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.

Boston Area Au Pairs Keeping Cool on the Charles River

Wow!  I can’t believe that summer is almost over.  Where did the time go?  Our Boston area au pair group from Go Au Pair has been keeping active this summer.  In July, we stepped outside of our comfort zones (literally) and ventured out on the Charles River for a morning of kayaking.

A kayak is a small, narrow, human-powered boat that is designed to be manually propelled by a double-bladed oar.  Kayaking is a fun, easy to learn sport that is also a great upper body workout!  Obviously, there are serious kayakers who would disagree with me, but I think it’s something that just about anyone can do with very little instruction.

Getting Ready to Go Paddling!

We met up at Charles River Canoe and Kayak in Cambridge.  (I highly recommend this place!  The people are so friendly and helpful there. )  We had a choice between 2-man kayaks and 1-man kayaks.  The 2-man kayaks were the best deal.  At $20 per hour, two people could spend 2 glorious hours on the Charles River for the bargain price of $20 per person.  Since there were 15 of us, I was the odd man out.  Oh well…it’s lonely at the top.

Safety First! Au Pairs Getting Their Lifejackets On.

We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.  The sun was shining and the wind was not too strong.  The temperature was in the high 70’s.  After a brief instruction on paddling technique and water safety, we suited up in our life preservers, hopped in our boats, and began our journey.   (Well, I guess “journey” is a bit of exaggeration…)  We decided to stay close by since I was the only one who had any experience with kayaking.

New Arrival Stacy from S. Africa

We paddled down the channel, took a right turn out onto the Charles River, and then

JinJin and Stephanie Taking a Break!

crossed the river into the Esplanade.  The Esplanade is a beautiful state-owned park with an outdoor concert pavilion, playground, ball fields and community boating.  Some of the au pairs paddled through the Esplanade, taking in the views of the city, while a few of us stopped and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the shore.  After that, we made our way back to the kayak launching area where we met up with some of the other au pairs who had already returned.

Our Beautiful View from the Esplanade

We said our goodbyes to our friends, including one final farewell to Ying from China and Kuschke from S. Africa who would both be returning to their home countries before our August camping trip.  Safe travels, friends…until we meet again.

Accredited? Credit? Non-credit? What’s The Deal With Au Pair Education Requirments?

I often get questions from both host families and au pairs about the au pair program’s education requirement.  This can be somewhat confusing.  Since this topic has many “confusion points”, I am going to address these questions in multiple blog posts.  Today I’m going to specifically discuss the terms “accredited”, “credit” and  “non-credit” as they pertain to the au pair education requirement.  These words sound similar, but have very different meanings.  (That’s English for you!)

The US Department of State says that sponsors conducting an au pair exchange program (like Go Au Pair)  “shall require that EduCare au pair participants register and attend classes offered by an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution for not less than twelve semester hours of academic credit or its equivalent and that all other au pair participants register and attend classes offered by an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution for not less than six semester hours of academic  credit or its equivalent.”

Let’s start with “accredited”.  An accredited post-secondary institution is a school that has received a “seal of approval” from some agency that has been designated to do so.  In most countries, these “quality assurance” designations are granted by the government.  Interestingly, in the United States, accreditation of post-secondary schools is independent of the government and is performed by private membership associations.  As a result, there are many agencies that offer accreditation.  The Department of State does not specifically state which agency must accredit a school for it to be on the “approved list”.  So what does that mean to an au pair?  Basically as long as the school is accredited by some agency, an au pair may take a course there that will qualify for the Department of State’s requirement.  Courses offered by the local YMCA, public library, some newly-formed schools, and town recreation departments do not typically meet this requirement.  So, how do you know if a school is accredited?  In order to become accredited, a school must complete a lengthy and costly application process. As mentioned before, they do this so that they can get a “seal of approval” from some authority.  If they are accredited, they will likely advertise this fact on their website or program brochures.  Go Au Pair has a list of schools that have already been verified as accredited.  You should have received this list in your welcome packet, you can get this list from your LAR, or by contacting Go Au Pair’s Education Coordinator at educoord@goaupair.com.  If you find a school that is not on the list and you are unsure if the school you want to study at is accredited, be sure to contact educoord@goaupair.com to make sure before paying any money for classes.

The term “credit” in this case has to do with “academic credit”.  When you are attending a college or university and are enrolled in a degree program, you are required to obtain a certain number of “credits’ to earn your degree.  The au pair program does have an educational component, but it is not really an education program.  It is a cultural exchange program.  The intent of this part of the program is so that the au pair can experience life as a young American would.  But they are not here to earn a college degree, only to have a college experience.  EduCare au pairs are required to complete 12 credits, or it’s equivalent, and all other au pairs are required to complete 6 credits.  One class is typically equal to 3 credits.

In addition to traditional classes that qualify for academic credit, many colleges offer “non-credit” classes.  ESL courses are usually offered for non-credit as well as some hobby courses (like photography or art) or professional development courses (like computer software courses).  Au pairs often think that these classes do not qualify for the au pair program, but they do!  A non-credit course just means that the classes will not count towards a degree program. But since au pairs aren’t taking classes to get a college degree, these classes are perfectly acceptable.  Remember, that the Department of State said that au pairs must take “6 credits or it’s equivalent”.  They key here, is “it’s equivalent”.    If you are not sure how many credits a non-credit course is equivalent to, you can figure this out by using this formula: 12 classroom hours= 1 credit.  So, a class that meets one time per week for 3 hours and lasts for 12 weeks would be equal to 3 credits.

3 hours per class x 1 class per week x 12 weeks = 36 hours.  36 hours/12=3 credits!

I hope this clarifies some of the confusion about accreditation and college credits.  Good luck in your pursuit of knowledge.  I hope you will choose a course that is interesting and enlightening!

Boston Area Au Pairs and Families Go Wild at the Roger Williams Park & Zoo

This past Sunday, our Boston area cluster of au pairs and many of their host families got together for a family outing  at the Roger Williams Park & Zoo in Providence, RI.  We were also joined by the Providence area group.   This was a fun-filled day that everyone seemed to enjoy.

We met up around 10:00 am outside the zoo entrance.  We all had to enter as a group so that we could utilize a group discount.  As you can imagine, this required a lot of logistical planning (which is always fun because au pairs are NEVER late!).

We all managed to enter the zoo around 10:20.  “If you run to the other side of the zoo,” the zoo employee told us, “you will make it in time for the ‘bathing of the elephants'”  I’ve been to the Roger Williams Zoo many times, and had never seen that, so this was pretty exciting to me.

Watching the elephants get a bath was very exciting!

Alma and her host family enjoying the zoo.

The Ford family…looking good.

Penguins love to show off.

My son, Jake, on the right with my host family’s son, Daniel.

Pink flamingos…and not the kind in your front yard.

These pink flamingos are sleeping on the job!

There’s a bear…Where? Over there!

Alma and her “little brother”, Moses.

Did you know that a camel’s hump is not filled with water? It’s filled with fat!

Wait for us, kids!

A red panda captured our hearts!

The snow leopard blends in with his surroundings!

The Burton family and their au pair enjoying their picnic.

LAR Joan and her children flying a kite.

Lovely Angeles brought some friends along.

The Zolotars enjoying some quality family time.

Marcela and Ksenia are basking in the sun.

A ride on the carousel is a nice treat after a long day.

This is me relaxing with my son after a long day of fun!

Fun at the Hasbro Playground.

We rushed past the zebras and giraffes and made it just in time for the big event.  I do have to say that it was very interesting seeing these giant creatures enjoying their morning baths.  They very patiently lifted their legs when instructed to do so by the elephant trainer…and obediently laid down for their tummy cleansing.  The children were mesmerized, and I guess I was, too.

We then made our way through the park.  We saw everything from farm animals and tropical birds to a snow leopard, a moon bear and bison.  It was interesting to learn about where the animals came from in various parts of the world.  I think we were particularly more observant of these facts since we had people from so many different parts of the world with us!  Our friend, Kuschke from South Africa, pointed out several animals that roam free in her country.  That was neat!

It takes about 2 hours to walk through the Roger Williams Zoo.  Around 12:45, many of us packed into our cars and drove to the other side of the park where we had a picnic lunch in front of the Temple to Music.  The Temple to Music is a beautiful outdoor structure made of marble, reminiscent of Grecian style architecture.  The Temple overlooks a lake and there is a large grassy field in front of it.  This is a great place to take photos have a picnic!  Everyone brought their own picnic lunch and blanket.  Joan, the Go Au Pair LAR from Providence brought several kites and some bubbles.  The kids were certainly entertained.

After we enjoyed our picnic and conversation, some of us ventured across the street to the Hasbro Boundless Playground, with the grand finale being a ride on the carousel.

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.

Boston College Basketball Game Was A Slam Dunk for Area Au Pairs!

Baseball may be America’s favorite past time, but you wouldn’t have known that the past few months.  The months of  February and March are all about  basketball.  And I’m not talking about professional basketball.  I’m talking about college basketball.  You may have heard about “March Madness” and wondered what it is?   Well, “March Madness” is the NCAA’s (National Collegiate Athletic Association)  single elimination basketball tournament that starts out with 64 of the top college teams, culminating with one championship game in April.

In the interest of cultural exchange, I thought I’d share a little history of the game.  Basketball was invented in Canada in 1891 by a teacher named James Naismeth.  There were 18 players in the game, 2 teams of 9. The game was played with a soccer ball and 2 fruit baskets.  The baskets were attached to the balcony on both ends of the gym.  Points were scored by shooting the ball into your team’s basket.  Every time a player made a basket, someone would have to climb up a ladder to retrieve the ball! It wasn’t until later that they decided to cut holes in the bottoms of the baskets to avoid this step.  (Great idea!)

The first public basketball game was played in Springfield, MA in 1892. Basketball quickly spread throughout the United States and Canada.  And when the United States Army joined the First World War in 1917, basketball gained popularity in Europe.

In 1906, metal hoops with nets and backboards replaced the fruit baskets.  And the soccer ball was replaced with a leather ball similar to what is used in today’s game.  But, other than that, the game has not changed much.    The rules are pretty much the same as Naismeth’s game.

But enough with the history lesson.  Being from Kentucky, college basketball is, in my opinion, much more exciting than professional basketball.  (But that’s probably because we never had a professional basketball team to cheer on in Kentucky).  It’s definitely much more affordable.  Some of the au pairs in my cluster expressed an interest in seeing a Boston Celtics game.  But, with ticket prices averaging $100/each, I knew that price was a little out of their budget (and mine, too!).

Since a road trip to Louisville was out of the question, I contacted Boston College and arranged for a group of 22 au pairs to see the Boston College Eagles take on Georgia Tech.  For the bargain price of $10/each, we were able to get center court seats.

Even though Boston College didn’t make it into the “March Madness” tournament this year, the au pairs and I still managed to have some fun cheering them on.   We saw some great cheer and dance routines performed by the BC Eagles cheerleaders and Pom Squad.  Some of us even got to get up close and personal with Baldwin the Eagle, BC’s mascot.  (Check out our own cheerleaders on their Youtube debut.)  Here are some still shots from the game:

That’s me posing with Baldwin the Eagle.

The game gets exciting as the competition heats up!

The lovely ladies from China.

“Peace!”

Some more of our crazy friends.

Amity was having fun with Baldwin the Eagle.

“Come, come on…I don’t bite.”

“But I do peck!”

More game excitement.

Our friend Sam joined us. (She is an adopted member of our cluster!)

The cheerleaders take the floor.

That’s a nice looking group!

The game was exciting until the very end.  We sat on the edges of our seats as BC narrowly beat Georgia Tech with a final score of 72-74.

And in regards to the NCAA championship game next week– I’ll be rooting for my own home town team.  Go Louisville Cardinals!

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!

Boston Au Pairs Have a Weekend of “Snow Much” Fun in New Hampshire

For our January activity, my Boston area  Go Au Pair cluster, had a special treat.  On Saturday morning, we packed into three cars and headed North to check out the snowy mountains in New Hampshire.

We drove two hours to my family’s cabin in Laconia, NH. Our cabin is located about 6 miles from Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford.  We arrived in the area at lunch time and stopped at a local restaurant, Shooter’s Tavern, for a nice lunch.

Enjoying a break after the long ride up to New Hampshire.

The girls were very excited because they had passed the frozen lake on the way and were very curious about the small houses and people walking on the lake.  I explained to them that those small houses are called “bob houses” and people use them as shelter from the frigid weather while ice fishing.  Some of the girls stopped on the way home from the restaurant to walk on the frozen lake.  It was very exciting and frightening at the same time!

Ksenia, Alma & Marche “walking on water”.

When we arrived at the house, everyone unpacked and settled in.  We got our snow clothes on and headed over to Gunstock for an afternoon of snowtubing.  Personally for me, this was the highlight of the weekend.

Snowtubing is a thrilling winter activity that requires no skill!  And doing this at a mountain resort takes all of the hard work out of it.  Just hook your tube onto the pulley, sit back,  and enjoy the ride up the hill.  Once we reached the top of the hill, we rode back down in groups, enjoying a little competitive racing.

The girls are getting ready to race down the mountain in their snowtubes!

After our snowtubing adventure, we headed back to the house to enjoy a nice cozy fire, a hot dinner, and some warm conversation.  After dinner, the au pairs entertained each other with an exciting game of Wii Just Dance 4!  Some of us went to bed early because we had to get up really early to make it to our ski lesson in the morning.  (Some of us did not go to bed early…but I won’t mention any names here.)

The “Just Dance” competition was getting serious!

There were 13 au pairs who went on the trip.  Out of the 13, two knew how to ski/snowboard.  (They were both from Russia.)  The rest of us, myself included, were lucky enough to participate in Ski New Hampshire’s “Learn to Ski or Snowboard for Free Week”.  Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get reservations at Gunstock for this special free promotion, but I was lucky to  secure everyone a spot at Ragged Mountain Resort, which is about 45 minutes further away.    (This meant we had to get up even earlier, but that was okay because everyone saved a lot of money by doing this.)

Let’s just say it’s not very much fun sharing 2 bathrooms with 13 other women.  But other than that, our morning went pretty smoothly.  We all got dressed in our snow duds, ate breakfast, cleaned up, packed up, and were ready to leave by 8:30 am.  Our lesson was at 10:00 am and were supposed to arrive by 9:00 am.  (Oh well, we tried.)  We arrived at the mountain, got checked in and fitted for our equipment.  We made it just in time for the start of our lesson.

Excited girls getting ready for a new experience!

There were two au pairs who decided to take snowboarding lessons, while the rest of us gave skiing a shot.   It was very challenging, but I think everyone had a good time.  After the initial lesson, they split us up into two groups.  We learned the very basics–how to put on and take off our skis, how to turn, how to slow down, and most importantly, how to stop! Most of us even ventured to take a ride on the chair lift and ski down the “bunny slope”.  That was a lot of fun!

Ligia, an au pair from El Salvadore who is currently in her second year, had tried snowboarding shortly after she first arrived in the US last January.  “With this lesson I feel more confident, and I know the next time I go, I’ll be rocking the diamonds!” she told me. “So, you’re planning on doing this again?” I probed.  “I would love to try it a million times again,” she added.  “No matter how many times I fell, I would LOVE to do it again!”

JinJin getting ready to hit the slopes!

One au pair had a close encounter with ski patrol.  Ski patrol are the on-site medics who drive around on snowmobiles rescuing injured skiers.  Fortunately, it was a minor accident that involved our au pair crashing into a handsome snowboarder…but that’s a story for another time.  Seriously, other than a bruise and a minor headache, she was fine.  “I tried it.  I did it.  Now I’m done with skiing,” she told me after her incident.  Oh come on, Alma, give it another chance!  Maybe you should try snowboarding next time?

New Hampshire is sooo much fun!

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!