share your culture with your host family. The entire au pair experience is based on cultural exchange and you need to consider yourself an ambassador to your home country. The internet is full of kid-friendly activities for each holiday and ways to make even the littlest child have the best time!

Learning from your host family...

I was an au pair in Livingston, New Jersey from August 2012 to August 2013. Today I live in Denmark, I started studying and I am working part-time as a recruitment-leader for Cultural Care Au Pair. I did find some great friends doing my au pair-year. I have made some friends who I am sure will last for a life time. I met friends from all over the world – it is amazing.

What surprised me the most, was the great relationship I got to my host family and especially the children. I have never thought that I would get so close with somebody in a year.

I could tell you about a ton of experiences I have had which just made my year, but I came to the conclusion that there’s simply too many. I will therefore tell you about what my host family and my host children meant to me during my year and what they mean to me today – 8 months since I left the United States.

I love my girls like they are my sisters. They were 7 and 10 years old at the time I was with them and you can’t imagine how much you can actually learn from children that young. I would have sleepovers with them, go with them to the movies, take them to the pool and nobody could make me laugh like the two of them. They would tell me about their religion which is different from mine, teach me how to do a front handspring and they would (believe it or not) burp louder than a grown up. They would tell me how much they loved me, even though I don’t like cheese, which they did find very strange.

I am amazed how two children have had such a great influence on my life. I often wonder how children in that age can be that smart, caring and open minded like my girls are. But I think I have found the answer: their parents.

My host parents are one of the most amazing people I have ever met. They would take me on vacations and out for dinner. I would celebrate different holidays with them and they did support me like my own parents would have done. They must have been the most understanding people I have ever met. They did always try to understand me even though they might not agree with me. The house was always a place where I could take my friends and I loved bringing friends home, because my host parents always were extremely nice to everybody and very helpful whenever we needed it.
One day, I hope to become like my host mom. She just had an ability to make me feel comfortable. She would respect me like an adult and trust me with her children. She would support me, when I applied for college in Denmark, hug me when I was sad and take me to the beach with her friends. She would go with me to the gym, advice and guide me when I was lost and cook dinner for my family when they came to visit. Today I would not only call her my host mom, but also my friend.

This summer, 2014, I am going to work at a summer camp, Camp Taconic, as a swimming instructor. My two girls are attending the camp and it was my host mom, who recommended me to the camp. I am very excited to spend my summer in America and finally see my family again – because that’s what they are – my second family. I keep in touch by Viber, Skype and Facetime.

I would recommend everybody who has an interest in children, cultural exchange and travelling to apply as an au pair. It was an experience that taught me more about myself and other people than I would have ever imagined. I have matured and become more independent. I think I have developed as a person and I definitely have my host family to thank for. They have inspired me to be open towards challenges, people and whatever life brings.

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