Gazette - EurAupair

A Publication for EurAupair Program Participants and Friends Around the World
GAZETTE
SPRING 2008
Volume 38
WELCOME TO CHINA!
By Xuemin Li, EurAupair China
I’m honored to have the opportunity
to introduce my country to you.
There are so many things I want to
share with you. So, come with me, as I
show you my country!
As many know, China is one of the
world’s oldest civilizations with a
chronicled history of more than 5,000
years. In 221 BC, Qinshihuang established
the Qin Dynasty, the first feudal
autocracy in Chinese history, thereby
unveiling a 2,000-year period of feudalism
which was to last through a succession
of dynasties such as the Han,
Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing, a
period which finally met its demise in
the bourgeois democratic Revolution of
1911 by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. October 1,
1949 saw the founding of the People’s
Republic of China.
In general, Chinese people are
humble, peaceful and hardworking.
With a history of Confucianism, they
have a strong respect for elders, as well
as a love of children. They believe in
harmony and tend to avoid direct confrontation.
Chinese communication is very
concerned with humility and has a style
quite different from that of Western
cultures. Take, for example, greetings
and farewells. In China, we always
greet by asking, “Have you eaten yet?”,
“What are you going to do?” or “Where
are you going?” to show our consideration
for the listener. As for parting,
expressions include “You are busy, I
won’t trouble you any longer” or “You
must be tired, please have a rest early
and I’ll leave” etc… Chinese leave-taking
is very short and quick, with many
apologies such as “I’m sorry that I have
troubled you” or “I’m sorry that I have
taken up much of your time”. It should
be noted that these expressions are
employed by Chinese guests to show
concern for their hosts. On the other
hand, a Chinese hostess, if she is complimented
on her cooking skill, will
apologize for giving you “Nothing”.
She may say, “I just made some dishes
casually and they are not very tasty.”
This doesn’t mean the hostess doesn’t
respect your opinion. It’s more that the
Chinese regard modesty as a very valuable
virtue.
In many cultures, food is a great
way to get to know the people and
China is no exception! With such a vast
territory and so many ethnic groups,
China has an incredible variety when it
comes to its food. It might be helpful to
think of Chinese food being roughly
divided into eight regional cuisines
namely; Sichuan, Fujian, Zhejiang,
Map of China
Shandong, Guangdong
(Cantonese), Jiangsu, Anhui
and Hunan. Sichuan Cuisine,
as many know, is characterized
by its spicy and pungent flavor.
Fujian Cuisine is distinguished
for its choice of seafood, beautiful
color and magical taste of
sweet, sour, salty and savory.
Next, Zhejiang Cuisine wins
its reputation for freshness,
tenderness, softness and
smoothness of its dishes with
mellow fragrance.
Shandong Cuisine is characterized
by its emphasis on
aroma, freshness, crispness
and tenderness. Often familiar to
Westerners, Guangdong (Cantonese)
Cuisine usually chooses poultry and
game to produce originative dishes.
Jiangsu Cuisine is light, fresh and
Sichuan Spicy Pepper Beef with Noodles
sweet and has a delicate elegance.
Anhui Cuisine chefs focus much more
attention on the temperature in cooking
and are good at braising and stewing.
Finally, Hunan Cuisine characterizes
itself by thick and pungent flavors with
plenty of chili, pepper and shallots
being used.
Food, of course, plays a big part in
the festivals in China. And, while there
are many traditional festivals, the two
festivals celebrated the most are Spring
Festival and Mid-Autumn Day. Spring
Festival, known as Chinese New Year
to many Westerners, is the grandest and
busiest festival in China and commonly
referred to as ‘seeing the new year
in.’
On New Year’s Eve, families join
together for a luxurious dinner. People
in northern China typically will eat
dumplings (jiaozi), symbolizing the
end of the old year and the beginning
of the New Year. In southern China,
people usually eat rice cakes representing
that their level of life will become
higher. People still burn firecrackers on
New Year’s Eve and at dawn on New
Year’s Day. Starting with the second
day of the festival, people will call on
each other with New Year’s gifts with
an emphasis on the preparation and
consumption of sweets and fruits.
Hosts of these get-togethers will thank
their guests by preparing yet another
opulent dinner. Not only is there a lively
atmosphere in every household,
there is partying in the street as well!
Every night dragon and lion dances,
Shehuo (a traditional folk performance)
and flower and lantern fairs
occur throughout China especially in
the countryside. It’s truly a beautiful
sight to see!
Mid-Autumn Day falls on the 15th
day of the eighth lunar calendar month,
which is the middle of autumn.
According to folklore, this day is the
Spring Festival at Ditan Temple Fair in Beijing
birthday of the moon and the moon on
this particular night is more perfectly
round than on any other night during
the year. Offering sacrifices to the
moon, eating moon cakes and watching
the moon are the main activities of
this festival. Traditionally, moon cakes
were made of sweet bean-paste filling,
with golden brown flaky skin. ’Round’
in Chinese also means reunion, so we
celebrate this holiday with our family
reunion.
While I hope this article has given
you a taste of China, my country is
more than just food and festivals. It is
another world, full of people who are
honest, industrious, friendly and hospitable.
If you want to know this world
a bit more, why not say “Ni hao” by
hosting a EurAupair Au Pair from
China this year?!
FACTS
Country: The People’s Republic of
China
States: There are altogether 34
administrative units at provincial level
in China, including four
municipalities, five autonomous
regions, two special administrative
regions and 23 provinces
Population: 1,305.76 million (by
2005)
Capital: Beijing
Language: Putonghua (Beijing
Dialect, Mardarin)
Religion: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam,
and Christianity
Government: The National People’s
Congress
Area: 9.6 million sq. km
Climate: Tropical Zone, Subtropical
Zone, Warm-temperature Zone,
Middle-temperature Zone, Frigidtemperature
Zone, Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau-Temperate Zone
Terrain: Plateau, Plains, Mountains,
Hills and Basins
Highest Point: 8,848 m
Natural Resources: Petroleum,
natural gas, coal, jade, fish, salt,
stone, sand, wood
Reference: http://www.gov.cn
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
EurAupair Au Pair, “May”
from Thailand, Shares Her
Story
Not Just an Au Pair, Part of
the Family
EurAupair Au Pair, Sofi
Matenaer is Having a Ball in
Denver, Colorado!
EurAupair Pajama Party!
EurAupair Au Pairs Enjoy
Rodeos and Rollerskating!
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
Non-Profit
Organization
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PAID
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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 Area
Coordinators in the Midwest.
Hi Dot,
I have a couple of dining questions
that I was hoping you could
answer for me. Is it proper to blow
on a fork of hot food to cool it down
and how does one eat soup properly?
Kaori from Japan
Hi Kaori,
In answer to your questions
regarding blowing on a fork of hot
food to try to cool it down, you
should not blow on it, but test it
carefully and inconspicuously with
your tongue before placing the piece
into your mouth. It is acceptable
though, to blow on a spoonful of
soup to cool it down before you
swallow it. However, do this unobtrusively.
A couple of other points to
remember are: when you take a
puff-pastry hors d’oeuvre, wait until
it cools, and then try to eat it whole.
If you try to cut it in half with your
teeth, you might find the hot contents
burning your mouth.
As for soup, it is spooned away
from you toward the center of the
bowl. The soup plate may be tipped
away from you in order to fill the
spoon with the last of the soup.
And, of course, in the USA there is
no slurping!
If you need more information,
let me know!
Thanks,
Dot Soskin
Keep the questions coming…
E-mail Dot at:
d1manners@sbc-global.net
If a pictures paints a thousand
words, then this drawing by four-year
old Morgan Farrin speaks volumes about
the special EurAupair bond Au Pairs
have with their Host Families! Though
you may not be able to tell from the
spelling – the portrait includes Morgan,
her little brother, her parents and OF
COURSE Katharina.
“We have had a great year with our
EurAupair the
“Perfect Fit”!
NOT JUST AN AU PAIR, PART
OF THE FAMILY!
FORGET WILLY WONKA! EurAupair Au Pairs
Check Out Chocolate in Hershey, Pennsylvania!
Pictured from left to right, back row: Jana Schlese
(Germany), Tina Merkert (Germany), Andreas Echtner
(Germany), Arne Glindemann (Germany) and Anna Farger
(Germany). Front row: Inna Komarova (Russia) and
Monika Eggstein (Germany).
Pictured from left
to right: EurAupair
Au Pair Mariya
Chukhnova with
her Host Family,
the Kiesels: Katy,
Cynthia (Host
Mom) with Zoe,
Charles (Host Dad),
Jonathan and
David.
A Big Thank you to EurAupair Host Mother Cynthia Kiesel of Olive Branch,
Mississippi, who sent in this great family photo which (of course!) includes their
Ukranian Au Pair, Mariya Chukhnova. “Our family is so grateful to have Mariya to
help us through a portion of these trying years,” writes Cynthia. “She has been the
‘perfect fit’ and we all love her!”
Au Pair Katharina,” writes EurAupair
Host Parents Anna and Jon Farrin of
Charlotte, North Carolina. “She has been
such a wonderful addition to our family.
She has gone out of her way to establish
close, compassionate, and joyful relationships
with our children and her endless
energy and creativity have been a
gift to us all. Our four year old daughter
Morgan recently went to a children’s
Recently, Anna Farger, hosted by the Chambers family of Mc
Lean, Virginia, packed up the family mini-van and invited some of
her new friends to take a road trip. The original destination of the
road trip was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to learn more about their
host country’s history. However, the Au Pairs found that after a
whole day in the historical downtown of Philadelphia, they were
ready to indulge in a less intellectual adventure.
A quick vote and a couple hours later, and the group had taken
the short detour to the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory! Here, Anna and
her friends joined Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour where
they learned just exactly how chocolate is made, from start to finish.
Anna writes:
“I was very surprised that during the Chocolate Tour we could
actually see every single process of making chocolate: from crushing
the cocoa beans to adding milk and flavor. We could also see
how the chocolate gets its texture.”
Anna goes on to write that the group really enjoyed finding out
about one of Hershey’s most famous chocolates, the Hershey Kiss.
“We saw the Hershey’s product characters come to life on the
big screen in Hershey’s 3-D show. And, we helped to operate an
actual Hershey’s Kisses chocolate packaging line at Hershey’s
Kissworks attraction!”
Of course, the best was saved for last, when the group had the
chance to try all the delicious chocolate! Thanks, Anna, for sending
in this delicious story!
Au Pairs Cheer on the Chicago
Bulls in the Windy City!
Winter in the Midwest means staying
indoors, keeping the driveway
plowed and…basketball season! This
February, EurAupair Community
Counselor Barbara Salzmann-Hogberg
of Wheaton, Illinois, thought it was high
time her group of Au Pairs got to know
what the Chicago Bulls meant to
EurAupair Au Pair Katharina Schymura
(Germany) with her Host Children,
Morgan and Tyler Farrin, enjoying Folley
Beach, South Carolina.
event at our local art museum where she
drew a family portrait. It shows how
much Katharina has truly become a part
of our family and we will miss her when
she returns to her home in Germany this
summer. Thank you for bringing her into
our lives (and our family portrait)!”
At left, Family portrait, by Morgan
Farrin, 4 years old.
Pictured from left to right:
EurAupair Community
Counselor Barbara Salzmann-
Hogberg and EurAupair Au
Pairs: Lise Guillarme
(France), Rebecca Hoferer
(Germany), Jessica Brunner
(Germany), Iryna Galskova
(Ukraine), Aurelie Cantelou
(France) and Emel Keskinkilic
(Turkey).
Chicagoans. So, off the group
went to watch the Bulls take
on the Washington Wizards at Chicago’s
United Center. Unfortunately, the
Wizards worked some magic and the
Bulls were put out to pasture that night,
but, nevertheless, Barbara and the Au
Pairs had a great time, enjoying the game
and all the half-time activities that came
along with it!

EurAupair Au Pair Sofi Matenaer is Having a Ball
in Denver, Colorado!!
At a Nuggets game in April 2008. In
front: Lukas Ratana, and Sophie Ratana.
In the back: Sofi Matenaer (Germany),
Eduaro Najera (Basketball player) and
EurAupair Host Mother Liza Ratana
GREAT AU PAIRS HIKE
GREAT FALLS!
From left to right: EurAupair Au Pairs Janina Scheld (Germany), Becky Greger
(Germany), Clara Macedo (Brazil), Holly Brown (EurAupair Community
Counselor), Iuliia Iakovleva (Ukraine), Ayumi Hara (Japan), Natasha Jacobsen
(Denmark) and Luisa Wasilewski (Germany).
This April, EurAupair
Community Counselor Holly
Brown of Fairfax Station,
Virginia took her group of Au
Pairs for a visit to Great Falls
Park in Great Falls, Virginia.
Just a hop, skip and jump from
Washington DC, Great Falls
Park has quite a history and the
group enjoyed learning all
about it in a short film.
EurAupair Au Pair Sofi Matenaer of
Germany, and her Host Family, the
Ratanas, of Denver, Colorado, are currently
having a ball in more ways than
one with the EurAupair Extended Stay
Program.
Sofi and her new American family
have done so many fun activities together
that she decided to write the
EurAupair Gazette to share some pictures
from a recent basketball game with
the family. Sofi writes:
I’m Sofi Matenaer an Au Pair hosted
by the Ratana Family in Denver,
Colorado in my EurAupair Extension
Year. My first and extension year have
been great! My Host Family is perfect -
we have so much fun together. They take
me to so many places for traveling. I get
to see so many nice places and cities in
the USA. I’ve made some good friends
here as well. I enjoy living here in the
USA. I think it was the best idea that I’ve
ever had to become an Au Pair in the
Afterwards, the Au Pairs
enjoyed the fresh air and
explored some of the park’s 800
acres. The Potomac River,
Mather Gorge and the
Patowmack Canal were just
some of the sites they took in
during this beautiful spring day!
Thanks, Holly, for sharing
with the Gazette!
EURAUPAIR PAJAMA PARTY!
This past month, EurAupair
Community Counselor Patti Samuels of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania held an all
American Pajama Party for her local
EurAupair Au Pairs, Emine Ercirpan
(Turkey), Lizbeth Utoft (Denmark), and
Susanne Reiche (Germany)!
The group started a bit early and had
a great time shopping, going out for dinner
and even checking out a local play
before heading back to Patti’s home for
Outside EurAupair Community
Counselor Patti Samuel’s house, from
left to right: Susanne Reiche (Germany),
Lizbeth Utoft (Denmark), Patti Samuels
(EurAupair Community Counselor), and
Emine Ercirpan (Turkey).
some big, gooey, homemade ice cream
sundaes! “The Pittsburgh Au Pairs are a
great bunch of girls and we are always
looking for something to do together”
says Patti, “We genuinely love to be
together!”
The group laughed into the wee
hours of the morning, as they shared photos
of their countries and families and
found out all of the funny little things
about each others’ lives.
Morning indeed came early, but
everyone was up and ready to meet and
greet the newest Au Pair to their group,
Alessandra DeBlasis (Brazil), who had
just arrived! While Alessandra missed
the PJ Party, she is definitely on board for
the next outing in June to Niagara Falls!
USA. Everybody in my German family
is so proud of me!
Last month, thanks to my Host
Family having season tickets, I got the
chance to meet the Denver Nuggets,
Denver’s professional basketball team,
at a Meet and Greet! My Host Mum,
Liza, and the kids, Sophie and Luke,
went with me to the Denver Downtown
Aquarium for the Sixth Man Jam.
It was so cool to see all the players
up close, after going to so many of their
games during the year. All the big stars
were there: Marcus Camby, Allen
Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, even the
trainer! The players were all so nice!
We took pictures with them and had
a buffet with all the other fans. I got
some good shots. I was so happy that
night. After all, how many people can
say ‘I’ve chatted with Allen Iverson and
Melo at the cake buffet.’?
Thanks, EurAupair!
Sofi Matenaer
Yakhouba Diawara (Nuggets’ player)
and EurAupair Au Pair Sofi Matenaer
(Nuggets’ Fan!).
A Short but Unforgettable
Trip West to LAS VEGA$!
EurAupair Au Pair Johanna Helbig of Germany (right) and her friend Lisa in Las
Vegas, Nevada.
EurAupair Au Pair Johanna
Helbig (Germany), hosted by the
Gustafson family of Canton,
Georgia, headed West to the land
where Elvis still lives and cash is
king!
Below Johanna shares with the
Gazette just a few of her trip memories
to this very unique American
town!
Viva Las Vegas
By: Johanna Helbig
After a five-hour flight my
friend, Lisa, and I finally made it -
LAS VEGAS! The first thing that
we saw at the airport were lots of
slot machines. No doubt about it -
we arrived to the right place! It took
a while before we got to our motel
because none of the bus drivers recognized
the name of it, but they were
all so friendly that we finally found
it! After a little nap we decided to go
for a walk on the Strip. We would be
here just for 3 days, so we definitely
needed to use our time.
We took the DEUCE bus that
brought us to the Strip. The first
thing that we went to was the
Bellagio Hotel because we really
wanted to see the fountains. It was
gorgeous - a lot of people and music
and, of course, the fountains! Just
like in the movie “Oceans 11.”
Afterwards, we continued down the
Strip to get some impressions of
“Sin City.” Unfortunately, only two
hours later and we were so tired that
we were back in our motel room
ready to go to sleep! Not exactly a
wild night in Las Vegas!
The next day we did a lot of
sightseeing. We went to different
casinos like “Ceasar’s Palace,” “Rio
Hotel” and “MGM.” We even
stopped at “The Venetian” to take a
little boat tour. It was so much fun,
but it took the whole day to see
almost everything on the Strip.
On our last day, due to the weather,
we ended up going to “Madame
Tussauds.” Lucky for us the weather
improved so Lisa and I were off to the
“Stratosphere Tower” where you have
the best view. It was awesome! We
could see the whole city, the whole
Strip and behind that, the mountains.
I’ve never seen something like that
before. It was beautiful. We also
wanted to see the fountains of the
Bellagio for the last time. The best
view is from the top of the Eiffel
Tower. We went there and felt really
sad that our trip was coming to an
end. The rest of the night we spent on
the Strip and enjoyed for the last time
the feeling of Vegas. All in all that
was the best trip ever and I will never
forget it!
Thank you, Johanna, for sharing
your trip memories with the
EurAupair Gazette!

EurAupair Au Pair, “May” from Thailand Shares
Her Story of Love for Her Texas Host Family
EurAupair Au Pair Narinporn
Waropastrakul (May) from Thailand
arrived to Woodlands, Texas in January
2007 to spend a year with the Lawler
Family; Tara and Robert Lawler and
their then 4 children. May and her Host
Family had such a wonderful first year
that in January 2008 they extended the
program for another year, and May
wrote the EurAupair Gazette to share
her Au Pair experience in Texas. May
writes:
My First Year in Texas
Today, January 19, is my first
anniversary of living here with my Host
Family, the Lawlers. Time has passed by
so fast, I can’t believe it, and everything
At the Pumpkin patch: EurAupair Au Pair May
Waropastrakul (Thailand), Tara Lawler (Host Mother),
Baby David (a new member of the Lawler family), and
Heather (the triplet’s Big Sister).
is great between my Host Family and I.
I remember when I first met them at
the airport. They gave me big hugs, a
bunch of red roses and a welcoming
poster. When we arrived home that
night, they let me see the babies, triplet
girls, sleeping in their cribs. Even though
it was dark, I could see them by a nightlight
in their room. They were so cute. It
didn’t take much time to get along with
them. By the first month, I knew I had
fallen in love with them.
At this time last year, they were 13
months old. They couldn’t talk or walk
yet. They crawled wherever they wanted
to go. They crawled so fast! Sometimes
I couldn’t catch them. But today, they are
25 months old. They can talk and run.
They talk all day! They
run away from me. They
want me to chase them.
Every time when we are
going to play outside,
they tell me to put my
jacket with the hoodie
on. They are bossy!
This past year, I’ve
had a lot of great times
and new experiences
here with this family. I
went to many birthday
parties. I went to play
paintball with all of my
Host Family members. I
painted Easter eggs at
night before Easter Day.
On Easter Day, I helped
one of my girls go egg
hunting with her sib-
lings and cousins. It
was so much fun! In
the summer, we spent
a week in Arkansas.
There I had the
chance to try waterskiing.
It was fun
even though I couldn’t
get up out of the
lake. We shot a lot of
fireworks to celebrate
Independence Day. In
August, we got a new
member in our family,
David, and tomorrow
he’ll turn 5
months old. In
October, we went to a
pumpkin patch and
had a fun Halloween.
We dressed the girls
in bear outfits and put them in a wagon to
go trick or treating around our neighborhood.
A month later, we celebrated
Thanksgiving. It was very interesting
because I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving
in my home country. The next day, we
went to a Christmas tree farm to get one
for decorating our house. In December, I
had an awesome Christmas celebration
with my Host Family.
I also have had a great time with my
new friends. We went to an ice-hockey
game and a baseball game. We played
kickball and had a lot of dinners together.
I drove to San Antonio, Texas on my
vacation with a friend. It is a nice city to
visit. I went to the Space Center
(NASA), in Houston, Texas. It was great.
YEEHAW! EurAupair Au Pairs Giddy-Up
in the Mile High City!
Pictured from left to right: Linda Soerensen (Denmark), Juliane
Zimmermann (Germany), Lena Molter (Germany), Sabrina
Ruehlmann (Germany), Lisa Achatzi (Germany), Ronja Schmitz
(Germany), and Kittima Khathaiphet (Thailand).
This spring, Marie-Luise Vaughn, senior EurAupair Community
Counselor in Aurora, Colorado, rounded up her Au Pair group to visit
the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, a Denver tradition for
over 100 years!
The Denver Au Pairs had a great time, learning all
about the history of the rodeo, as well as seeing lots of
cowboys, horses, cows, bulls and farm animals. To get
into the spirit of the rodeo, some Au Pairs showed up in
cowboy hats and western garb. And, even the usual
smell of cows and horses in the arena didn’t deter these
young women from this once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Throughout the day, the Au Pairs learned how the
various competitions of the rodeos originated from the
actual day-to-day cowboy activities on working ranches
of the Old West. Cowboys had to tame wild horses and
chase after cattle and calves so that they didn’t get killed
by bears and coyotes.
Everything from bronco riding to team roping to bull
riding were featured. In addition, the group saw cowgirls
barrel racing, an event that only began in 1999. All
agreed, however, that the most fun event was Mutton
Bustin’. A competition for 5 - 7 year old girls and
boys from the greater Denver area, these little cowboys
and cowgirls try to stay on the backs of sheep as long as
possible. It was an adorable sight! The winner was able
to hold on for more than 17 seconds – quite a sensational
score!
Thanks, Marie-Luise, for organizing this uniquely
American event!
EurAupair Au Pairs Hit the Rink for
Some Roller Boogie!
For many, roller rinks are right
up there with drive-in movie theaters
as symbols of Midwest
Americana. And so, for EurAupair
Community Counselor (and roller
rink regular) Karen Hill of Chicago,
Illinois, it seemed a perfect spot to
hold her monthly meeting.
Everyone agreed, what better place
for her area Au Pairs to experience
the excitement of “dancing on
wheels” than at Karen’s local rink?!
But the group soon found out
that Karen wasn’t the only avid
skater in the group. EurAupair Au
Pair Izabela Piechota (Germany)
surprised everyone by showing up
with her own skates for the Monday
night outing! With the first hour
devoted to a skating lesson, the Au
Pairs were as prepared as they were
ever going to be for their evening of
free wheeling and DJ music.
There were lots of laughs and
not a few falls during the night, but
everyone agreed it was a great time!
Thank you, Karen, for sharing your
passion for skating (and being a EurAupair
Counselor) with your area Au Pairs!
Roller skating in Lombard, Illinois. Pictured from left to right: Izabela Piechota
(Germany), Jana Schule (Germany), Karen Hill (EurAupair Community
Counselor), Deborah Bisan (Brazil), Julia Cavelli (France), and Evirgen Oytun
(Turkey).
Dressed up for Halloween: May, Ellie Lawler (in front of May),
Doug Lawler (Host Father), Addie Lawler, and Cammie Lawler.
My Latin friends taught me to dance
(Salsa Dance). It was cool!! I would
never know how to do it without them.
I’m glad to be here with this lovely
family. I love them. They told me, “ You
are a part of our family, not just an Au
Pair, but you’re their big sister. We love
you.” That made me so happy. I appreciate
them very much for everything in the
past year. I can’t think of the time when
I will have to leave them and go back to
my country. It will be very sad leaving
them.
May
A BIG Thank You to May for sharing her
story with the Gazette!
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