cultural exchange

This Thanksgiving, Teach Your AuPair Real American Values with #GivingTuesday

by cv harquail November 20, 2012
World Homeless Day

Just when we’re trying to celebrate the most welcoming American tradition, and start off the winter holiday with a warm, family gathering, we get Black Friday.  The annual celebration of consumerism and low low prices that results in shoving, pushing, overspending, and spiritual emptiness. Black Friday is American culture at its worst. So you can […]

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Celebrate Democracy: Take Your Au Pair to a Polling Place

by cv harquail November 6, 2012
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(I realize I’m a little late with this one, but maybe there’s still time.) We Americans often take democracy for granted. Too many of us just never make it to the polls to vote, even in a close presidential race like this one. In my family, voting has always been a big deal. My dad […]

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Christmas & Holidays with your Au Pair: Post round-up

by cv harquail November 25, 2011
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The Christmas & Holiday season is now officially upon us — just in time to work off that second slice of pumpkin pie. I think I’m finally figuring out how to do these seasonal celebrations — I’ve got the weekly countdown calendar planner out again. We’ve sent out party invitations and even bought cases of […]

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Halloween Party Safety Concerns for my Au Pair

by cv harquail October 28, 2010
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Halloween is a favorite holiday of… just about everyone. I think it has become a quintessential American experience that every Au Pair should get involved in. But how should they get involved? Handing out candy at the house? Taking your kids out to trick or treat? Helping to make costumes? Or getting involved in the […]

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Top 5 Tips for Cross-Cultural Success, by Shana Medah

by Shana Medah August 24, 2010
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Hosting an au pair offers a chance like no other to learn about other cultures and build enduring intercultural relationships. However, is certainly isn’t always easy. In some ways it’s like a marriage – all parties have to be committed to success in order to make it work. Here are a few tips to help […]

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Cultural Exchange: Let’s ramp up our learning

by cv harquail August 20, 2010
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The world of au pairing makes some pretty big promises. Au Pairs are promised a year of hard work and adventure, the chance to live in the USofA, and the opportunity to learn first hand about American culture. Families are promised an energetic adventurous young adult who will partly assimilate into their families and partly […]

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How has your own international experience influenced your Host Parent Approach?

by cv harquail August 10, 2010
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Aupairgal asked a few weeks about how many host parents have lived abroad or were raised outside the USA. She’s wondering how our own international experiences have influenced how we approach being host parents. So let’s take some polls: How has living abroad affected how you interact with or understand your Au Pair?

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A Different Perspective on Cultural Exchange

by cv harquail August 4, 2010
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For each of us the ‘cultural exchange’ part of the au pair program has a different meaning and importance. Are there many cases where the cultural exchange part feels irrelevant? Or, to put it bluntly, If the same sort of service existed to match American au pairs with other American families for the same overall […]

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What counts as “cultural exchange”?

by cv harquail August 3, 2010
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Host Mom KMW writes with this thoughtful question: Most families seem to include the cultural aspect of having an au pair as an important reason for going the au pair route. I have been thinking a lot about the pluses and minuses of Au Pairs vs. a US based nanny… and I’m wondering how much […]

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What’s the most “American” thing you’ve had to explain to your au pair?

by cv harquail July 2, 2010
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4th of July is one of my favorite holidays… all about family, community and abstract patriotic notions. 4th of July is also the holiday when I am most likely to embarrass my children– apparently, as they get older, it is no longer cool to dress up in red, white & blue and cheer wildly at […]

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