Last week a number of past School directors, teachers and staff as well a few special guests came together to celebrate the retirement of our longest tenured teacher, Marie Lombardi. Marie is moving down to North Carolina after seventeen years of being part of the School.
As a way to honor her, many of us shared funny stories and memories, and I wanted to be able to share a portion of my thoughts to her as I think they summarize the impact that she has had on the school, her colleagues and the thousands and thousands of au pairs whose lives she has enriched.
You are a legend here within Cultural Care. You started the Training School, you gave direction and guidance and you have trained and mentored all of us in this room. You created a curriculum and a system that is still in place to help so many au pairs on what is truly the adventure of a lifetime. You help to get them ready for a year away from all of their families and friends and everything they know, you instill confidence and impart advice.
I’m not always sure that we can realize the impact that we have on those around us, and Marie, you need to know, you have certainly made a difference in each of our lives here, as well as in countless lives around the world. Between preparing, training and inspiring so many au pairs and spearheading the Training School Kids First Snack Shack-there are thousands and thousands who have benefitted from your commitment and kindness. There are a lot of people that wish that they could be here today-some out of state and out of the country, all to celebrate and thank you.
We reached out to a number of past au pairs to ask them what Marie meant to them and so many of them had the same things to say-thank you for making us feel comfortable, being kind and patient, sharing so many stories and showing us how much you love this program. Andrea from Argentina said that she felt confident and inspired immediately when she walked into the room, Carolin from Germany could recall that Marie told her class, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade-this was advice she held on to all year and Anna Sofia from Sweden thanked Marie for being engaging and inspiring and giving her confidence that she still holds onto today.
We all owe you a heart felt thank you and a HUGE congratulations on this next step in your life. It will be an adventure and no doubt it will be filled with travel but it will also be filled with love from all of us and all of those that you will continue to inspire and help along the way.
Thank you Marie, for seventeen years of sharing your wisdom, wit and most of all, your love for this program!
Well actually, bring the money, in particular: US dollars!
One of the more frequently asked questions we get here at the Training School is how much money should I bring? This is a tough one to answer as it depends on the person-some people can get away with not spending much and others will want to shop 'til they drop in New York.
A good rule of thumb is to bring about $150USD in cash for the week. This will cover purchases in the school store-including the New York City tour, snacks from our Cultural Care Kids First Foundation "Snack Shack", any trips across the street to the grocery store, rental of a hair dryer or alarm clock and again, that ever popular shopping in NYC. If you are flying to your host family you may also incur some luggage fees that can be paid either in cash or by credit card the day you travel.
Be sure to change the money before you arrive as at the School we currently do not accept credit/debit cards and there are no local banks that can change foreign currencies.
Each week the new group of au pairs bring assortments of candy and treats from their home country. This has quickly become one of the most popular (and delicious!) ways to start exchanging cultures immediately.
The mix of sweet and sour, spicy and fruity, not to mention, crunchy, chewy and all around nutty is just fantastic! We have found certain countries have different ideas of candies and sweets, but they are all delicious!
What are some of your favorite ways to share your culture? What are your favorite treats from home?
If you will be traveling to the Training School sometime soon, think about some goodies you can bring!!
Here are some pictures from recent picnics!
The following is a situation that one of our staff members, Deirdre Flynn, had a few weeks ago:
After we returned from the New York City tour, I opened my door to two au pairs. Pointing to their friend (who was slumped in a nearby chair on the verge of tears) they explained to me that she had received an email from her host mother, and in it, her host mother had said “she could not wait for her at the airport.”
Puzzled, I walked over to her for more information. Yes, that is what the email said. No, the host mom didn't suggest an alternative except for leaving her cell phone number. I asked her if I could see the email and we walked to the crowded computer lab where she logged into her account. The email opened.
“See?” she said frustratedly, pointing at the computer.
The opening line of the email read: “We can't wait to see you at the airport tomorrow!! If you need anything, call my cell phone!”
Read literally, I could understand why she would think her host mom was not coming. This is one of those tricky things in English, where the words by themselves mean one thing but the phrase means another. Wanting to calm her, I hurried to explain to her this was a phrase we use when we are very excited about something. She gazed at me suspiciously until I said “How excited were you to visit NYC?”
“A lot” she replied.
“See? You couldn't wait to see NYC!”
Her face cleared immediately and a slow smile came over her face. “Oh”.
As a staff, we are very lucky to be able to be a part of this experience, especially right in the beginning when many things are new, different and so exciting. As the au pairs come from all over the world, with so many languages and cultures between them, we remind them over and over that the “English only” rule is one of the most important at the Training School. Speaking, hearing and reading in English all week will help to both build confidence and make friends.
For those of you traveling soon, we can’t wait to have you here!
We have set up a great way to connect before and during your time in the US! Please be sure to like the Facebook Page: Cultural Care Au Pair-au pairs in the USA. Join the event for your week at the Training School, join your regional group (found in the Welcome page), keep in touch, ask questions and give advice to other au pairs who are also on this amazing journey.
I had posted the below ideas last summer as a way to get au pairs who are coming to the school to start thinking of ways to get to know one another while here at the Training School. This week, via the Facebook page, the group had talked about holding a "candy picnic" where au pairs could bring some typical treats from their country to share with others. We will be sure to post pictures!
Other ways to get to know one another by sharing your culture:
-A group organized “Secret Santa” international gift exchange A great way to start this is by creating a Facebook group for your week at the Training School. Once you have enough members, you can pair off into couples. Each person then brings a gift or small item from their home country for their partner and explains what it means.
-Another way to share your culture is to make it a goal to make friends with people from at least five different countries, if not more, and ask them about their life back home. See how it is the same and different from your home country.
-The classes at the school are split up by where your host family lives so you will have plenty of opportunities to meet people that will live by you. Try to meet people that will be living in other parts of the country and become internet friends. You can Skype, send e-mails and send them pictures or postcards from your host family’s city and ask them to do the same. Also, it might give you a good opportunity to travel within the USA to visit them during your year.
-Try to learn how to say a few phrases or to count in other languages. You can also write them down and teach them to your host children. This will then become a true cultural exchange for everyone!
There are countless ways to make friends and share your culture here at the school. If you can come up with any great ideas, post them on the page and maybe other au pairs will use your ideas while they are at the Training School!
Please be sure to check out the Training School video which features all the sights and sounds of the week here in Oakdale!
Above, please click on the School Experience tab and then click on the first option which will bring you to the main School Experience page. View the video from there to see footage of au pairs enjoying their time here!
The video will give you information on what to expect during the week, an overview of classes, and some testamonials from staff and au pairs alike. To see them interacting and enjoying their time here really highlights what a wonderful experience the week at the School can be.
Enjoy!
For many, December is a time for snowball fights and beautiful lights, colorful décor, family traditions, stuffing ourselves with great food and spending time with friends. In all the joy of the season, though, it is important to remember those around us that do not have enough. One of the ways that Cultural Care is able to help those less fortunate is through Kids First, our philanthropic division. I am so happy to announce that our Training School “Snack Shack” has raised over $9,000 for Kids First this year! Over the past three years, we have raised just over $25,000, one snack at a time. We are so excited to be able to donate every penny raised to help out an orphanage in South Africa, daycare center in Brazil and elementary school in New Orleans! The “Snack Shack” is a teacher-run shop where the au pairs are able to buy typical American snacks, water and fruit during their breaks. It was stared about three years ago, when Marie Lombardi, a Training School teacher saw the au pairs buying up the candy bars Joyce Vera’s, a teacher and LCC, son brought in for his football fundraiser. What started off as a few items has really turned into a full array of snacks and candy to give the au pairs the energy they need to get through the long days of class. Each item is just one dollar, and now that we have topped the $25,000 mark, it certainly proves every little bit does count! To see more information on Kids First, our partners and how you can donate, please check out our site: http://kidsfirst.culturalcare.com/. Also, be on the lookout in your neighborhood for opportunities to help those around you. Volunteer your time, your skills, your knowledge or your money, in this-The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!
“You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression” is a quote that has always stuck with me. To see a new group of au pairs each and every week, we are constantly creating a first impression of not only the US side of the program, but for some people, the entire country as well. As we continue to make sweeping improvements to the campus and the overall au pair experience, we asked some au pairs what their first impression of their school experience was.
We are very happy with the experience in the school. The staff were very kind. It's a unique time and is great. This is a good start for a new au pair's life. P.S. Now, we have worldwide's friends.
-Tina and Sandy from Columbia
Today is my second day in the training school. The girls here are open-minded so the atmosphere is very good. The dorm building looks great from the outside, but not that great from the inside, it is just a youth hostel so don’t expect a great hotel. The food is typical college cafeteria food and all in all well. The lessons are fun, but also exhausting because of the lack of sleep, but you can handle it. The really good thing is you can communicate with other au pairs which are in your area in the US, so you may make some of your first US friends here! The bad thing is, you don’t have much time to talk to your family and friends at home on the phone or via internet but there is wireless internet which is great when you bring your own computer with you. Have fun and make your own experience!
-Annika from Germany
We had a fun time at the school with all the people from all over the world. Long Island is a beautiful place. Hopefully you'll learn as much as we did and meet as many great people as well!
-Sandra and Bjorn from Sweden
It's a really great experience, you can meet people from all over the world and have fun, learn a lot and get to know one of the wonderful cities of the world!
- Silvia from Columbia
My favorite part has been getting to know other au pairs cultures and languages. It was so interesting!
-Romina from Chile
As Lao-tzu said, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. And so does a journey of sixty miles, which is then followed by another step, another one…another one….and then, well you get the picture.
Last week LCC/Training School instructor Joyce Vera and I returned from the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure held in Washington, DC. This particular event is held in cities around the country to raise money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. It is said that every three minutes another woman in the United States is diagnosed and breast cancer has become the second leading killer of women in the US.
October being breast cancer awareness month, we set out on this particular journey as a challenge not only to ourselves physically, but mentally as well. This was no easy task as neither one of us had ever done anything like this, but we were quite excited to do our small part in this fight.
Day after day of walking provides a lot of time for introspection and during that time I thought a lot about what I do each and every day at the Training School. Our “challenge” of walking these sixty miles is very close to what au pairs go through in applying to the program, being matched with a host family and starting their adventure here in New York. Not only were we surrounded by pink everywhere-there is a lot of unknown and uncertainty, there is a lot of emotion and anxiousness and overall there is just so much excitement in knowing that you are doing something that will truly change your life!
The walk proved to be tough, but we made it!! The feeling when we hit that finish line surrounded by so many supporters and people who were thankful for what we did for them or their loved ones who had been touched by breast cancer was something I will never forget. It was emotional, it was exciting, it was exhausting and I would do it all over again tomorrow.
This experience taught me a lesson and that is, no matter what journey we are on, we must always remind ourselves to look inside, remember why we started it in the first place and just put one foot in front of the other.
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