Vi har en kändis på kontoret!

Det må vara flera år sedan jag för första gången satte min fot på planet över atlanten som au pair, men trotts tiden som passerat (allt för snabbt enligt mig) värmer det lika mycket om hjärtat när någon ställer frågan "varför ska man bli au pair?" Igår fick jag chansen att svara på just denna fråga i Sveriges Radio Kronoberg (Onsdag den 2 september)  http://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt/596665?programid=2160

Är du eller kanske är ditt barn i tankarna att göra denna fantastiska resa, att åka som au pair. I så fall har jag ett par råd för en lyckad tid!

1. Åk endast med en legitimerad organisation till USA, dessa är reglerade av Amerikanska myndigheter och du vistas då lagligt i USA.

2. Gör din research och ta reda på Vad du kan förvänta dig av din organisation och vad din framtida värdfamilj förväntar sig av dig, som deras au pair - om du inte vet detta, hur kan du då lyckas?

3. Var aldrig rädd för att fråga, du är troligtvis inte den första som har tänkt tanken och bättre att veta mer än för lite.

4. Var tydlig och ge en ärlig bild av vem du är, ju mer information och bättre bild av din personlighet du speglar i en ansökan ju snabbare hittar du din familj, som passar precis dig. - Om du tycker det är svårt att beskriva dig själv eller din familj, be en vän beskriva dig, dina styrkor och svagheter.

5. Majoriteten av framgångsrika matcher är när värdfamiljen påminner om ens egna familj, det behöver inte vara antalet personer i familjen utan kanske mer värderingar och intressen.

Som alltid, tveka inte att be om hjälp!

/Amanda

My host kid is my mini-me!

Once au pairs join a new family, it is  not unusual for their host kids to start doing the things they do, saying the things they say, wearing the same things they wear. In the USA, we would describe this as having a “mini-me”. 

This is what Swedish au pair Erica Rosander has to say about her host child Julia:

Julia copies me by trying to be independent. Everything that I do by myself, she wants to be able to do herself. For example: she wants to get dressed by herself, put her dirty dishes in the dish washer by herself and put stuff in the recycling bin, put nail polish on all by herself.  I find it really cute and I can't help smiling and giggling when she's trying to do something and it is not really going her way (if this happens she usually tells me to stop laughing and that it is NOT funny). Her determination is so adorable cause when she's trying to do something she cannot do she says: “I can do it, I am a big girl, just like Erica.”

Julia and I also have similar personalities. We are both jumpy and happy. She has even started to walk like me, with her hand in one pocket or one hand on the hip. She is so open, social and not afraid to speak up, just like me. I think she was born that way and it did not have anything to do with me, but I still encourage it. We were clearly just a good match for each other.

I do my best to be the best role model for her as I can. I do the basic stuff like putting dishes away, cleaning up after myself and always try to do things on my own before I ask for help. The world we live in can sometimes be superficial and I always try to remind her that she can be whatever she wants to be. If she wants to be a firefighter, that is okay. If she wants to be a dancer, that is okay and if she wants to be a housewife, that is okay, too. I believe that planting this seed into her head will make her bloom when she is more mature and realize that her Erica was right, she can be whatever she wants to be.

Emilie was there to welcome a new member of the Cultural Care family to the world

Danish au pair Emilie Høegh arrived to her host family's home less than a month ago and she was lucky enough to be there for the birth of her 3rd host baby. Being part of a family is one of the most amazing things about being an au pair.  

Join us in welcoming beautiful baby Cole to the Cultural Care family! 

New colleagues at the Stockholm office!

New colleagues at the Stockholm office!

We are happy to announce two new colleges at the Stockholm office who are full of energy and enthusiasm to assist new Au Pairs to get a positive experience in the US.

Emilia graduated in June from Linköping University and will assist Au Pairs in the east Sweden region. She was in the United states 2012 where she studied business administration at Colorado College.

“During my stay I travelled to several other states and got to see a large part of the mid-US; Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and South Dakota. It’s a super cool part of the states that sometimes is overlooked by Au Pairs, but it’s truly beautiful and offers numerous adventures.  My year in the US was one of the best things I’ve experienced and I would love to help you to be able to go there too! It’s a wonderful country!”

Nathalie has just graduated from Copenhagen business school and will be responsible for new candidates in Denmark. Nathalie has experienced life abroad during several periods in her life, for example Denmark, France and Switzerland. 

“I strongly believe that everyone should take the opportunity to live abroad in order to experience different cultures, food, and social differences in order to enhance ones understanding and acceptance for others. That’s way being an Au Pair is a fantastic opportunity, as one gets to undertake the journey from within a family.”

Our first week was intense and full of information in order to learn everything that is needed in order to be able to assist our new Au pairs in the best way possible. Even though our brains were full every evening of the first week, we feel ready to take care of any questions and thoughts you may have. So don’t hesitate to contact us! We are here for you so that you get to experience the best year of your life!

Have you ever been to a candy picnic?

There are certain experiences in this world that are unique to being an au pair, and an international candy picnic is definitely one of those experiences! A candy picnic is exactly what you might think it is: a picnic that features candy versus the traditional sandwich/salad/cookie combo. While most other picnics occur on a grassy lawn outside on a beautiful day, candy picnics happen in the au pair lounge at Cultural Care's Au Pair Training School. And they happen once a week—the afternoon of the first day of classes at the school.

Au Pair Training School Director Lizzie Guerra says, "Au pairs are told to bring their favorite candies from their home country to share with their roommates, classmates, and new friends. And they bring all sorts of different sweets—or in the case of some of our European countries—salties!"

The curriculum at the school is intense and au pairs don't have a whole lot of time for relaxing or hanging out. However, the candy picnic is one such opportunity. Says Lizzie, "The candy picnic is a great way for all of the au pairs to get together and make friends for the rest of the week. Au pairs are very excited to share their culture using the universal language of candy, and love to get a 'taste' of each other’s home countries." She adds, "Sometimes the lounge is packed with a candy free-for-all, sometimes candy is neatly ordered by country, and sometimes au pairs give presentations about their candies to the entire group. The format varies from week to week but there is always a lot of excitement surrounding this event!”

The best thing with new places- new food!

Without a doubt the best thing for me when I go new places is to try the food. It might not always be great food, or even good, but at least I have tried it. An example was when I was in Thailand eating fried wasp larva and pig intestines with a glass of whiskey on the side. In Annapolis, where I was an au pair, it was not as crazy and out of the box as this, but I do have some recommendations.

This is my “need to try food-list” when in Annapolis, MD.

1.    Five guys – definitely my favorite burgers, all time. And the fries, do not even mention them. Amazing.

2.       Blue crab – with old bay spice, AWESOME. Do not forget napkins and lemon water for the smell on your fingers when you are done eating. A great place to try this is Cantler’s Riverside Inn. Beautiful and by the water.  Here I had my first dinner with my host family in 2009 (??!!!!)

3.       Lemon Grass – read; Thai food. A really cute place. You can sit outside as well, a calm night with beautiful lights this could be the perfect place for a first date (if a lot of traffic, it might not be that nice though, so have that in mind).  

4.       Ice cream by the docks. A nice day this is the best, no stress watching the boats coming in. While at it, take a walk at the Naval Academy. It is absolutely stunning, both the area and also the view over the water (don’t forget to bring your passport, to be able to enter the area).

5.       City Dock Café – coffee and great space to sit “in” the windows. It tastes even better with a couple of friends joining you. And if the weather forecast says rain. You can sit there forever with a good book, or the company of someone you didn’t know before walking in those doors.

6.       We had oysters by the docks as well (next to the roundabout), not sure if they are the best. On the other hand, I never ate oysters after that so can’t really compare, but it was fun. And slimy. 

7.       Chick and Ruth’s Delly- This is super fun. See for yourself what they do EVERY day http://www.chickandruths.com/pledge.html

8.       Also, if you ever go to Ocean City, MD, they have both great pancakes and strawberries in chocolate!

Any questions or want some more tips on Annapolis? Let me know!

/Jenny

Full-circle

It is really fun to see au pair experiences go full-circle. As some of you know from previous blog posts, I was a host child growing up. My siblings and I hosted a total of eight au pairs over the years. 

About ten years ago we actually attended our last au pair´s wedding here in Sweden.  It was really exciting to see Jessica move onto the next stage in her life! She was also really excited to be able to introduce her friends and family in Sweden to her American family. It is always interesting to see how an au pair changes after their time in the USA, how they grow and develop as a person, and what path they end up choosing in life.  

Since we attended Jessica´s wedding many years have passed and this year is even more exciting because my sister is actually getting married and Jessica is able to attend! Having an extra person in our lives to care about us and partake in these milestones means a lot to both me and my sister. You can never have enough people that love you and that is why we made sure to keep contact over the years. 

Imagine the day you get to see your crazy little host kids actually walk down the aisle… What sort of person will they have become? What type of partner will they end up with? And.. will you be there to share it with them? 

Only the future will tell.

Camilla

A great reunion!

I have had the luck to be able to meet my host family after I finished my year. And especially the two little boys I took care of. For that, I am forever thankful. That special connection and gratitude I feel towards them for taking me in, to their family and home is something I will always bring with me. The two times I have had the luxury to meet my “second family”, because that is how I see them, happened shortly after my time as an au pair ended. After that, we have kept updating each other a few times a year, sadly no more than that. Imagine my surprise when I woke up and noticed I got an email from my host mum that read, “We will be in Sweden later this summer for a couple of days, would you like to meet up?” Knowing I would get to meet my host family again, for the first time in what felt like ages made my day. I couldn’t stop imagining how it would be. How would it be to meet the boys again? Who are not the little boys I cared for anymore, by the way. Would it feel like the most normal thing to meet up in Sweden, several years after I meet them for the first time? Or would it be a meeting were we felt as strangers to each other.

So the other day, the day I had been waiting for the last couple of weeks finally were here. And I must say, seeing them standing there made me feel like I were back in the US working as an au pair again. And even if the boys have gotten bigger and starting to be as tall as I am, nothing had changed. It was the most natural thing seeing them, playing with them, and just having them around. It didn’t took long before we had gone back to the persons we were all those years ago, me trying to make them stop fighting each other and they having a blast doing so. I guess boys will always be boys. The thing that made it even more rewarding seeing them was that they remembered me and enjoyed spending time with me.    

Creating that special relationship with the host family, that relationship au pair’s dream of is a very special thing that is hard to find when not being an au pair. Regardless of how long it has been since you talked to them or saw them in person, it will always feel that you never left, always being a part of their family.  

Take the chance to have the time of your life, and bring back great memories and a second family, I did!

 

/Marcus

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

Tips for a rainy day

What to do with your kids on a rainy day? A drawing competition!

Hello there! Even though it´s summer time it might rain one day, therefore, I´m checking in with a great tip that my kids used to love to do on a rainy day. Of course, spending time outside when is raining can be funny too, but sometimes you just want to crawl up inside so here we go.

Most kids love to draw, with pens, pencils, water-color and crayons, you name it J. But to make it a bit more fun and exacting, make it into a game where you guess what the other person is drawing then you get points for each correct guess. This is great because you doesn´t need to be an artist, anyone can draw a flower or an apple, and the earlier your opponent guess correctly, the more points he or she will get. Also, you can draw your on board-game board and use pieces to move forward on the board to get to the goal. Me and my kids had a lot of laughs trying to guess each other’s drawings and I guarantee you will too J

Do you have any tips for a rainy summer day? Please comment below or write on facebook.

This is another picture my host kid did once; a drawing can make anyone happy J

Happy drawing time! Best regards Madeleine