Fall Hike & Chinese Food (Yummy!)

Taking a break at Elliot Tower after our hike.

Last August, when we were driving home from our camping trip, one of the au pairs mentioned that she would like to go on a hike for one of our monthly au pair activities this fall. There happens to be a great place for hiking just a few short miles from my house, so I told the girls that  we could meet up at my house and then head over to Blue Hills for an afternoon hike.   Everyone seemed to like that idea.

There were 3 Chinese au pairs riding in my car. As we were talking about things that the au pairs enjoy doing with their host families, one of them mentioned that she loves to cook.  Well, I love Chinese food.  Stephanie told me she would be happy to show me how to cook some traditional Chinese dishes.  That’s when I got the bright idea to combine these two things.  We could meet up at my house, drive to Blue Hills  for an invigorating hike, and then come back to my house to prepare some tasty Chinese dishes for everyone to enjoy.

This all sounded great, so I immediately sent out my Evite to the au pairs in my cluster.  As always, I told them to feel free to invite a friend or two.  I figured we would have about 10 or 15 people show up for the hike.  As it turns out, we had about 25 guests RSVP for the hike and Chinese food get together.  Yikes! That’s a lot of dumplings to prepare.  I decided I should prepare some food ahead of time so that the hungry hikers would have something to fill their stomachs while we were busy cooking all of that Chinese food.

We would be making Chinese dumplings together and Stephanie, our Chinese chef for the evening, would also be preparing several main course meat and noodle dishes for us.  I wanted to make something that would compliment what she was making.  I went through my recipe books, and couldn’t find anything that sounded good.  Then I remembered that Au Pair Sis has many interesting recipes on her Pinterest account, so I went there to find something that was easy to make, would feed the masses, could be prepared ahead of time, and had an Asian-inspired theme.  I found a recipe for Coconut Chicken Soup that sounded like it just might do the trick.  So, I prepared my soup and awaited the arrival of my au pair friends.

Girls hiking up Great Blue Hill.

After everyone who was planning to hike arrived, we headed over to Blue Hills.  Blue Hills Reservation is composed of 22 hills that stretch over 7,000 acres from Quincy to Dedham and Milton to Randolph.  The tallest of the hills, Great Blue Hill is easily accessed from the Trailside Museum, which is about 4 miles from my house.  We started our adventure at the Trailside Museum, up the Red Dot trail to Elliot Tower which is at the top of Great Blue Hill.  The elevation is 635 feet which provides for a great view of the Boston city skyline.  It also provides a great place to take pictures.

Anna, Monica and Ligia enjoying the scenery.

The hike up to Elliot Tower took about 30 minutes.  So, you would expect the hike down to take maybe 20-25 minutes?  Well, that sounds about right except we took the wrong trail.  So, instead of the quick straight downhill hike, we took a long meandering hike that took us about an hour to complete.  But that was okay because we were all having fun chatting and getting to know each other better.

“Chef Stephanie” preparing our food.

When we finally arrived back at my house, the real fun began.  Stephanie prepared the filling for our Chinese dumplings.  Her “assistants” Lilly, JinJin, and Shirley demonstrated the finesse needed to properly stuff the filling between the dumpling wrappers.  Ksenia, an au pair from Russia, made one small change to their recipe.  In Russia, when families and friends are gathered for celebrations, Russian dumplings are a traditional dish.  They are very similar to the Chinese dumplings, but the stuffing is a little different.  One of their customs is to secretly hide a special treat inside one (or more) of the dumplings.  The person who received the dumpling with the special surprise is said to have good luck!  So, for fun, we hid some pieces of banana in a few of the dumplings.  (The special ingredient can be just about anything–the point is to make the dumpling different than the rest.) 

Our Chinese cooks preparing the stuffing for the dumplings.

We had a lot of fun tasting all of the yummy dishes that Stephanie and her crew prepared for us.  And it was interesting to see the various ways the au pairs from different countries liked to wrap their dumplings.

Learning the tricky art of stuffing dumplings!

Our good friend, Lilly, was getting ready to return home to China later that week.  So, we all enjoyed a special farewell cake.  Lilly was especially excited about returning home because she was expecting a proposal from her boyfriend at the airport.

Dani, an au pair from Brazil had just arrived a few days before and was able to join us for her first cultural activity.  “I really enjoyed this experience!” Dani said. “My favorite part was to know so many girls at once, chat with them and know a little bit more about their cultures and their experiences as au pairs. ” “And, of course, the food,” she added.

Stephanie heard from Lilly shortly after she returned, and confirmed that Lilly had, in fact, gotten engaged.  Congratulations Lilly!  Best wishes for a bright future.

The Gathering Was Bittersweet As We Said Farewell & Best Wishes to Lilly.

Our August Adventure—Day 1: Welcome to Camp Fun!

Two months ago, one of the au pairs in my cluster asked me if I would organize a camping activity.  “Hmmm…that might be fun,” I thought.  There are tons of great places to camp in New England.  I wanted to find a place within two hour’s drive where we could leave on a Saturday afternoon, set up camp Saturday night, and explore the area on Sunday.

Another au pair wanted to have a beach day.  So, I thought, “Why not combine these two activities?”  After researching different areas, I found a cute little family campground on Cape Cod that was willing to give us a sweet  “youth group” deal for $8/per person for the night.  (Shout out to Sippewisset Campground in Falmouth, MA.) I figured we could go to one of the many beautiful beaches on Sunday.

Getting ready for an experience of a lifetime!

A few weeks later, my kids went on a weekend camping trip with their Boy Scout Troop on Martha’s Vineyard.  They took the ferry out of Woods Hole.  They all brought their bikes to Martha’s Vineyard and biked around the island.  That’s when my wheels started spinning and I decided that’s what our au pair group could do on Sunday after camping.  We could take the ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard for the day and rent bikes there.  We could do it all!  Camping, beaching, exploring, shopping, biking….all in one fun-filled weekend.

So fast forward, two months later, and as we are making our final plans for our weekend trip, I find out that the Falmouth Road Race, which attracts over 40,000 spectators to the tiny Cape Cod town, happens to be on the same weekend as our camping trip.  And a few days later, I find out that President Obama and his family would be vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard that same week.

Falmouth Road Race + POTUS + Cape Cod Vacationers= 2 Hour Traffic Delay!

Add these two events together, and what do you get? A 3-hour traffic jam to Cape Cod. The 1 ½ hour drive took us over 3 hours.  But that’s okay.  We made the most out of it by having great conversation in the car.

We finally arrived at the campground and began our fun adventure.  I made the “roommate assignments”, and we began setting up our tents which had been borrowed from host families and friends.  This was not as painful as I thought it would be.  I was really impressed that the au pairs came prepared and knew how to set up their tents!

Setting up our tents was a breeze!

Putting up tents makes you hungry! It’s a good thing we had snacks.  After we ate our snacks, the au pairs wanted to walk to the beach.  There is a lovely 11.5 mile bike bath in Falmouth along the coast called the Shining Sea Bikeway.  It is a beautiful scenic trail that meanders along the coast through wood lands, salt marshes, ponds and seascape.  The campground is located on the Shining Sea Bikeway and has a  path with direct access to the bikeway.  The au pairs planned to walk to the beach along the scenic bike path.  (It’s about a 2 mile walk.)

Shining Sea Bikepath

Beautiful scenery along the Shining Sea Bikepath.

I stayed behind because I was still waiting for one of the au pairs to arrive.  After she arrived, we joined the others on the path to the beach.  We took a long walk, but decided to head back before we reached the beach.  If you are ever in the Falmouth area and are in the mood for a bike ride or just a relaxing scenic stroll, I highly recommend visiting the Shining Sea Bikeway.  It will take your breath away!

After everyone returned to the campsite, we ate dinner and decided to build a campfire. As it turns out, building the campfire was an adventure on its own.  No one could seem to get the fire to stay lit.  It was obvious that there were no Girl Scouts among us…until Angie from Panama and Chris from Brazil came to our rescue.  Who knew girls from tropical climates were good at building fires?

Roasting marshmallows by the campfire.

Gooey marshmallow + chocolate + graham crackers = delicious!

What’s a campfire without s’mores?  We roasted our marshmallows over the fire and then made the traditional camping dessert by smashing the gooey white stuff and a wedge of Hershey’s chocolate between two graham crackers!  The s’mores were a huge success.

Of course, when there’s a campfire, there must be campfire songs.  One of the au pairs suggested that they take turns singing songs from their country.  This part of the evening was very entertaining.  Some of the girls sang in groups while a few people actually sang solos.  I was pretty impressed with the singing talent among our group of au pairs!

Check it out:

After that, we decided to call it a night and go to bed.  (Or at least SOME of us tried to go to sleep, while others spent the next couple of hours singing and giggling.  I won’t mention names here. ) Everyone finally went to sleep after midnight, so of course, around 2 am, a baby started crying and didn’t stop for at least an hour. Just as I finally started to drift off around 5 am, a crow decided to feast on our trash (while crowing!).  Sleep?  Who needs sleep? Ah…the joys of camping.  To be continued…

Winding down after a fun-filled day and night.

Looking Back…Reflections from A Former Au Pair

One of the great things that I enjoy about my “job” (I use this term loosely) as the Boston Local Area Representative at Go Au Pair is that I get the opportunity to get to know some amazing people from places in the world that I will probably never see.  I try to get to know each of the au pairs that I counsel, and I think I have learned something from each of them.  Like any good parent, I would never admit that any one of them is my favorite, but there have been a few who have really inspired me.

Yolandie Burger from South Africa certainly falls into that category.  Landie is definitely a unique person.  Prior to becoming an au pair, she was a park ranger in the “Bush”.   Landie has a great love and respect for children and animals.  She is a very smart, determined young woman with a fun but serious way about her.  When she spoke about her host children, she always had a smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes…even when she was telling stories about particular incidents where “her kids” displayed behavior that she  described as “naughty”.  She always spoke of them with love and tenderness.  Landie’s former host family is a lovely couple with three charming young girls and two dogs.  She was their au pair for a year and 1/2.

I thought it would be fun to check in with Landie and see how things were going and possibly get some advice from her that I could share with current au pairs or young people considering the au pair program.   I asked Landie what her favorite memory of life in the USA was, and she said, “Honestly every moment that I spent with my host family was memorable.”   Surely there must be something that stands out? I asked.  ” Okay, if I had to choose I would say our beach outings,”Landie admitted.   “Oh yes! New England was so beautiful and peaceful.   I loved it because it was right by the ocean.” Lucky Landie, her former host family lives in the quintessential seaside town of Duxbury, MA.

Au Pair Landie Enjoying Duxbury, MA

I also asked Landie if there was anything she would change about her experience, and she replied, “Oh boy!  I maybe wouldn’t be so strict (with rules), but other than that, I can’t say I would change a thing because everything that happened, it helped me to grow as a person and I had an unforgettable experience.”

I asked Landie what she is up to now, and how the au pair program has benefited her since she has returned home.  “You could say that the Au Pair program was just one more positive thing in my life that pushed me in the right career path”.  Landie is currently pursuing a 4 year degree in Elementary Education.  

I asked Landie if she is still in touch with her host family.  “I am definitely still in touch with my host family.  I send them birthday cards, emails, letters, and we communicate with Facebook and Skype.”  

Landie’s parting words of advice for current au pairs?  “To the other Au Pairs–experience things, be open minded, explore and don’t give up. Time goes by way too fast, so soak up every moment you have in the USA.  And be good to your host family because just as you can make a wonderful difference in their lives, so they can in yours!  And most of all…GO HAVE FUN!”

Tax Day Is Coming April 15! What Does That Mean To You?

It’s that time of year when I get bombarded with questions from au pairs and host families about their tax returns.  First of all, I just want to remind you that I am not an accountant.  And just as you wouldn’t ask me for medical advice because I’m not a doctor, please  understand that I am not an authority on taxes.

Now, that being said, I am happy to share my knowledge with you, based on my own research and experience as both a LAR and a previous host family. However, I want to caution you that tax laws are subject to change, so I will also show you where you can find the appropriate information on the IRS’s website which you may refer to for the latest, most authoritative answer.

Here are some of the common questions asked by host families and au pairs.

1.  Q: Are au pair wages subject to federal income taxes?  A: Yes, the IRS has determined that the au pair’s stipend is considered wages, and therefore subject to federal income taxes.

2. Q: Does the host family have to withhold federal income taxes and issue a form W-2 to their au pair?  A:  No.  Because the IRS considers the au pair stipend to be ” paid for a domestic service in a private home, they are not subject to mandatory tax withholding and reporting on form 941 and W-2.”  If both the au pair and host family agree to have taxes withheld from the au pair’s weekly stipend, then the host family could collect taxes up front and report them on form W-2.  (This is not common).

3. Q: Does the au pair have to pay estimated quarterly income taxes? A.  No.  Because it is unlikely that an au pair’s tax burden will be more than $1,000, he/she is not typically required to pay estimated quarterly taxes.

4. Q: What form should an au pair complete to file his/her taxes? A: Au pairs typically file form 1040NR-EZ.  (Download Directions.)

5. Q: If the host family doesn’t have to issue form W-2 to the au pair,   how does the au pair know what her  wages were?  A:  If the au pair has not kept a record of wages earned, it is easily calculated by taking the weekly stipend (typically $195.75/week) and multiplying that by the number of weeks the au pair worked in the US in 2012. Enter that amount on line 3 of form 1040NR-EZ.

6. Q: Will the au pair owe money? A:  That depends on when he/she arrived in the US.  Complete the form to determine if money is owed.  Submit the signed form whether money is owed or not.

7.  Q: What will happen to the au pair if he/she does not pay US income taxes? A.  It is my understanding that, if an au pair owes US taxes and does not pay them, it may affect his/her ability to obtain a visa to visit the US in the future.  If the au pair does obtain a visa and has an outstanding tax obligation, he/she may be required to pay the tax bill plus  penalties. (There could be other consequences that I am unaware of.)

8. Q: Are au pair wages subject to social security and medicare tax withholding?  A.  In most cases, au pair wages are not subject to social security and medicare tax withholding because of the au pair’s status as a J-1 nonimmigrant and nonresident alien.  If an au pair was in the US prior to becoming an au pair (other than as a tourist), he/she may be considered a resident alient, and might be subject to social security and medicare tax withholding.  This is very uncommon.  Check here if you think this might apply to you/your au pair: http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Alien-Liability-for-Social-Security-and-Medicare-Taxes-of-Foreign-Teachers,-Foreign-Researchers,-and-Other-Foreign-Professionals

9. Q: Is the fee paid by the host family to Go Au Pair deductible by the host family as a qualified childcare expense?  A.  In my experience, it typically is. (Caution: fees are typically deductible for the tax year that the services were received, not when the fees were paid.  For example, if you paid your fee in December, 2012, but the au pair did not arrive until January, 2013, the fee would be deductible on your 2013 taxes.  Consult a tax professional if you need clarification.)

10. Q: Is the weekly stipend paid to the au pair deductible by the host family as a qualified childcare expense? A.  In my experience, it typically is.  (Childcare expenses are usually deductible as long as childcare was provided while both host parents were at work or looking for work.)

These are the most common questions asked by au pairs and host families.  Please refer to the IRS website, or consult a tax professional before filing your taxes.

Here is a link to the page on the IRS website that explains most of this information:  http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Au-Pairs.

If you would like to contact the IRS for telephone assistance, you can find the number here: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Telephone-Assistance.

Beware of Pranksters…Don’t Be An April Fool!

Tomorrow is April Fools’ Day here in the USA.  Although this is not an official holiday, this is a fun day that is celebrated in many parts of the world.  It is a day when humor reigns supreme.  This is the one day you can play a practical joke (a funny, harmless trick) on your family and friends without retaliation. (At least until next year!)

There seems to be some debate regarding the origin of April Fools’ Day, or All Fools’ Day.  Many historians believe the holiday began in France in the 16th century after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.  Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, New Years was celebrated near the end of March to coincide with the vernal equinox.  However, many of the French people continued to celebrate New Years on April 1st, either because they did not agree with the change or they had not received word about the change.  Their fellow countrymen began playing pranks on their neighbors to “make fun” of them for their foolishness.  The tradition soon spread throughout Europe.     Other historians believe the tradition started much earlier than that.  The Romans, for example, celebrated “Hilaria”, which was a festival of good cheer that also coincided with the vernal equinox.

However it came to be, April Fools’ Day is always fun at my house!  Living with three boys, there is definitely never a dull moment.   Give them a free pass to play a prank?  Well, that’s just trouble waiting to happen.  They are always tricking me on April Fools’ Day.

This year, I decided that it was my turn to get them back.  So, I did a little research.  And I’m going to share the ideas that I found with my host parents and au pairs.  (I found these on Parenting Magazine’s website, so they have to be okay?  Right? Disclaimer: I am not responsible for your child’s wrath if you decide to try these tricks at home.)

Here are 10 Kid-safe April Fools’ Pranks:

1. Put a few drops of food coloring in a pitcher of milk (choose your kid’s fave shade). Make sure she’s watching when you nonchalantly fix her morning bowl of cereal!

2. Take out cereal bags and put them in mismatching boxes. See how long it takes for everyone to find their favorite cereal.

3.  Wait until your kids are asleep, and then switch them in their beds.

4. Put water in a cereal bowl, and freeze overnight. The next morning, offer to fix your kids a bowl of cereal. Pour the cereal on top of the ice, completely covering it, and watch them try to dig in.

5. Put part of a post-it note over the tracking ball on a computer mouse — it won’t work! (Make sure to write “April Fools!” on the note).

6. Serve up a topsy-turvy dinner to throw your kids for a loop: bake meatloaf in a 12-cup muffin tin and frost with mashed potatoes for a “cupcakes” dinner — bonus if you add food coloring to the spuds. Then toast strips of pound cake for a dessert of “French fries”. Don’t forget red-tinted frosting for ketchup!

7. Bunch up TP and stuff it in the toe of the victim’s shoes. They’ll wonder why their shoes suddenly don’t fit.

8. Add a squirt of lemon juice to a glass of water when your kid’s not looking, then wait for his sour face.

9. Use a pin to make a few small holes in a plastic disposable cup, and make sure to put it back on the top of the stack. Watch as your victim gets a drink and it ends up all over his shirt.  P.S.: Make sure it’s a drink that doesn’t stain, or the joke’s really on whoever has to do the laundry!

10. Take a screenshot of the desktop of Dad’s computer, and leave the image open. Sit back and let him freak out for a few minutes, believing the computer is frozen.

These are just a few ideas.  Try to think of some creative ideas of your own to “fool” you host kids.

Is April Fools’ Day celebrated in your home country?  Feel free to share how you celebrate April Fools’ Day in your country!

Au Pairs Hit the Ice for Some Winter Time Fun

Ying, Amity, Sophie and Sophie take a moment to pose for a snapshot.

Wow!  I’m so behind on my writing, but I am trying to get caught up over the next few days so everyone can hear about all of the fun things we’ve been up to lately.

Our friend, Nemo, managed to shut down all of Boston the  entire weekend that followed the much-anticipated storm.  Luckily, Massachusetts was prepared and we all escaped unscathed.  Our planned au pair outing at Kendall Square’s Community Ice Skating in Cambridge, however, had to be cancelled.  And that’s too bad because we had a record number of au pairs and friends planning to attend this fun, inexpensive, outdoor winter activity.

As the Local Area Representative for Go Au Pair here in the Boston area, I love planning our monthly outings and au pair get togethers.  These monthly activities are an important part of an au pair’s introduction to Amerian culture and provide a great venue for me to get to know these young people and provide them with local support and helpful advice when they need it.

We rescheduled the activity for the following Saturday.  We had a great time, but, unfortunately, many of our au pair friends were unable to attend due to schedule conflicts.

We had some first-timers who had never ice skated before.  Ying, an au pair from China, started the morning off holding on to the railing. After I held her hand a few times around the rink, I eventually let go, and she was skating like a pro!  I love witnessing young people experiencing something new.  It is like watching your child take his first steps.  This is one of the reasons I love my “job”.  (If you can really call this a job?)

Of course, she did fall down a few times, but the important part was, she kept getting back up.

Marcela, Erika and Angeles taking a break.

Angeles, from Mexico and Lily from China, also learned to skate that day.  And then there were some showoffs, like Margaryta from Ukraine, who was practicing her skills ice skating backwards.  Good job, ladies.  I’m proud of you.  Here are some pictures from our fun outing.

Margaryta and Monica–BFF’s

Ying fell down, and she got right back up!

Meet Go Au Pair’s Au Pair Sis

Meet Au Pair Sis

Who is Au Pair Sis?  Au Pair Sis is  an au pair‘s new best friend.  Au pairs come to the US for a one to two year childcare and cultural exchange program.  These brave young men and women leave their homes and families, many times for the first time in their young lives, and come to live with American host families so that they can embrace our culture while providing childcare to these families.

I can only imagine how scary it must be to leave everyone and everything you’ve ever known behind, and exchange it for a life with strangers where everything is foreign…from the language to the food to the driving rules and more.   I think au pairs are some of the bravest people I’ve ever met!  As the Local Area Representative, I, along with my colleagues at Go Au Pair‘s head office in Utah, enjoy supporting our au pairs throughout their placement with our American host families.

But, we thought, wouldn’t it be great if they had a big sister to guide them through this adventure? And wouldn’t it be nice if there was a place where they could meet up with other au pairs who might have similar interests?  Sure they get to meet up with other au pairs in their cluster at their monthly meetings, but what about going beyond that?  How about a place where they could meet up with other au pairs throughout the US?  Maybe someone from their home country?  Or maybe someone who lives in an area they would like to visit?

That’s how Au Pair Sis came to life!  Au Pair Sis is an interactive, fun community where au pairs can get together with each other and also have a “big sister” available to provide support and advice in a very non-threatening way…a virtual friend, confidant, and supporter.  Au Pair Sis is there for all au pairs.  Having a communication problem with your host family and don’t feel comfortable talking to your LAR?  Send Au Pair Sis a private message.  Feeling homesick and want to  have a place to “meet” up with someone from your home country?  Connect with your fellow countrymen on Au Pair Sis’s Facebook page.  Looking for ideas about activities you can do with your host children?  Check out Au Pair Sis’s Facebook page for ideas.  Do you like to read and love talking about the books you read?  Join Au Pair Sis’s book club!

And, best of all, if you would like to share recipes, advice, or activity ideas with other au pairs in the community, be sure to let Au Pair Sis know.  This is a community for au pairs, and everyone can contribute!

Be sure to “Like” Au Pair Sis’s page on Facebook today.  Welcome to the family!