blog

Au Pair USA, Kiah Peters

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:44:48 +1000

Kiah is currently in the USA on our Au Pair program. Here is her latest news:

"Hi!

Everything is going great here. I love my host family & kids, they are so wonderful in many ways! All good news! I have been super busy with my family, studies & going out with the other au pairs. I went to Boston for St Patricks Day as a part of my studies and had an awesome time seeing everything and spending time with other au pairs.

The kids never really leave me alone (but I don't mind!) the oldest & I regularly talk about the Hunger Games! The eight year old (and only girl) comes to me to talk about girly things because she is surrounded by a younger and older boy so she loves to talk about my clothes and jewellery. I love it because I always wanted a younger sister and now I do!

I may be heading to Washington & Canada in July for studies & a holiday, which I can't wait for!

All in all I am having the time of my life and this is by far the best experience of my life.

I have attached some photos of the baby & I, another photo of when we had a big snowstorm here in January & the au pairs & I in NYC last month, I am third in on the right and me in Boston.

Kind regards,

Kiah :-)"

Au Pair USA participant, Kathryn Wenborn

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:44:20 +1100

Kathryn Wenborn was a participant in the USA Au Pair program in 2011.

"When I decided to participate in the au pair program I hoped to gain a second family out of the experience. I spent a lot of time emailing with my first family, trying to ascertain if they were a good match for me and once I decided to accept their offer I began eagerly preparing for my departure from Australia. Upon arrival I was immediately attacked by an onslaught of homesickness which lasted a good few weeks. The literature you are given to read before you leave your home country is very true, everything around you is just 'wrong.' Even ridiculous things like traffic lights being in a different place remind you that you are living in a different country now and home is hundreds of kilometres away. If I could give any advice to new au pairs it's that the homesickness is intense, but it doesn't last. Every day it becomes more and more diminished.

My first family seemed perfect for me. The kids, parents and I all shared common interests and it seemed like a match made in heaven. However, a few months into my placement the cracks started to show and it was evident in the second half of my year with them that the match was not going to last and a rematch was imminent. At this moment I thought all my great plans to acquire a second family out of my experience were dashed and that I would be lucky to find another family with which to end my year.

My first thought when I was informed of the coming rematch was that I wanted to stay in the greater DC area. I had friends, classes and an upcoming trip to London all planned - a trip that was beginning at DC Dulles airport!!! Luckily, a couple of families wanted to interview me and so I entered the suburb of Ashburn into my GPS.

I never looked back.

I knew I had found my kind of family when the first word's out of the mom's mouth were "Hi, I'm Kim.... did you happen to see 2 kids on roller skates as you drove up??? No?? Well let's go look for my kids....." (In the rain) I definitely baulked slightly when I learned there were FOUR kids, not to mention 3 very lively dogs and a cat but I desperately wanted to finish my year as an au pair, and there was something about Kim and Jason that told me I had found my kind of people.

My experience with the Halls has taught me I should never judge a book by its cover. If I had been living in Australia and come across the Hall's application I probably would have dismissed them immediately, telling myself there was no way I could cope with 4 kids on a daily basis. Was I ever wrong.

A couple of weeks into my rematch I knew I had finally found the second family I had always wanted. Kim and Jason are quite simply the most amazing host parents an au pair could ever hope to find. They're caring and considerate and always strive to ensure that they never take advantage of their au pair. Half the time I bully them into letting me babysit so they can have a night to themselves because they are so intent on not letting me overwork. We have had so much fun together over the past nine months. They both have an amazing sense of humour and we frequently find ourselves standing in the kitchen with tears streaming down our faces, laughing hysterically at something that happened during our days. They've become my best friends, the two people who I always want to hang out with; whether it's cheering on the Washington Capitals Hockey team with Jason or getting pedicures and coffee milkshakes with Kim.

And those four children I mentioned earlier?? They have become like a mixture of my own children and my siblings. They have their moments - like all children - but they are loving, fun kids, who enjoy playing hockey and football in the cul-de-sac with the neighbours, under my watchful eye. Whether we're riding rollercoasters together at Busch Gardens Amusement Park or playing a fierce game of tag on the beach, we have had so much fun together. I feel so privileged to have watched these kids grow for a small part of their lives and I am saddened that I cannot remain with this amazing family longer, to continue to watch these gorgeous kids grow and mature. I definitely realised how much I had grown to love them when I was upset at the beginning of the school year, when the 3 older boys would be in school full time. Most au pairs were doing the happy dance that they would have their days to themselves until the following summer, and I wanted my kids to stay home with me. Even my little girl (also called Kathryn) would be in preschool 3 mornings a week; my happy days of summer vacation surrounded by 4 little voices babbling about Pokemon and princesses was at an end. I was only with the family for a month when I decided to extend for six months so I could spend more time with this wonderful family.

Basically, I am a firm believer in the au pair program. I have gained more that I ever hoped, a second family, amazing new friends, endless travel opportunities and the chance to live abroad and mature as a person. There were times that I wanted to leave but I'm so glad I stuck it out, because if I'd left I never would have become part of the incredible Hall family. A family who cannot get rid of me if they try; i'll definitely be back and I can't wait until the whole family decides to vacation in Sydney so I can welcome them into my home with the same compassion and acceptance with which they welcomed me into theirs."

The Au Pair experience from a host mum's perspective

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:31:30 +1100

Kim Hall lives in Ashburn, USA, and was the host mother of Australian Au Pair Kathryn Wenborn.

"We chose the au pair route because, let's face it, it was the most practical thing to do considering we had 4 children. Daycare costs are exorbitant and daycare providers/teachers turn over so frequently that we sometimes didn't know the names of the people taking care of our children on a daily basis. My husband and I thought long and hard about having someone live with us on a daily basis. That was our originally our biggest concern - someone was going to be living with us! As we researched more and more into the the US laws and regulations on the au pair program as well as the many different au pair agencies, we decided that this wasn't a decision we could "try out." We had to just jump in...sink or swim. Thankfully we've swam everyday since January 2009.

We are huge advocates of the au pair program now. We wonder how we made it before! We got used to the idea of someone living with us very, very quickly. Besides, we were already a family of 6...what's one more??? Our first au pair was a godsend. It was like the stars aligned and a match in heaven was made. Friends and family took our au pair in and made her feel like family. She was great, awesome, wonderful, loving, sweet, regimented, disciplined, etc. We had a great relationship with the au pair which was made partly because of the interview process. Our au pair agency sent along the au pair profile with recommendations, interviews, etc. and we were able to make an initial assessment of our fit based on that profile. The one thing I really enjoy about our particular au pair agency is that it has the feeling of a small company. Our au pair coordinator is available to us 24x7. The home office on the other side of the country even knows our family! We have established a good reputation with the company as well as in the au pair circuit.

My husband and I pride ourselves on making our au pairs feel like they're #1. We let them know from the beginning that we're all in the together and that they are part of our family. They are also "co-parenting" with us. Giving our au pair the freedom to make some decisions about our children's day to day lives enhances their relationship together because the children then learn that the au pair really is a "parent" and the au pair is capable of making hard decisions. We value the au pair agency's selection and interview process so we know that we'll be getting the right person for our children. That is not to say we haven't had our fair share of problems.

After au pair #1 left and au pair #2 was on her own, we discovered that au pair #2 did not have the self confidence she needed to be with a busy and large family. A series of unfortunate events led us to rematching. Our au pair coordinator was with us every single step of the way. Although it was very uncomfortable and very difficult to do, it was the best choice for our family...especially for our children. We also thought that our match made in heaven with au pair #1 couldn't be beat. Were we ever wrong. Our au pair agency referred to us an au pair that was looking for a rematch as well. She happened to live close enough to us that she could drive down to our house for an interview. When she arrived at the door, I greeted her with, "Hi, you must be Kathryn. Did you happen to see any kids outside when you drove up? No? Alright...let's go for a walk to find my kids." So au pair #3 began her journey with our family. She was also very adament that she was only going to stay to finish out her year and then she was going back home to Australia. Somehow, miraculously, she changed her mind and opted to extend for 6 months which was the best thing she ever gave us. The relationship our au pair has with our children now is unbelievable. As a mother it is very comforting to see my children run to our au pair and throw themselves on her telling her they love her. She doesn't care that sometimes our 3 year old girl wakes her up at 2am with a bloody nose. She loves our children like they're her own family. We love her so much that even thinking about her going home brings tears to my eyes. There is a special, special bond parents develop with their au pairs and sometimes those bonds are not meant to be broken. It takes a special person to become an au pair - someone who is mature, responsible, self-confidant, and outgoing. Kathryn is that special person and then some. We are so grateful that we happened to need her probably more than she needed us. People like her don't come around very often!

We are currently in the matching process again for au pair #4. It's always hard when the au pairs leave (even au pair #2). However, even with the pain of them leaving, we are so happy that we finally jumped in with the au pair program. It's made our hectic life so much better and much more fun! We have the time to spend with our kids...quality time that with daycare we never had.

Kim"

FAKE EMAILS USING THE NAME OF STUDENT EXCHANGE

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:29:41 +1000

IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT FAKE EMAILS FROM @WORLDJOB-CAREER.COM ARE CIRCULATING OFFERING PAID LOCAL COORDINATOR POSITIONS FOR STUDENT EXCHANGE. THESE ARE FAKE EMAILS EMANATING FROM DUBIOUS SOURCES AND SHOULD BE DELETED.

STUDENT EXCHANGE AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND LTD HAS NO ASSOCATION WITH WORLDJOB-CAREER.COM AND THEY DO NO ACT ON OUR BEHALF.

WE DO HAVE LOCAL COORDINATOR POSITIONS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE BUT THEY ARE UNPAID, VOLUNTARY POSITIONS.

More news before Christmas

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:15:32 +1100

On my previous entry I told you all about my magical Christmas weekend where I got to cut down a real tree and get my photo taken with Santa. I really didn't think anything would top that...until now!

Last weekend started off with a trip to the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts in DC to see that National Symphony Orchestra perform their annual Christmas concert and this year it was conducted by Marvin Hamlisch!! It was incredible! The music was great, performers were amazing and the special guest for night (besides Santa of course) was the lady who lent her voice to 'The Little Mermaid" - one of my favourite Disney princesses! I was definitely star struck that night.
The next morning we got up in sub-freezing temperatures to take a road trip to New Jersey and then on to New York. While in New Jersey I didn't see any of the infamous Jersey Shore crew (thankfully) but we did get to buy cakes from Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken - the famous 'Cake Boss' from the reality show of the same name. I really hope you have all had the privileged to watch Buddy and his crew. It is one of my favourite shows to watch with the kids! The cakes were definitely worth the line-up outside in the rain

Then it was off to New York City to see the famous Rockerfella Christmas tree, skate at the Rockerfella ice rink and see the Rocketts perform their Christmas Spectacular at the Radio City Music Hall. That was most definitely, without a doubt, absolutely the highlight of my weekend!!

Christmas in the USA

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:14:25 +1100

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go...

This past weekend we went to an organic Christmas tree farm, picked our tree and cut it down ourselves! This is the first time I have had a live Christmas tree and to be able to say that I cut it down with my own bare hands and carried it to the roof of our car is so exciting!! We drove home with the tree tied to our roof, just like a movie. I must say, we have been lucky not have any real Griswold incidents yet though.

We went to visit Santa last night at the mall and got our photo taken too. Its was a big family shot this year (me included!) and the girls have asked Santa for a surpise trip for Christmas. My fingers are crossed for a trip to Florida...watch this space.

All presents are wrapped and tonight we get to open our Christmas stockings because my host family celebrate Kris Kringle day (a German tradition). We will be decorating the tree and making cookies too. Have I told you how much I love this time of year! I have a feeling it might start snowing tonight too, at least that's what my phone is telling me. With temperatures hovering around the freezing mark it's not too much of a stretch.

Well if I dont get a chance to say it before the end of the month, Merry Christmas to you all!! I hope you enjoy the holiday season with friends and family and I hope I get to enjoy it with SNOW!!

Time to make some hot chocolate and crack open a book.

Cassandra

Ella in France

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:28:03 +1100

I've now been in France for a bit over six months and its almost starting to feel normal.

It was really hard to start out with, being majorly homesick, and trying to be respected by the two little girls, but everyone in the family I live with have been really supportive and I don't think I could have found a better bunch of people to live with for a year.

Chiara and Marie-Lea went back to school at the start of September (yes they are only 3) and so I now have a bit more time to myself during the day and have been trying to work out where are some good places to day trip to on the weekends. The girl’s school is still just 5 minutes walk up the road and they seem to have a good time. Their new teacher knows what she’s doing, has purple hair, and doesn't take any nonsense, she's great. The French school year seems to have lots of holidays though so they're on holidays again on the 20th of this month for a week or two.

Although I haven't been for a big trip across to a whole lot of other countries, I've been trying to see as much of France as I can in the time that I have between looking after the girls. So, so far I've been to, Normandie, Paris a couple of times (going back a few more for sure!), Verdun (the first place the Germans landed in WWI), Thionville (like Burnie but inland), Cap d'Agde - which is next to the Mediterranean and I loved it, also we went by car so I got to see all the towns (Lyon, Montpellier, a famous bridge "le Viaduc de Millau" and lots of castles) and countryside along the way for 10hrs!!! Luxembourg (the city has the same name as the country) and Strasbourg.

I went to Strasbourg last weekend and its super pretty, super old, and super cold, so it has a lot of super powers. I went on a Swiss train and they actually checked that I had a ticket for once! (Unlike Luxembourg where they don't seem to care who goes in and out of their country, they didn't check my passport or tickets both times I've been). The region Alsace and its capital Strasbourg was apparently before the wars between France and Italy in the 1600s a country. The city itself is built on an island in the middle of a river and there are still a few towers around that made up the old fort that surrounded the city in the 1300s. The biggest and grandest thing in the city is the cathedral where you have to stand 200m back to get from top to bottom in a photo and it has over 2000 little sculptured angels and gargoyles and stuff. Lots of carved wooden houses and a beautiful tanner’s village that looks like it should be in a cartoon. I took the little tourist train round the town and it said that some of the foundations date back to 200BC when the Romans were there and they founded the city. Lots of Germans and Italians and English people in the city and almost all speak English as a first or second language, like Luxembourg where it was like someone from every country in the world had decided to visit but they all spoke English as well. Anyway Strasbourg had lots of bridges and little alley ways and puddles. Lots of puddles, it was raining, and bitterly cold it was FREEZING!!!!!! and my umbrella felt like it was going to cave in from the rain (yes I bought an umbrella, it matches my shoes that I have back home :) ) so I invested in a really warm coat that was super toasty, I think it might have saved me from hyperthermia.

I might try and get to Munich for Oktober Fest but it depends if I can get 3 to four days off coz the trains go at extra stupid times.

Oh and I started my language course (finally!!!!) at Metz Uni. Although I can speak limited French I was one of the best in the class along with a Brazilian boy, the youngest, the only Australian, and the only person who spoke English as a first language. It felt so weird.

Ummmm...what’s happening in the next few months, just incase I’m as slack and don't write another email for a while.

October 20 - Girl's are on school holidays.
November (late) - Euro Disney with the family in Paris.
December - 20 to 27th in Madiera (a little Portuguese island off the coast of Africa)
January - try not to freeze
February 26 to March 6 - go skiing with the family, it’s the first time Chiara and Marie-Lea will be old enough to learn.
March - 13 the girls fourth birthday, and catch the plane home to Aus.
- 15 will be back in Australia.

Sounds tough doesn't it?

Don't get me wrong though, looking after two very energetic twin three year old girls is awfully hard work and I have so much more respect for all the Mums and Dads, especially mine.

I'm so glad I'm here and 5 months until March seems like a long way off but I'm sure it will come around quickly.

Oh I almost forgot, Marie-Lea yesterday, got all dressed up in her princess costume, stuffed all her crowns and teddy in a bag and then said
"Aurevoir, my famille,"
et je dit
"ou tu vas?"
"Je vais pour Australia," (with an English accent),...."mais une autre Australie, avec les petit kangarou mais pas les crocodiles, et les serpents."

I asked her to point out on the map, which part she was going to go to, and she was going to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
je dit
"c'est vrai?"
"oui, il n'y a pas les crocodile et les serpents la."

Good luck Marie -Lea

Update from Cassandra Moscos - Au Pair in USA

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:13:01 +1000

I don’t know where the summer has gone! I recently realized that school goes back in less than a month and I really haven’t had much time with the kids at all. Right now, they are in the middle of a 2 week RV trip with their dad and I just returned from a week in the Dominican Republic with 2 Au Pair friends (it was one of our 2 weeks vacation time).

The Dominican Republic was amazing! We spent most of our time at the resort (with an all inclusive deal, who wouldn’t?) but managed to get out into the countryside for a day too. We met some locals and visited a school, took photos with the children, and tried sugarcane and boogie boarding. Apart from getting smacked off my board and injuring my shoulder, it was a great day!

Earlier in the summer I went on a 10 day trip to Southern California with my host family. We spent 5 days on Catalina Island where we went zip-lining, fishing, snorkeling and took a night time tour on a submarine. We also spent time in Laguna Beach and I got to see the Pageant of the Masters (a life-art show) and we went to the Sawdust Festival. We got to explore neighbouring areas as well (Newport Beach, Oceanside and San Diego).

At the start of the summer, we were busy getting ready to move. We didn’t move far (just over a mile) but the new house is in a very kid-friendly neighbourhood and we are now finally unpacked and ready to start the new school year.

I have a new Aussie friend in DC now. Kathryn arrived a month ago and is in my cluster group. We had our cluster meeting yesterday but managed to squeeze in a trip to the mall and some drinks and pool too. Her kids are the same age as mine so I am pretty sure we will arrange a play date or two!

I am looking forward to the kids returning so we can hang out together before school goes back. I had so many things planned for them time has run away from me.

Winter Update - 2 weeks before school is out

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:11:37 +1000

Today is a great day! It's my 5 month anniversary and it's less than 2 weeks before school gets out and the kids are on summer break...when we're not travelling this summer, I plan on spending a lot of time by the pool since it's over 35 degrees with 100% humidity almost everyday here.

I don't think I have sent an update since our trip to Florida. I had such a great time with my host family. I have been blessed with an amazing host family who are very generous and understanding. In Florida we went on a safari and saw so many animals. I even held a baby aligator!! Our hotel was right on the beach and when we weren't eating amazing food we were swimming and playing by the water. I forgot how much fun the beach was with kids.

Because the girls love the beach so much we took a day trip to Ocean City, Maryland, on Saturday after Avery's soccer final. She lost but we had so much fun at the beach that nobody remembered anyway. The kids went boogie boarding and made sand castles and it was a really great day! I hope to get down to Virginia Beach this weekend too.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with friends watching the world cup. Unfortunately the Socceroos...well, we all know how it went :( Regardless of the score, it was an awesome day and I made so many friends with my Socceroos jersey on. I think people took pity on me.

Right now I have a tonne of zucchini bread baking that I better go check on. We are growing our own organic vegies in the backyard and have managed to grow 35cm long zucchinis! I always thought the larger vegies were genetically modified but after I was mistaken. I cant wait for the watermelons to take off!

Hope you all stay warm through the winter.

The Liberty Bell to Annapolis for seafood and ice-cream

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:10:22 +1000

Cassandra Moscos is currently in the US on the Au Pair USA program. Here's an extract:

I can't believe that I am now in my 5th month over here! Time flies when you are having fun, but it really does shoot right past you when you are having the time of your life!

I took my host family to a Greek Spring festival in Maryland last Sunday where we got to sample lots of amazing foods, drink coffee, and dance the zorba (which I have now successfully taught the girls to dance!) I really don't think that the Australian and American cultures are all that different, so it was nice to share my Greek culture with the family instead. And this coming weekend we are having our monthly cluster meeting at another Greek festival in DC.

I have taken a few day trips these last few weeks to try and see as much of the surrounding areas as I can. My other Au Pair friends are more than happy to join me. We have been to Annapolis for seafood and ice-cream, Baltimore to visit the grave of Edgar Allen Poe, and over the next few weeks I want to make it up to Philly to see the Liberty Bell. As the weather starts to warm up, I am sure we will be trying to work out how to get to the nearest beaches around here too :)

And today I made muffins for the girls as a surprise after school, made my own french knitting loom out of an empty toilet roll and skewers then taught myself how to french knit, and did a load of washing and hung it out on our new hills hoist! Martha Stewart eat your heart out :)

Until next time...

New York, cherry blossoms and soccer practice

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:09:09 +1000

I am finding it hard to remember when I last sent an update because things here have been non-stop!

Too start, a few weeks ago the younger girls were sent home from school with head lice (again!) and we had to call in "The Lice Patrol" to make sure we got them all this time. Luckily I managed to avoid getting it because I was planning on travelling over Spring Break and the last thing I needed was lice (yuck)!

It was Spring Break over Easter and, as my host family had already planned a vacation before they decided to have an Au Pair, I had 2 weeks off! I spent my vacation in New York and visited some friends in New Hampshire and Colorado.

New York was great!! I saw 3 Broadway shows and was completely stack by Angela Lansbury, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Scarlett Johansen; caught up with a friend from Australia; ate breakfast at the "Seinfeld cafe"; and walked my butt off. I ate great lobster and clam chowder in New Hampshire and Maine, and had a lot of fun seeing my old friends in Colorado too.

When I got back to DC it was Cherry Blossom peak bloom time and I spent an entire day walking around the Tidal Basin taking photos of the gorgeous trees. The Cherry Blossom Festival was still in full swing too and I took my girls to the parade and Japanese Festival over the weekend. We went with some of my friends too so we spent the afternoon playing with a ball out the front of the White House!

On Sunday I decided to hit the outlets! I love shopping and found a partner in crime to help feed my addiction. Outlets are my new best friend :)

The weather has been amazing! Over 30 degrees on a few days, but otherwise a pleasant mid-high 20s and lots of sunshine. My favourite part about spring is seeing all the people out and about! We played frisbee and soccer on the lawn at the Washington Monument, between the White House, Lincoln Memorial and Capitol...and half way through our game President Obama drove past us with his entourage! Guess he was just coming home from a Sunday picnic?

Soccer season has begun and I am the assistant coach (ie crazy person who makes the girls run a lot). Our first game is this weekend and I can't wait to see how the girls play!

Cass

Cass's runs through her average week

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:07:36 +1100

Hi there,

Just got the kids on the bus and took the dogs for a walk. It's 9am and I should be at the gym but I've got to wait for the dryer to finish and then I'll go. It's strange hearing myself talk like this; I sound like such a housewife! Thought I'd fill you in on a typical week:

Monday - It's my morning off so I don’t start work until I pick up the kids at the bus stop at 4:30pm. I usually sleep in, go to the gym, read a book, watch TV or go shopping during the day. After I pick up the kids we take the dogs for a walk, have dinner (which I have already prepared) and wait for mum to come home.

Tuesday - Wake up at 7am. Make breakfast for the kids and make their lunches. Walk the kids and the dogs to the bus stop at 8am. Put the kids on the bus and have the rest of the day free. Pick up the younger 2 at school at 4:45pm after Hip-Hop class and bring them home for dinner. Take care of the youngest child while mum takes the older 2 to water polo. They get home just before 10pm and my day is done.

Wednesday - Wake up at 7am. Make breakfast for the kids and make their lunches. Walk the kids and dogs to the bus stop at 8am. Put the kids on the bus and have the rest of the day free. Pick up the younger 2 at school at 3:45pm, play in the park for a little while and then walk to their dad's apartment. Stay with them at their dad's apartment, have dinner and put them to bed. Dad then comes home after water polo with the oldest just before 10pm and I go home.

Thursday - Because the kids stay with their dad on Wednesday nights, I have the morning off again. I walk with the dogs to the bus stop at 3:45 to pick up the younger 2 and we come home to do homework, read, play and have dinner. Mum gets home from work and takes the older 2 to water polo while I stay with the youngest. Once I know where to go, I might take them to water polo and mum will stay home. Again, I finish work when they get home.

Friday - 7am Wake-up, breakfast, make lunch and go to the bus. Again, my day is free. I pickup the kids at the bus stop at 3:45pm and we have the afternoon to play. I usually wait to cook dinner so the kids can help me. They like to help cook. We usually watch a movie Friday nights but I am free to go out if I have plans.

Saturday - This varies depending on what's happening but I usually take Emily to gymnastics at noon or go to water polo if it's on. If there is nothing to help with, I have the day off. Saturday nights I go out with some friends either to a club, dinner, movies, bowling, skating, or just hang out.

Sunday - This is my day off. I usually go shopping with friends or to the movies. This week I have plans to go to a museum with someone I met last weekend in Washington DC. Plans on Sunday change all the time.

I am lucky because I have been placed with a family of school aged children so I have more freedom and time off. I'm also lucky because I am in Arlington, Virginia and my house is only 3 blocks from the metro. There are a lot of things around here to keep me occupied and I'm very close to Washington DC.

I've made friends with some of the Au Pairs around here and we are going to Atlantic City. This is my scheduled weekend off for the month. I can’t wait! My host mum has given me some great tips on Atlantic City and is encouraging us to run-a-muck. She’s the best host mum! :)

Well, the dryer's finished so I better get to the gym.

Cass

Vegas, babies and a white dress

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:05:17 +1100

Hi,

I am going to apologise now for the length of this email. I haven’t written one in so long I am trying to remember all that has happened in the last few weeks.

To start...Vegas was awesome!
On the metro to the airport the girls and I decided the theme song for the trip was going to be "All the single ladies" by Beyonce because we were 5 single ladies ready to party (ok, so we varied in age from 6 - 40ish but it still worked).

Then after 6 hours at the airport, 2 failed attempts to take off and a cancelled flight, the theme song switched to "So you had a bad day". It helped to lighten the mood slightly as we took ourselves home for the night.

The 4am wake call came along with the song "Viva Las Vegas" (sung by me) and then when we landed in Vegas we decided on "That's what you get for waking up in Vegas"! Keeping the theme of musicals alive, we saw LOVE by Cirque de Soleil (which was amazing by the way!)

We stayed at the Paris hotel and it was incredible...brought back some fond memories of the actual Paris and we even went to the top of the Eiffel Tower to view the strip. Suzanne wanted to take the girls to see the Human Bodies exhibition at the Luxor Hotel so we headed down there. While waiting for our tickets the girls and I filmed a green screen movie. That was heaps of fun!

So that's Vegas....and now for the babies...
My host sister from my exchange [Cass was an exchange student with our sister organisation, Student Exchange Australia, back in 2003]in lives in a town about 45minutes from Arlington and her little baby girl turned 2 two days before my niece back home turned 2. I was invited to her birthday party at CiCi's pizza so I got to finally meet her and see the rest of the family again. It was great! They have three kids (aged 8, 5 and 2) and I can’t wait to spend more time with them throughout the year.

OK, now comes the white dress...
One of my Au Pair friends here is getting married in Columbia when she goes home but wanted to buy her dress from here. I got to go dress shopping with her - YAY! I helped her decide on a gorgeous dress and loved being there looking at all the different brides and what they put on.

And then there was my weekend that just passed...
I attended a weekend Au Pair Course at the Sojourner-Douglas College in Baltimore and earned 4 of my 6 college credits required to successfully complete my year as an Au Pair. It was such a great weekend! There were about 499 girls and 1 guy and most of the Au Pairs are from my area. My social network is blowing up and I love love love it!

I learnt about American Holidays, Presidents and Government; took a Yoga and Zumba class; contributed to a discussion on life skills and talked about nutrition and women's health. The weekend was structured well and the instructors were warm and friendly. It was a lot of fun.

Planning a Girl's Night Out next weekend with some locals I have met and all my new Au Pair friends....stay tuned for that :)
Love from sunny warm Virginia!
Cass

I survived Snowmagedon 2010!

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:04:18 +1100

Hi guys,

Just wanted to send you a quick email before I leave to pick up the kids from school and then....board our plane to VEGAS!!! And yes, I'm VERY excited!

In the last few weeks my driving and sense of direction has really improved! I have started driving the older girls to water polo in Annapolis and I drive on busy freeways in peak hour traffic! To give you an idea, the trip home takes 40minutes, but the trip there has taken me almost 2 hours most days! I thought Sydney traffic was bad, but this is ridiculous! To make matters a little worse, I am still learning my way around so it's stressful not knowing if an exit is coming up and i’m in the 4th lane over.

I don’t know if you've seen the news and the amount of snow we got dumped on us recently...but thankfully the weather is warming up and the melting has started. Some of the roads are still only ploughed for single lane traffic, which makes local driving a little tricky. But the highways, apart from the crazy ozone-hole sized potholes, are reasonably good.

And today is gonna be great. I’m meeting my Au Pair mum in Vegas with the three girls and we are seeing Love by Cirque de Soleil tomorrow night. I'll be back late Saturday night and we have our second Au Pair cluster meeting on Sunday. We are going outdoor skating at the Sculpture Gardens on the Mall (that's where all the museums are).

Well I better go.

Cass

A Little Adventure with Cass

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:03:15 +1100

Getting lost in a busy foreign city with 3 kids in the car and an almost empty tank of petrol is not my idea of a good time. Apparently for the kids, however, it was quite the adventure!

The plan was to meet my host mum at her office in Washington DC at 5:30pm and then we were all going to drive to Annapolis for water polo together. She’s trying to get me used to driving the route so I can take the girls myself soon too. Good plan!

I got the kids from the bus stop at 4:30pm, fed them dinner and we were out the door by 5pm (impressed?) I wanted to give myself extra time to get there because I wasn’t sure what the traffic would be like and I have only driven this route once. DC is less than 8km from our place and should only take 10minutes. But when you get lost and start heading in the wrong direction on a freeway with no exit, the trip ends up taking an hour and a half! Thank God for iPhones and a really switched on 13year old co-pilot.

We eventually found a petrol station, filled up and got back on the right road. We got to water polo an hour late, but my host mum was great about it! As she said, it’s the best way to learn, and tonight we’re going to do it all again!!

Hope you're doing well.

Cass

Cassandra Moscos 2nd Update

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:01:18 +1100

I’ve had a bit of an unusual first week compared to the other Au Pairs I’ve spoken to. I’m Au Pairing for a divorced family so time is split, like the kids, between mum and dad. This weekend, my first weekend in Arlington, the kids were away with their dad so I didn’t have to work straight away. This has been a blessing because it’s given me a chance to unpack, settle in, practice driving on the other side of the road and get my bearings. Arlington looks like a great city and I’m excited about exploring the area this year.

I’m lucky because my house is 3 blocks from the Metro and only 3 miles from the heart of DC. The city of Arlington is really safe and not as busy as other cities in the USA, which is great considering I have to drive on a lot of main roads to get the kids to all their after school activities.

I had my first real driving experience today. I am getting a lot more comfortable driving on the right side of the road, I’ve stopped trying to shift gears with my left hand and I am a lot more conscious of the fact that there is a lot of ‘car’ to the right of me. My host mum made me drive around today so I could get used to the routes I will be taking to pick up the kids, go to the grocery store, go to their dad’s house, etc. I felt like I was taking my driving test again. Luckily I passed!

I’ve already been out with a couple of the Au Pairs in my area and they’re going to be great support. It’s really good to know that you are not alone over here. We had our first monthly meeting over the weekend with our cluster of Au Pairs and our coordinator. The original plan was for us to go ice skating on the outdoor rink in the Sculpture Gardens in Washington DC. Unfortunately it was raining so we ended up meeting at a local mall and ‘hanging out’. I was pretty disappointed because I was hoping to get some great photos and footage of all the uncoordinated Au Pairs “attempting to skate” (myself included). Don’t worry though, we are planning to go ice skating next month instead.

I've included a couple of photos from my lovely room for you!

Cassandra

Cassandra Moscos - Au Pair in USA

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:58:23 +1100

Hi,

Just a quick message to tell you that I made it my host family's home safe, and sound!

Orientation was a lot of fun...

After 36 hours of flying and transfers I finally touched down in Washington DC on Monday at 12:55am (local time). Buzzing with excitement and nervous about the year ahead, I met another Au Pair from Brazil and we made our way to the orientation hotel. My head finally hit a pillow at 3am and I was out like a light!

Needless to say, the 7:30am wake up call the next day was tough to take. Breakfast was great because I met the other 11 Au Pairs and our Regional Coordinator. There’s a great mix of girls and cultures here - au pairs from France, Belgium, Romania, Turkey, Hungary, Brazil, Thailand, China, Columbia and Australia (of course).

We went through some of the basics of the program, the rules and expectations of the program and got to hear from a professor of Child Psychology. Her information was interesting the she was really entertaining, which helped since we were all started to hit the wall just after lunch.

But as they say, nothing beats jet lag quite like a walk in the fresh air…and boy is it ‘fresh’ out here! I tell you, Jack Frost stole my fingers, toes and my nose today! It was absolutely freezing in Washington DC. The freezing cold temps didn’t stop the 12 of us from stepping out after our orientation session to hopefully get a glimpse of Obama.

Day 2 of orientation was our first aid certification....we all passed and i now have my red cross first aid certificate! We went in to see the White House after the session but still no Obama...i have a whole year here though, so maybe we'll meet.

We went over the last of the program information this morning and I was picked up at the hotel by my host mother at 12.

The girls are at school today and my host mother had to go off to work this afternoon so i've now got a chance to settle into the house...I've met Dellah (the quiet dog) and she is great! I have feeling we're going to be best friends....Diesel on the other hand...well she is still a puppy and very playful but I'll learn to love her I'm sure.

My room is nice...i've got my own private area downstairs...with a TV, fireplace and bathroom. I also have access to a car on both my working and free days and just have to keep receipts so my petrol will be reimbursed. I havent really gone over many other details yet but it's only been 2 hours.

I've attached some photos from our orientation for you.

Cassandra xx

Alisha Bowen - Au Pair USA update

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:57:32 +1100

Hi SPA,

Things are going really well here (fast too!). My kids are great, Bo (5) is a very clever little boy and loves to read/write and learn and Katie (2) is gorgeous I have noticed the difference in her since I got here she didn't talk much and now she's very chatting and I love taking her to the park and on walks when Bo is at school. She talks about everything we see.

I am looking at going to Canada for my holidays as I can't go there in my extra month [at the end of Alisha’s 12 month visa] and I would love to see Niagara Falls with ice and snow. I was there last year in summer and it was beautiful and I saw some photos of it during winter so I think I might go there at the end of Feb/March (it will be cold but hopefully worth it!).

I am enjoying my classes too. I’m taking watercolour painting on Wednesday nights and there’s another Aussie Au Pair in my class called Krysty. She's 25 and we hang out on weekends sometimes. It’s funny that out of all the classes in Atlanta we picked the same one! I’m also learning some French at the moment on Thursday nights.

Pumpkins are beginning to appear everywhere here in anticipation of Halloween and then I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving.

I have a cluster meeting today we are volunteering with a group called medshare that pack medical supplies to go overseas. I better go get ready!

Cheers

Alisha

Alyce Robinson - Au Pair USA Update

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:45:29 +1000

Hi SPA!

I'm having an amazing time over in the States. I've met lots of au pairs and my family is just wonderful. The kids have just started back at school, before which summer vacation was very busy. My family and I spent time in NYC and in New Jersey over summer which was amazing.

On the weekends I get to take many trips with my new friends and we have been all over - Baltimore, Annapolis, West Virginia and of course Six flags amusement park!!!

I have signed up for some ballet classes over here and they have helped me meet new people and I hope to take a photography course at the local community college to fulfill my education requirement.

I've also got involved with a local theatre group. I auditioned with them and got a part in their production of Joseph and the Technicolor dreamcoat! Rehearsals start this week and we perform in November. With the kids back at school it's great that I have the time to do such great things!

I've attached a couple of photos - one of our cluster group of au pairs and two of me with the kids!

Thanks for everything!

Alyce Robinson

Chloe Muller - Au Pair France Update

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:48:04 +1000

Hello SPA,

Things are going well here in France! I’m settling in well, getting to know the routine and my French is improving each day. It’s also getting easier to talk to the kids and manage them, which was a bit tricky at first with a different language and a slightly different style of cuisine here for the children.

I go for my test at uni tomorrow and commence the week after, and I am quite excited to get the opportunity to improve my French and meet other people my age.

I have a rendezvous at the agency this Friday, so I’ll get a chance to meet all the other au pairs! A trip has also been planned with the agency to go to Nantes in the middle of October!

At the moment I just need to keep going and improving my French each day.

I am having a few problems with my camera but I hope to send across some photos very soon.
Thanks

Chloe