“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

I love flying. One of my absolute favorite feelings is definitely when the plane takes off and you can feel the tires not touching the ground anymore or the feeling you get when you land and you feel that the tires finally touch the ground. 

In addition to flying, I also love airports. I am actually quite often known as the person who is always late, but when traveling I often make sure to be at the airport long enough to enjoy the atmosphere there - I think quite many of us can agree that it indeed is something very special about it there! The place is full of people leaving, arriving, being sad, being nervous, being excited, being relieved, saying goodbyes, saying hellos, traveling alone, traveling together - so many situations, so many people.

This all probably makes it quite crystal clear that traveling is something that I love, and something that is clearly a big passion of mine. I have been very lucky enough to have had many opportunities to travel, but there are so many places still that have not seen!

To tell the truth, when I was an au pair in the USA, I did not travel as much as I probably was supposed to, or so much I could have. I had one of the best year's of my life, there is no doubt about that. That is why I would like to encourage all of you au pairs, please, do not make the same mistake as I did - make sure that you travel and experience as much as you can. By this I do not mean that you have to keep booking new out-of-state trips every weekend, but also do not be afraid to hop in your car, and experience what you have close by! Living in the USA as an au pair is a unique experience, make sure to take the most of it!

Happy traveling!
-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

New York City - my absolute favorite

Every au pair who travels with Cultural Care Au Pair as an au pair to the USA gets the opportunity to experience New York City during their first week in the USA! I know that it is just a short glimpse of the city and that you only get to see the very important sights, and it will definitely leave you hungry for more! I would absolutely recommend all of you au pairs, come back. Come back and experience more of it - there are few places that are as awesome as New York City.

I got the opportunity to work at our training school on Long Island few years ago and one of my favorite parts of the job were definitely spending Thursdays in the city while the au pairs were getting to know the city as well! This gave me an opportunity to explore the city from North to South, from East to West, to see most of the tourist attractions, but also experience the city as any Manhattan native would!

I could go on and write about my favorite spots and my favorite things to do in New York for ages, but I try to keep this short and sweet and as general as possible!

- Central Park. Let me warn you - it is humongous! Keep your fingers crossed for good weather, stroll around (there's a lot to see, make sure to take a look at the map so that you will not just aimlessly wander around - although, nothing wrong with that either). Make sure to eat your lunch picnic-style in the park!

- Highline Park. I guess I just have a thing for parks - Highline Park is built on old old railroad and you get an awesome view of the city! It is definitively something unique and absolutely worth the visit!

- Brooklyn Promenade. Get on the Brooklyn side, get some great ice cream, walk the promenade -- best part of doing it, you get to see the entire Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn side.

- American Museum of Natural History. So much to see, so much to learn - fun with your friends or your host kids too if you live in the area!

- The Village. One of my favorite areas on Manhattan. Cool shops, cool people, cool cafes - definitely worth to explore in depth... too many things to tip about!

I could go on forever, there are so many things to see and do - I would definitely recommend to see all the touristy things - once again, these things are things you've seen on TV, in the movies, read about them, so you definitely need to experience all of them! Make also sure to get to visit the not so touristy places in the city... there are plenty of them! Stay tuned for more tips!

The view of Central Park from the Top of the Rock.

Times Square.

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?

Take the next step in your career, just like Mimmi!

 

In August 2009 I packed my bags and moved to Scarsdale, NY to work as an au pair. I knew I had a big adventure ahead of me, but I never knew how big it would actually turn out to be. And I never knew how much this year would affect my future career, but that I know today.

I have always loved traveling, so working in the Tourism industry has always been the perfect choice for me. I’ve had jobs like ski instructor, tour guiding in the Italian alps, working in different receptions and my last job was as a flight attendant for TUI fly Nordic and now I work for Cultural Care Au Pair! I’m very proud of all of my previous jobs and they have all given me great experiences.

All my employers have told me that the main reason that I actually got the job was because of my traveling experience and my year abroad after finishing high school, and of course my improved English. It tells a lot about a person if they take a year abroad after school. You will learn and experience so much more than someone who would take a job back home.

I would recommend everyone to work as an au pair in America, and not just to have a great time while you’re there, but also to have a great time working for the rest of your life. Go out and get that experience!

-Mimmi

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

Packing tips from Cultural Care Au Pair!

Before flying to the USA every au pair experiences the same dilemma - what to pack? How to fill your entire life in to one suitcase? How to make sure you have room for all the shopping (oh, you will be shopping a lot - I came home with four suitcases!)?
We have gathered a list of few important things that are good to keep in mind while preparing for your upcoming adventure - of course all of us have a bit different lists, but here is something to keep in mind!

• Your passport along with your visa (your visa is in your passport)
• Your DS-2019 form along with your SEVIS-receipt
• Copy of your flight itinerary (the one you can print via checkmytrip.com)
• Make sure that you have written down all the important contact information (Training School, Cultural Care office both in Boston and Stockholm as well as your host family)
• Your driver's license as well as your international driver's license
• Adapters
• Electronics that you want to bring (laptop, tablet, mobile phone, mp3-player) - and do not forget chargers!
• We recommend to have at least around $200 in cash - also it is worth to make sure your debit card works in the USA!
• You want to take a lot of pictures during your time in the USA - and also make sure that you will take a lot of pictures... it is the best memory you will have!
• Make sure you have your Erika-card with you!
• Remember to bring the handbooks you have received from us (Au pair handbook, Prepare for your year as well Pre-Departure Workbook)
• Gifts/souvenirs from your home country to your host family! This is easy way to start showing your culture and also break the ice! Maybe there is a specific game that would be great for kids or a specific children's book? Candy is always appericiated!
• Remember to also bring something sweet from your home country for you! You might run into a bit rainier day where you might need a sweet reminder from your home :)                                              
• Remember also to bring photos of your friends and family back at home to hang on your wall - will make you feel more like home!
• Remember that you will be shopping A LOT! There's a lot more shopping in the USA (and it is often cheaper) so only pack your favorites. I often recommend to au pairs to only pack as they were going just for a vacation!
•  Also only bring toiletries for your first few weeks - everything you can find in the USA!
• If there is a specific medication that you use, bring it from home!

Anything that you'd like to give as a tip to future au pairs? Please share your ideas!

Top 8 reasons on why to become an au pair!

I decided to list out few reasons why I think becoming an au pair is basically the most awesome thing ever! Do you feel there is anything else that should be added to the list?

1. Become fluent in English
While being an au pair in the USA you will be using English in your every-day communication - with your host family, with your host children, with your new friends and even when visiting the local grocery story! Before you notice, you will be dreaming in English. Being fluent in English will definitely help you in your future in your studies or with your future profession!

2. International experience
Being an au pair in the USA is the best kind of international experience that you can have! Many employers appericiate when an applicant has experience from abroad, and it will definitely make you stand out! Being an au pair means also that you are fluent in English, you are organized and work hard! Many of our au pairs want to work with children in the future, as teachers for example, and while being an au pair you receive a lot of experience from being full-time with children, and you will be able to see from their side how they grow and learn new things!

3. New friends - from all over the world
Cultural Care Au Pair has offices in over 20 countries all over the world and we have au pairs travel to USA weekly who are about to start the same adventure as you! Meeting new people starts already at our au pair training school!

4. New family
While being an au pair in the USA you will become an irreplacable part of your host family. You will be living under the same roof and live the everyday life together. You will spend many great moments with your host family - including for example many American holidays such as Thanksgiving! You will also be there for many moments with the children - maybe their first steps or their first day of school! After your time as an au pair in the USA you will have two families - one back at home and one in the USA.

5. Travel in the USA
Every au pair has two weeks of paid vacation as well as also an additional month to be spent traveling in the USA after you have finished your time as an au pair. These times are great to spend exploring other parts in the USA as well! Maybe you will be taking roadtrips to the neighbouring states with your new au pair friends during weekends? Maybe you will take a long weekend and visit some friends in another state who you met during your first week at the training school? Make sure to explore what Manhattan looks from the top of the Empire State Building, if Chicago is as windy as they say, what it feels to drive through the Golden Gate or to swim with dolphins in Florida?

6. Cultural exchange
One of the main points of our au pair program is cultural exchange - you will become part of the American everyday life and through that learn about the local culture. You will maybe experience your first Halloween or your first Thanksgiving, you will get to experience if Americans are as social as they are rumoured to be and if everything really is bigger in USA as they say? Since this is about cultural EXCHANGE you get to also bring in your culture - what are you going to be telling about your home country and your culture? Maybe during Christmas your family will not be only eating American Christmas foods?

7. Study in the USA
One of the requirements of your J1 au pair visa is that you have to take minimum of six credits (72 hours) at a local university. Have you always wanted to study photography? Maybe you want to learn the basics of Spanish? Maybe you want to really see if marketing is something you might be studying after your time as an au pair? Remember, that your host family will pay up to $500 towards your studies. Studying at a local university is a great way to meet local people as well as experience the American university life!

8. Learn more about yourself and become more independent!
Going as an au pair for many of our au pairs is the first time that they move away from home - and for even more it is the first time they will be living abroad! While being an au pair you will become more independent and often grow up to become more social. After your time as an au pair you will absolutely have easier time to make decisions, take risks and I can guarantee - you have learned so much more about yourself!

Do not forget to share your own thoughts as well! Make this adventure to happen NOW!

Friends for a lifetime!

Going as an au pair will give you the chance to meet new friends from all over the world.
I was an au pair from June 2012 to June 2013 and during my time as an au pair I got the chance to meet new friends and experience their culture as well.

I just went down to Austria to meet up with few of my au pair friends. It's so nice to know that even if the time keeps passing by, or if you haven’t seen them for one year, everything is still the same. You still feel like they are really close, and that you still have that strong connection with them.  The friends you get during your au pair year will always be there for you.
During my visit to Austria we were laughing about old memories, looking at pictures and had a great time. It’s great to have friends from all over the world: you have your own tour guide who can show you everything about their country! We went to museum, to a wedding where we needed to wear their national dress, castles, did some shopping and just sat at Starbucks and enjoyed a white chocolate mocca frappe in the sun. I can’t wait for them to come and visit Sweden so I can show them my country! 

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/