WELCOME TO SOUTH AFRICA – The Rainbow Nation! - EurAupair

A Publication for EurAupair Program Participants and Friends Around the World
GAZETTE
WINTER 2009
Volume 41
WELCOME TO SOUTH AFRICA –
The Rainbow Nation!
Submitted By: Erin Dart, EurAupair, South Africa
“South Africa is a country in which
one can expect the unexpected. An
inspiration for all. What made it possible
was the determination of the people of
South Africa to work together … to
transform bitter experiences into the
binding glue of a rainbow nation.”
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
South Africa is located at the most
southern tip of the continent of Africa,
and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on
the West and by the Indian Ocean on the
South and East. South Africa occupies an
area nearly three times that of California.
Although many people may believe that,
being a country in Africa, we have
wildlife roaming in our back-yards, South
Africa is one of the fastest developing
third world countries. Having been
selected as the host for the 2010 soccer
world cup, South Africa is booming with
development and hope for the future!
While the South Africa of today may
have its eye on tomorrow, but it also has
one of the most unique pasts. With the
Dutch settling in the Cape in the 1600s, a
long turbulent history of power struggles
and land battles ensued. After numerous
wars and a succession of different
governments (having been ruled by the
Dutch and the British), South Africa
finally gained independence from Britain
in 1910.
The Apartheid era began in 1948 and
continued throughout the twentieth
century until the early 1990s. During this
time, as much of the world knows, black
South Africans were severely
marginalised and oppressed under various
laws that the white minority government
imposed upon them. During the 1980s, as
a result of the apartheid government,
South Africa was cut off from the rest of
the world through sanctions and
embargos. Apartheid came to a head in
the 1980s following a huge youth
uprising against the forced learning of
Afrikaans in schools which was the
catalyst for the violence that started to
erupt against the government from
underground anti-apartheid groups.
Finally, in 1989, after much violent
resistance to the regime and with a
completely deflated economy, President
F.W. De Klerk openly admitted the failure
of the apartheid policies and paved the
way for free and fair elections. With the
release of Nelson Mandela from prison in
1990, South Africa looked to the future
with hope and the democracy was born in
1994.
With over 48 million people of
diverse origins and cultures including the
indigenous black peoples of South
Africa, white Europeans, Indians, Indo-
Malays, Chinese and many more,
diversity is part and parcel of South
Africa. Still, most provinces in
South Africa continue to be
known for the peoples or
tribes who originated from there. For
example, in KwaZuluNatal (also known
as the Zulu Kingdom or Zululand) in the
Northeast, the Zulu, a very strong tribe
whose traditions have survived to modern
day, are known for beautiful and
colourful beadwork. Every colour of bead
has a different meaning and stories can be
told through beadwork!
The Eastern Cape (found in the
Southeast of the country) was inhabited
originally by the Xhosa tribe who have
been named the “red people” because of
the red-dyed clothing many adults wear.
Xhosa traditional music places a strong
emphasis on group singing and
handclapping as accompaniment to
dance. Drums are used occasionally and
other instruments used include rattles,
whistles, flutes, mouth harps, and
stringed-instruments constructed with a
bow and resonator.
In the Western Cape, there is the
Cape Coloured population who are of
mixed background, descending from
different nationalities including the local
Khoi-san (bushman tribe from the
Northern Cape), Dutch, British and many
other people that settled in the Cape.
They are known for their hospitality, love
of rich and tasty Cape-Malay foods and
the famous minstrel carnival which takes
place at the beginning of every year. As
one can see, variety is most certainly the
spice of life in South Africa!
Not surprisingly, South Africa
recognises 11 official languages.
English is the language of administration
and is spoken throughout the country. The
other official languages are: Afrikaans,
Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern
Sotho, Swazi, Tsongo, Tswana, Venda,
Xhosa and Zulu.
Even with all the diversity of its
peoples and languages, there is still one
Potjie on the fire - a South African
favorite similar to stew.
Map of South Africa
Boerewars (sausage ) on the braai (grill).
thing that almost all South Africans can
agree on – meat and plenty of it!
Steakhouses are very common and
‘braais’ (barbecues) are widely popular
and include ‘boerewors’ (farmer
sausage) which is a local specialty,
‘mielies’ (corn on the cob), other meats
and salad. Another South African
favorite is a Potjie (pronounced poy-kee
or potch-ee depending on where you are
from in South Africa). This is a 3 legged
cast iron pot, where ingredients (similar
to stews) slow cook for hours over a
fire/braai until juicy and flavorsome!
Indian food like curry is also
popular, especially in Durban with its
large Indian population. Another local
Indian Durban specialty is the ‘bunny’ or
bunny chow, which consists of a
hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled
with curry. Cape Townians enjoy their
curry with a ‘roti’ or Indian pancake.
Cape Malay dishes have their origins in
Southeast Asia. Bobotie is a popular dish
(originating in Europe) which was
adapted to suit the Cape Malay palate. It
is made from curried lamb, fruit and
bread, served with rice, and sosatie, a
type of barbecued meat.
The Portuguese community has also
made its mark, with spicy peri-peri
chicken being a favourite. The South
African Portuguese-themed restaurant
chain Nando’s now has restaurants
throughout the world. Another favourite
among most South Africans is biltong, a
form of dried meat usually made from
beef or game, and often consumed while
watching sporting events. Biltong is
extremely popular and is widely loved by
people of all cultures.
In general, South Africans are warm
and down to earth. They enjoy the
outdoors and love to entertain friends
and family and spend weekends in
outdoor activities, shopping, church
activities or just with family. So, why not
welcome a bit of Africa into your home
this year by hosting an au pair from
South Africa?
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
EurAupair Au Pair Enjoys a Life
Long Way from Home
Paying It Forward For the
Holidays!
EurAupair Au Pairs Carry On
a Halloween Tradition!
EurAupair Au Pairs Give
Thanks!
Spotlight on EurAupair Host
Mom, Julie Carruth!
Ask Dot and Much More!
About Us...
EurAupair Intercultural Child Care
Programs is a non-profit, public benefit
organization designated by the U.S.
Department of State to conduct the Au
Pair cultural exchange program under
the Fulbright Hays Mutual
Educational and Cultural Exchange
Act of 1961 and is intended “to promote
mutual understanding between
the people of the United States and
other countries by means of educational
and cultural exchanges”.
EurAupair Intercultural
Child Care Programs
250 North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651 USA
Tel: 949/494-5500
Fax: 949/497-6235
E-mail: info@euraupair.com
Web: www.euraupair.com
Return Service Requested
EurAupair Gazette
250 North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651 USA
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Organization
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California 92651
PERMIT NO. 963

Ask Dot!
A regular feature of the
EurAupair Gazette, Dear Dot!
gives EurAupair Au Pairs and
Host Families the chance to get
answers to questions about
proper etiquette in the USA! Ms.
Soskin is a trained etiquette
instructor and columnist, as well
as one of EurAupair’s longtime
friends.
Dear Dot,
I have been in America a
while now, but have a problem
in understanding some expressions
Americans use like,
“team players”, or “touch
base” when we are talking
about sports. What do you suggest
I do? And, are sports a
good way to start a conversation?
Thanks, Brigette
Dear Brigette,
The expressions you are
referring to here are called
“Idioms.” An idiom has a meaning
that is different from the
dictionary definition of the
word. Learning idiom expressions
is very important to the
study of the English language.
Much of our everyday speech is
based on slang vocabulary
which is based on idioms. If you
study idioms, you wil be more
fluent in English and can communicate
better. I recommend
when responding to a person
using an idiom, ask them to
speak more slowly and explain
what the idiom really means.
Some other idioms are, “all
in a day’s work” which means
that if something is in a day’s
work, it is nothing special. Also,
“a steal” means if something is
a steal, it costs much less than it
is really worth.
Americans love to talk
about sports and this is a good
way to start a conversation.
Other openings to begin a conversation
are: the weather,
shopping in the area, an exciting
TV program coming up or travel.
Remember that people
always like best to talk about
themselves. Be a good listener!
Kind Regards,
Dot
Keep the questions coming…
E-mail Dot at:
d1manners@sbc-global.net
EurAupair Au Pairs Carry On
a Halloween Tradition!
EurAupair Community Counselor
Eleonoor Rutgers wrote in from San
Francisco, California to share how she
and the au pairs in her area celebrated
Halloween!
Eleonoor writes:
“Without a doubt the most recognizable
symbol of Halloween is a pumpkin
carved into a jack-o-lantern…. This age
old tradition is a main event for young
and old alike. While most Americans
have been carving pumpkins since they
were three, but those of us from other
countries aren’t similarly skilled at all!
That’s why EurAupair Community
Counselor Liesa Chapman and I decided
to organize “a pumpkin carving party”
on October 26th for the au pairs in our
areas.
With Liesa’s generosity to host us
all at her house, we were ready to go!
But no sooner did we start than there
were a couple of obstacles on the road
for almost everyone…. For example,
how do you scoop out all the pumpkin
gunk? What drilling tools are best to
use? Which patterns should we pick?
How are we going to accomplish that?
The au pairs soon figured out the
answers…. Start with picking the right
pumpkin and design stencils with patterns,
then cut a lid (big enough so you
can reach in) and scoop out all the pumpkin
gunk. Next, follow the pattern and
EURAUPAIR AU PAIRS GIVE THANKS!
Kelly and Bill packing food giveaways.
make the cuts straight
into the pumpkin. After
all: the results were
amazing! And the pumpkins
looked hilarious!
Along with lots of
hard carving, the au pairs
learned some funny facts
about HALLOWEEN and
their pumpkins...
Did you know???
• Halloween is actually
based on an ancient
Celtic holiday known as
Samhain (pronounced
“sow wan”), which
means “summer’s end”.
• Pumpkins are not a
vegetable - they are a
fruit!
COMMUNITY COUNSELOR
TRAINING
This past fall, EurAupair Community Counselors from
the New York City and Connecticut areas got together to
share and learn at the annual EurAupair Training Day!
Organized by EurAupair Area Coordinator Jenn Shaw, the
event was held at the Ronald McDonald House in New York
City and was a great time to re-connect and upskill as
Community Counselors. EurAupair Regional Director, Kim
Beatty, also attended and enjoyed meeting many of the
Community Counselors face-to-face!
From left to right: Kim Beatty, Gail Albrecht, Lori Auletta,
Nicola Hutchinson (AC ), Ken Resca, Margaret Mann,
Maureen McIntyre, Lara Oehlert, Jenn Shaw (AC), Loren
Adashko, Heidi Silverstone, Jackie Hoffman, Bridget
Lancaster.
This past November, EurAupair Au Pairs in the Chicago,
Illinois area celebrated with a mix of traditional American
Thanksgiving foods and assorted dishes from around the
world. This marked the 11th annual Thanksgiving Day celebration
and everyone who attended seemed to leave with new
friends, new foods they’d tried, and a better understanding of
what Thanksgiving in the USA is all about!
Central to the event was the group giving back to the community.
So, after an introduction by Vivi Frumkin, our Area
Coordinator, William Wolff from the VFW (Veterans of
Foreign Wars) and Kelly Gitts from the Lions Club thanked
everyone for their generous donations which in filled three
tables with canned and boxed food items and cleaning supplies.
All of the donated items were destined for soldiers far
from home and needy families. The au pairs learned about
both organizations and how each is involved with the collection
and distribution of such donations.
As with all EurAupair events, the day was very international
with at least 85 people from more than 13 countries taking
part in the Feast! The nations represented included;
France, Germany, Thailand, Brazil, Moldova, Bolivia, Austria,
• Halloween is known as a night for
dressing up, telling ghost stories, having
spooky parties, trick-or-treating and
pumpkin carving.
• You need to pick the right pumpkin
according to what you want to carve on
them.
• Pumpkins can range in size anywhere
from tiny to humongous.
• Small pumpkins work fine for carving
traditional faces.
• Very large pumpkins can be carved
More giggles than ghosts, EurAupair Au Pairs pose with
their pumpkins!
with designs and used as “center pieces”
on your tables.
• You should never carry a pumpkin by
its stem; it may break.
• Pumpkins grow best in a sunny area,
preferably where they will receive at
least six hours of direct sunlight every
day.
Eleonoor Rutgers
EurAupair Community Counselor
Again, thank you Liesa for your wonderful
hospitality. And, thanks to all the
au pairs for joining the October
Cultural Event!”
Ukraine, Mexico, South Africa, Taiwan, Finland, and the USA.
Traditional American favorites such as turkey, mashed
potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls were
provided by the EurAupair Community Counselors. The au pairs
contributed an array of breads, salads and desserts to make it a
Feast to be remembered!
During the course of the day the au pairs got to test their
knowledge of US geography and history, as well as EurAupair
program rules. The quiz winners were awarded gift cards and
similar small rewards. Many of the Community Counselors
were amazed by how much the au pairs actually knew about
the topics!
After eating plenty of food, it was time to work off a few
of the calories with a dance lesson. As you can see from the
photo, everyone had fun learning some new moves and showing
off in the dance contest!
As the day came to a close, au pairs shared contact information
with new friends and all went home with a full belly,
having shared good times and learned something new about
this world in which we all live!
Rick Cox
EurAupair Community Counselor
EurAupair au pairs ready for the dance lesson!

Paying It Forward
During the Holidays!
Holidays are oftentimes filled with hectic shopping and credit card bills. This
December, however, EurAupair Community Counselor Shana Mallin of the North
Shore area of Illinois gave her au pairs the opportunity to “pay it forward” by giving
something that money can’t buy – time and love.
Shana organized a party for 27 local children and their families who were
clients of Kids Hope United, a private, nonprofit human service organization dedicated
to protecting children and strengthening families.
As you can see from the photos, the au pairs had a great time wrapping
Christmas presents, meeting Santa Claus and interacting with the children and
families. Thanks, Shana, for organizing such a memorable December meeting!
EURAUPAIR AU PAIRS
RING IN THE HOLIDAYS!
From left to right: Eva Wolfer (Germany), Jessi Zimmerling (Germany), Anne Nissen
(Germany), Luise Benedix (Germany), Tiia Tuukkanen (Finland), Suttinee
Prasertkitijkarn (Thailand), Lisa Kuhn (Germany), Hannah Kuhlmann (Germany) and
Roberta Tamonpin (Brazil).
For the last six Decembers in the
Columbus, Ohio area, EurAupair
Community Counselors Hilary Hogan
and Andrea Milas have been bringing
their au pairs together for a traditional
holiday gift exchange party and this past
December was no different. “I have
been a Community Counselor for six
years now and this is always my favorite
meeting,” laughs Hilary. “Even though
our gift exchange is always supposed to
be a secret, somehow all the girls know
who has who!” This year after the gift
exchange, the group also made ornaments
with the help of Community
Counselor, Andrea Milas.
Hilary goes on to explain how her
and Andrea work as a team, planning
fun and educational meetings for the au
pairs in their area.
“We have some great meetings here
in Columbus,” says Hilary with pride.
“In our plans for this year are bowling,
ice skating, horseback riding, Cedar
Point amusement park, a cookout with
volleyball fun, sleep over, Freedom
Center in Cincinnati for our Cultural
event, carving pumpkins for our other
Cultural event, a Thanksgiving meal
made by all of us, and finally our holiday
gift exchange!”
“With this new year here already we
have our meetings planned out for a year
of fun,” explains Hilary. “It all goes by
so fast, every time I sign a folio it’s one
of our au pair’s last meeting!”
Thanks to Hilary and Andrea for
making each year for each of their
EurAupair au pairs special!
EurAupair
Au Pair
Julia Zenker got
her face painted
too!
EurAupair
Au Pair
Sofia Natalello
smiles to the
camera!
KIDS EXPO
Oct. 25–26, 2008 • Chantilly, Virginia
EurAupair Au Pairs
Reach New Heights!
This past January, EurAupair
Community Counselors Hilary Hogan
and Andrea Milas of Columbus, Ohio
took their group of au pairs to new
heights! “This was our second year
doing this High Ropes Course at the
Franklin Park Conservatory,” recounts
Hilary. “We even had two of our au
EurAupair
Area Coordinators
Sunny Bensen
and
Debby Stahl.
pairs from last year come and do it
again before they went home.” All of
the au pairs were quite brave and overcame
any fears they may have had, as
they mastered the course – 25 feet
above the gym floor!
A BIG EurAupair Congratulations to
all of you fearless au pairs!
Back left to right: Nicole Jakob (Germany), Birgit Muenzhuber (Germany),
Hannah Kuhlmann (Germany), Luise Benedix (Germany), Hilary Hogan
(Community Counselor), Danielle Martin (Hilary’s niece), Eva Wolfer
(Germany), Eva’s friend. Front left to right: Suttinee Prasertkitijakarn
(Thailand), Andrea Milas (Community Counselor), Tiia Tuukkanen (Finland),
Ines Giesen (Germany) and Anne Nissen (Germany).
Luise Benedix (Germany),
Hannah Kuhlmann (Germany),
Suttinee Prasertkitijakarn
(Thailand) and Tiia Tuukkanen
(Finland).

SPOTLIGHT ON EURAUPAIR
HOST MOM, JULIE CARRUTH!
“Be open-minded, keep a sense of
humor and remember that communication
is the most important thing!” Those
are the gems of wisdom from EurAupair
Host Mom, Julie Carruth of Glenwood
Springs, Colorado for potential and new
EurAupair host families. Julie loves the
EurAupair Program so much that she has
already gotten two of her friends to sign
up as well!
With the Carruths hosting their third
au pair, Julie says it’s already been “quite
an education!” In 2006, Julie and husband,
Kurt, chose their first au pair,
Raphy, from French-speaking Quebec,
Canada. “Raphy was much more mature
than me,” recalls Julie with a laugh.
“When Raphy arrived, she was just
amazing from the get-go. Super organized,
with a balance of being fun and
strict with the children. Raphy had
coached swimming back in Canada so no
time, she had set up a whole swimming
program for our three children! She was
the perfect au pair at the perfect time!”
Like many potential host parents,
Julie had been concerned about the children
getting too attached to their au pairs,
but she says it really hasn’t been a problem
for Jack (8), Zeva (7) or Lela (4).
“They know we’ll stay in touch through
emails, phone call and the webcam,” says
Julie. “Of course, it was hard to say goodbye
to Raphy, but our second au pair,
Gamze from Turkey, had such a warmth
and sweet demeanor that the children
were attracted to her right away. Now,
hosting our third au pair, Manon from
France, the children are loving her as
well!”
One of the keys Julie finds to choos-
EURAUPAIR AU PAIR ENJOYS LIFE A LONG WAY FROM HOME!
EurAupair au pair, Pimjinut Khunlert (aka Jip) has been having a great time with her
host family, the Callahan’s, in Huntley, IL. In fact, Jip’s been having so much fun that she
decided to send in some photos to share with The Gazette!
Jip’s, host mother Lori, and host brother
Ryan smile after an old fashioned hay ride
on a chilly day!
EurAupair Au Pair, Lydia Wurl,
Extends Her American Experience!
EurAupair Au Pair Lydia with her Host Family, the
Herlihy’s, extending the hugs and kisses for another year!
More and more, EurAupair au pairs
and Host Families are finding that
extending for a second year means
their time together only gets better!
This is definitely the case for Lydia
Wurl, hosted by the Herlihy family of
Winston, Georgia.
Lydia and her EurAupair Host
Family have enjoyed their time togeth-
ing an au pair that is a good fit for her
busy family of five is asking their current
au pair and other au pairs for their input.
“Sometimes, I’d have nightly meetings
with some of the local au pairs to help me
choose our next au pair,” says Julie. Julie
also says it’s been helpful to have a little
bit of overlap so that the departing au pair
can help orient the newly arrived
au pair. “Also, we really like to
choose each au pair from a different
country each time. It’s a
great way to broaden our horizons!”
As Julie explains, each of
their au pairs has been very different
from each other. Athletic
Raphy seemed to have a natural
knack with the kids, while
Gamze (nicknamed “Princess”)
showered the children with
affection and taught the whole
family so much about the
Turkish culture, religion and
food! “And, “ adds Julie, “she
was an absolute whiz at teaching
math to the children.” In return,
Gamze learned to like or at least
tolerate Sake, the very large family
dog. “At first, Gamze was
pretty scared of the dog, since
they don’t typically have dogs as
pets in Turkey” explains Julie.
“We are just getting to know
Manon,” continues Julie. “but
her bubbly personality came
across so much in her initial
emails that we knew she was the
right choice for us.”
Julie keeps in mind that each
of these young women’s parents
Jip’s first birthday in the USA. “They surprised
me and bought a cake strawberry and gave the
present to me. I am so happy. They are nice and
care about everything in my mind. I think . I
think I am so lucky I live with this host family.”
er so much that Lydia
wrote in to The Gazette
to share some of her
memories – thanks,
Lydia!
“My year in Georgia
was great, but that’s not
the end! I came to the
States in summer 2007
and am here since then.
Some of you would
think I’m crazy, but I
love it here. For one
thing it’s my host family.
Back in Germany last
July I didn’t know, what
it would be like to live in
America and care for
kids of a family every
day. But it turned out to be an experience
I will never forget!
My family is great and I have a lot
of fun with all four kids. There is so
much we can do. From coloring to
playing at the playground or just visiting
the grandparents and great-grandparents.
I love all of them- so it was not
as hard to decide to stay another year.
are entrusting her with their daughters.
“Each has different strengths and weaknesses,
just like our own children. And so
we treat them just like we would our own
children, with love and care.”
Thanks, Julie, for sharing with all of
us here at The Gazette your words of wisdom
and experience!
"Party Time" celebrating with cousins: From left to
right: Gamze Toraman, Lela Carruth, Julie Carruth,
Kaylen Carson, Sara Carson, Jack Carruth, Chad
Carson and Zeva Carruth.
"The old and the new": Gamze Toraman (Turkey) and
Manon Peleau (France)
Jip with her host brother, Ryan. “I
wanted to take a photo with Ryan, but
he was a bit shy and tried to cover his
face,” laughs Jip.
Even that my parents and sister came to
visit and I had to say a second time
good-bye. I was never homesick! OK,
there are things I miss from Germany,
but I get packages….
In my first EurAupair year I saw a
lot. Shortly after my arrival, I got to
experience a wedding, the twins had
birthday and we went to the children’s
museum. I visited the Octoberfest in
Helen, Georgia and I traveled through
the Southeast - to mention just a few
things. And staying longer also means
more different experiences. First of all,
the kids grow up and you see them
change - especially now with the ones I
care for. I agree, it is a lot of work, but
it is more fun and if I wouldn’t have
such a great relationship with my
whole host family, I wouldn’t be here
anymore. The smiles and laughing, as
well as hugs and kisses from the children,
make your day so much more
enjoyable and you cannot be mad at
them for long!
I just can’t thank my host family
enough for all they did and do for me.
They are so great! All of them!”
Lydia Wurl
EurAupair Au Pair
Dan Bi Kim, Sends
in Her First Article
to the Gazette!
EurAupair Au Pair, Dan Bi, hosted
by the Rebagliati Family of Portland,
Oregon isn’t shy about taking on challenges.
After being with her EurAupair
host family for only three weeks, Dan Bi
already wrote in to The Gazette in
English to share her experience in the
USA!
Dan Bi writes:
Hi! I’m Dan Bi Kim, an au pair in
Portland, Oregon. I’m from Korea, 20
years old and majoring vocal music. At
first, please understand because my
English is poor.
I have really great time in here and
thank you for meet nice family. I just
have 3 weeks in here, but really great
time with family. Also, everything is fun.
My family is host mom (Kathryn), dad
(Tony) and twins (Henry and David) and
me. My family like natural and spend
time with family.
I send some picture. First picture is
last week. We visit zoo. Painting picture
is art time with baby.
I learn many thing in here culture,
life style and mind. After, in future, it is
good experience in my life.
Have a nice day!
Best regards,
Dan Bi Kim
Gazette Info...
The EurAupair Gazette is published
four times a year. It is provided free
of charge to EurAupair Host
Families, EurAupair Au Pairs,
EurAupair Community Counselors
and staff, and friends of the
EurAupair program around the
world. Any copyright material is
published with the written
permission of the publisher and is
so indicated. Any other material
may be used for publication without
permission of EurAupair.
Photos &
Stories
Wanted!
Pick out the best pictures
you have taken and tell
us...
• WHO • WHEN
• WHAT • WHERE
and maybe even how or
why?
We’ll take it from there!
Send them to:
EurAupair Gazette Editor
250 North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach
California 92651 USA
Or Email them to:
gazette@euraupair.com