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A Publication for <strong>EurAupair</strong> Program Participants and Friends Around the World<br />
GAZETTE<br />
SPRING 2008<br />
Volume 38<br />
WELCOME TO CHINA!<br />
By Xuemin Li, <strong>EurAupair</strong> China<br />
I’m honored to have the opportunity<br />
to introduce my country to you.<br />
There are so many things I want to<br />
share with you. So, come with me, as I<br />
show you my country!<br />
As many know, China is one of the<br />
world’s oldest civilizations with a<br />
chronicled history of more than 5,000<br />
years. In 221 BC, Qinshihuang established<br />
the Qin Dynasty, the first feudal<br />
autocracy in Chinese history, thereby<br />
unveiling a 2,000-year period of feudalism<br />
which was to last through a succession<br />
of dynasties such as the Han,<br />
Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing, a<br />
period which finally met its demise in<br />
the bourgeois democratic Revolution of<br />
1911 by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. October 1,<br />
1949 saw the founding of the People’s<br />
Republic of China.<br />
In general, Chinese people are<br />
humble, peaceful and hardworking.<br />
With a history of Confucianism, they<br />
have a strong respect for elders, as well<br />
as a love of children. They believe in<br />
harmony and tend to avoid direct confrontation.<br />
Chinese communication is very<br />
concerned with humility and has a style<br />
quite different from that of Western<br />
cultures. Take, for example, greetings<br />
and farewells. In China, we always<br />
greet by asking, “Have you eaten yet?”,<br />
“What are you going to do?” or “Where<br />
are you going?” to show our consideration<br />
for the listener. As for parting,<br />
expressions include “You are busy, I<br />
won’t trouble you any longer” or “You<br />
must be tired, please have a rest early<br />
and I’ll leave” etc… Chinese leave-taking<br />
is very short and quick, with many<br />
apologies such as “I’m sorry that I have<br />
troubled you” or “I’m sorry that I have<br />
taken up much of your time”. It should<br />
be noted that these expressions are<br />
employed by Chinese guests to show<br />
concern for their hosts. On the other<br />
hand, a Chinese hostess, if she is complimented<br />
on her cooking skill, will<br />
apologize for giving you “Nothing”.<br />
She may say, “I just made some dishes<br />
casually and they are not very tasty.”<br />
This doesn’t mean the hostess doesn’t<br />
respect your opinion. It’s more that the<br />
Chinese regard modesty as a very valuable<br />
virtue.<br />
In many cultures, food is a great<br />
way to get to know the people and<br />
China is no exception! With such a vast<br />
territory and so many ethnic groups,<br />
China has an incredible variety when it<br />
comes to its food. It might be helpful to<br />
think of Chinese food being roughly<br />
divided into eight regional cuisines<br />
namely; Sichuan, Fujian, Zhejiang,<br />
Map of China<br />
Shandong, Guangdong<br />
(Cantonese), Jiangsu, Anhui<br />
and Hunan. Sichuan Cuisine,<br />
as many know, is characterized<br />
by its spicy and pungent flavor.<br />
Fujian Cuisine is distinguished<br />
for its choice of seafood, beautiful<br />
color and magical taste of<br />
sweet, sour, salty and savory.<br />
Next, Zhejiang Cuisine wins<br />
its reputation for freshness,<br />
tenderness, softness and<br />
smoothness of its dishes with<br />
mellow fragrance.<br />
Shandong Cuisine is characterized<br />
by its emphasis on<br />
aroma, freshness, crispness<br />
and tenderness. Often familiar to<br />
Westerners, Guangdong (Cantonese)<br />
Cuisine usually chooses poultry and<br />
game to produce originative dishes.<br />
Jiangsu Cuisine is light, fresh and<br />
Sichuan Spicy Pepper Beef with Noodles<br />
sweet and has a delicate elegance.<br />
Anhui Cuisine chefs focus much more<br />
attention on the temperature in cooking<br />
and are good at braising and stewing.<br />
Finally, Hunan Cuisine characterizes<br />
itself by thick and pungent flavors with<br />
plenty of chili, pepper and shallots<br />
being used.<br />
Food, of course, plays a big part in<br />
the festivals in China. And, while there<br />
are many traditional festivals, the two<br />
festivals celebrated the most are Spring<br />
Festival and Mid-Autumn Day. Spring<br />
Festival, known as Chinese New Year<br />
to many Westerners, is the grandest and<br />
busiest festival in China and commonly<br />
referred to as ‘seeing the new year<br />
in.’<br />
On New Year’s Eve, families join<br />
together for a luxurious dinner. People<br />
in northern China typically will eat<br />
dumplings (jiaozi), symbolizing the<br />
end of the old year and the beginning<br />
of the New Year. In southern China,<br />
people usually eat rice cakes representing<br />
that their level of life will become<br />
higher. People still burn firecrackers on<br />
New Year’s Eve and at dawn on New<br />
Year’s Day. Starting with the second<br />
day of the festival, people will call on<br />
each other with New Year’s gifts with<br />
an emphasis on the preparation and<br />
consumption of sweets and fruits.<br />
Hosts of these get-togethers will thank<br />
their guests by preparing yet another<br />
opulent dinner. Not only is there a lively<br />
atmosphere in every household,<br />
there is partying in the street as well!<br />
Every night dragon and lion dances,<br />
Shehuo (a traditional folk performance)<br />
and flower and lantern fairs<br />
occur throughout China especially in<br />
the countryside. It’s truly a beautiful<br />
sight to see!<br />
Mid-Autumn Day falls on the 15th<br />
day of the eighth lunar calendar month,<br />
which is the middle of autumn.<br />
According to folklore, this day is the<br />
Spring Festival at Ditan Temple Fair in Beijing<br />
birthday of the moon and the moon on<br />
this particular night is more perfectly<br />
round than on any other night during<br />
the year. Offering sacrifices to the<br />
moon, eating moon cakes and watching<br />
the moon are the main activities of<br />
this festival. Traditionally, moon cakes<br />
were made of sweet bean-paste filling,<br />
with golden brown flaky skin. ’Round’<br />
in Chinese also means reunion, so we<br />
celebrate this holiday with our family<br />
reunion.<br />
While I hope this article has given<br />
you a taste of China, my country is<br />
more than just food and festivals. It is<br />
another world, full of people who are<br />
honest, industrious, friendly and hospitable.<br />
If you want to know this world<br />
a bit more, why not say “Ni hao” by<br />
hosting a <strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair from<br />
China this year?!<br />
FACTS<br />
Country: The People’s Republic of<br />
China<br />
States: There are altogether 34<br />
administrative units at provincial level<br />
in China, including four<br />
municipalities, five autonomous<br />
regions, two special administrative<br />
regions and 23 provinces<br />
Population: 1,305.76 million (by<br />
2005)<br />
Capital: Beijing<br />
Language: Putonghua (Beijing<br />
Dialect, Mardarin)<br />
Religion: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam,<br />
and Christianity<br />
Government: The National People’s<br />
Congress<br />
Area: 9.6 million sq. km<br />
Climate: Tropical Zone, Subtropical<br />
Zone, Warm-temperature Zone,<br />
Middle-temperature Zone, Frigidtemperature<br />
Zone, Qinghai-Tibet<br />
Plateau-Temperate Zone<br />
Terrain: Plateau, Plains, Mountains,<br />
Hills and Basins<br />
Highest Point: 8,848 m<br />
Natural Resources: Petroleum,<br />
natural gas, coal, jade, fish, salt,<br />
stone, sand, wood<br />
Reference: http://www.gov.cn<br />
INSIDE THIS ISSUE<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair, “May”<br />
from Thailand, Shares Her<br />
Story<br />
Not Just an Au Pair, Part of<br />
the Family<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair, Sofi<br />
Matenaer is Having a Ball in<br />
Denver, Colorado!<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Pajama Party!<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pairs Enjoy<br />
Rodeos and Rollerskating!<br />
Ask Dot and Much More!<br />
About Us...<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Intercultural Child Care<br />
Programs is a non-profit, public benefit<br />
organization designated by the U.S.<br />
Department of State to conduct the Au<br />
Pair cultural exchange program under<br />
the Fulbright Hays Mutual<br />
Educational and Cultural Exchange<br />
Act of 1961 and is intended “to promote<br />
mutual understanding between<br />
the people of the United States and<br />
other countries by means of educational<br />
and cultural exchanges”.<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Intercultural<br />
Child Care Programs<br />
250 North Coast Highway<br />
Laguna Beach, CA 92651 USA<br />
Tel: 949/494-5500<br />
Fax: 949/497-6235<br />
E-mail: info@euraupair.com<br />
Web: www.euraupair.com<br />
Return Service Requested<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> <strong>Gazette</strong><br />
250 North Coast Highway<br />
Laguna Beach, CA 92651 USA<br />
Non-Profit<br />
Organization<br />
U.S. POSTAGE<br />
PAID<br />
Laguna Beach<br />
California 92651<br />
PERMIT NO. 963
Ask Dot!<br />
A regular feature of the<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> <strong>Gazette</strong>, Dear Dot! Gives<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pairs and Host<br />
Families the chance to get answers<br />
to questions about proper etiquette<br />
in the USA! Ms. Soskin is a trained<br />
etiquette instructor and columnist,<br />
as well as one of <strong>EurAupair</strong>’s Area<br />
Coordinators in the Midwest.<br />
Hi Dot,<br />
I have a couple of dining questions<br />
that I was hoping you could<br />
answer for me. Is it proper to blow<br />
on a fork of hot food to cool it down<br />
and how does one eat soup properly?<br />
Kaori from Japan<br />
Hi Kaori,<br />
In answer to your questions<br />
regarding blowing on a fork of hot<br />
food to try to cool it down, you<br />
should not blow on it, but test it<br />
carefully and inconspicuously with<br />
your tongue before placing the piece<br />
into your mouth. It is acceptable<br />
though, to blow on a spoonful of<br />
soup to cool it down before you<br />
swallow it. However, do this unobtrusively.<br />
A couple of other points to<br />
remember are: when you take a<br />
puff-pastry hors d’oeuvre, wait until<br />
it cools, and then try to eat it whole.<br />
If you try to cut it in half with your<br />
teeth, you might find the hot contents<br />
burning your mouth.<br />
As for soup, it is spooned away<br />
from you toward the center of the<br />
bowl. The soup plate may be tipped<br />
away from you in order to fill the<br />
spoon with the last of the soup.<br />
And, of course, in the USA there is<br />
no slurping!<br />
If you need more information,<br />
let me know!<br />
Thanks,<br />
Dot Soskin<br />
Keep the questions coming…<br />
E-mail Dot at:<br />
d1manners@sbc-global.net<br />
If a pictures paints a thousand<br />
words, then this drawing by four-year<br />
old Morgan Farrin speaks volumes about<br />
the special <strong>EurAupair</strong> bond Au Pairs<br />
have with their Host Families! Though<br />
you may not be able to tell from the<br />
spelling – the portrait includes Morgan,<br />
her little brother, her parents and OF<br />
COURSE Katharina.<br />
“We have had a great year with our<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> the<br />
“Perfect Fit”!<br />
NOT JUST AN AU PAIR, PART<br />
OF THE FAMILY!<br />
FORGET WILLY WONKA! <strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pairs<br />
Check Out Chocolate in Hershey, Pennsylvania!<br />
Pictured from left to right, back row: Jana Schlese<br />
(Germany), Tina Merkert (Germany), Andreas Echtner<br />
(Germany), Arne Glindemann (Germany) and Anna Farger<br />
(Germany). Front row: Inna Komarova (Russia) and<br />
Monika Eggstein (Germany).<br />
Pictured from left<br />
to right: <strong>EurAupair</strong><br />
Au Pair Mariya<br />
Chukhnova with<br />
her Host Family,<br />
the Kiesels: Katy,<br />
Cynthia (Host<br />
Mom) with Zoe,<br />
Charles (Host Dad),<br />
Jonathan and<br />
David.<br />
A Big Thank you to <strong>EurAupair</strong> Host Mother Cynthia Kiesel of Olive Branch,<br />
Mississippi, who sent in this great family photo which (of course!) includes their<br />
Ukranian Au Pair, Mariya Chukhnova. “Our family is so grateful to have Mariya to<br />
help us through a portion of these trying years,” writes Cynthia. “She has been the<br />
‘perfect fit’ and we all love her!”<br />
Au Pair Katharina,” writes <strong>EurAupair</strong><br />
Host Parents Anna and Jon Farrin of<br />
Charlotte, North Carolina. “She has been<br />
such a wonderful addition to our family.<br />
She has gone out of her way to establish<br />
close, compassionate, and joyful relationships<br />
with our children and her endless<br />
energy and creativity have been a<br />
gift to us all. Our four year old daughter<br />
Morgan recently went to a children’s<br />
Recently, Anna Farger, hosted by the Chambers family of Mc<br />
Lean, Virginia, packed up the family mini-van and invited some of<br />
her new friends to take a road trip. The original destination of the<br />
road trip was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to learn more about their<br />
host country’s history. However, the Au Pairs found that after a<br />
whole day in the historical downtown of Philadelphia, they were<br />
ready to indulge in a less intellectual adventure.<br />
A quick vote and a couple hours later, and the group had taken<br />
the short detour to the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory! Here, Anna and<br />
her friends joined Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour where<br />
they learned just exactly how chocolate is made, from start to finish.<br />
Anna writes:<br />
“I was very surprised that during the Chocolate Tour we could<br />
actually see every single process of making chocolate: from crushing<br />
the cocoa beans to adding milk and flavor. We could also see<br />
how the chocolate gets its texture.”<br />
Anna goes on to write that the group really enjoyed finding out<br />
about one of Hershey’s most famous chocolates, the Hershey Kiss.<br />
“We saw the Hershey’s product characters come to life on the<br />
big screen in Hershey’s 3-D show. And, we helped to operate an<br />
actual Hershey’s Kisses chocolate packaging line at Hershey’s<br />
Kissworks attraction!”<br />
Of course, the best was saved for last, when the group had the<br />
chance to try all the delicious chocolate! Thanks, Anna, for sending<br />
in this delicious story!<br />
Au Pairs Cheer on the Chicago<br />
Bulls in the Windy City!<br />
Winter in the Midwest means staying<br />
indoors, keeping the driveway<br />
plowed and…basketball season! This<br />
February, <strong>EurAupair</strong> Community<br />
Counselor Barbara Salzmann-Hogberg<br />
of Wheaton, Illinois, thought it was high<br />
time her group of Au Pairs got to know<br />
what the Chicago Bulls meant to<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair Katharina Schymura<br />
(Germany) with her Host Children,<br />
Morgan and Tyler Farrin, enjoying Folley<br />
Beach, South Carolina.<br />
event at our local art museum where she<br />
drew a family portrait. It shows how<br />
much Katharina has truly become a part<br />
of our family and we will miss her when<br />
she returns to her home in Germany this<br />
summer. Thank you for bringing her into<br />
our lives (and our family portrait)!”<br />
At left, Family portrait, by Morgan<br />
Farrin, 4 years old.<br />
Pictured from left to right:<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Community<br />
Counselor Barbara Salzmann-<br />
Hogberg and <strong>EurAupair</strong> Au<br />
Pairs: Lise Guillarme<br />
(France), Rebecca Hoferer<br />
(Germany), Jessica Brunner<br />
(Germany), Iryna Galskova<br />
(Ukraine), Aurelie Cantelou<br />
(France) and Emel Keskinkilic<br />
(Turkey).<br />
Chicagoans. So, off the group<br />
went to watch the Bulls take<br />
on the Washington Wizards at Chicago’s<br />
United Center. Unfortunately, the<br />
Wizards worked some magic and the<br />
Bulls were put out to pasture that night,<br />
but, nevertheless, Barbara and the Au<br />
Pairs had a great time, enjoying the game<br />
and all the half-time activities that came<br />
along with it!
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair Sofi Matenaer is Having a Ball<br />
in Denver, Colorado!!<br />
At a Nuggets game in April 2008. In<br />
front: Lukas Ratana, and Sophie Ratana.<br />
In the back: Sofi Matenaer (Germany),<br />
Eduaro Najera (Basketball player) and<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Host Mother Liza Ratana<br />
GREAT AU PAIRS HIKE<br />
GREAT FALLS!<br />
From left to right: <strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pairs Janina Scheld (Germany), Becky Greger<br />
(Germany), Clara Macedo (Brazil), Holly Brown (<strong>EurAupair</strong> Community<br />
Counselor), Iuliia Iakovleva (Ukraine), Ayumi Hara (Japan), Natasha Jacobsen<br />
(Denmark) and Luisa Wasilewski (Germany).<br />
This April, <strong>EurAupair</strong><br />
Community Counselor Holly<br />
Brown of Fairfax Station,<br />
Virginia took her group of Au<br />
Pairs for a visit to Great Falls<br />
Park in Great Falls, Virginia.<br />
Just a hop, skip and jump from<br />
Washington DC, Great Falls<br />
Park has quite a history and the<br />
group enjoyed learning all<br />
about it in a short film.<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair Sofi Matenaer of<br />
Germany, and her Host Family, the<br />
Ratanas, of Denver, Colorado, are currently<br />
having a ball in more ways than<br />
one with the <strong>EurAupair</strong> Extended Stay<br />
Program.<br />
Sofi and her new American family<br />
have done so many fun activities together<br />
that she decided to write the<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> <strong>Gazette</strong> to share some pictures<br />
from a recent basketball game with<br />
the family. Sofi writes:<br />
I’m Sofi Matenaer an Au Pair hosted<br />
by the Ratana Family in Denver,<br />
Colorado in my <strong>EurAupair</strong> Extension<br />
Year. My first and extension year have<br />
been great! My Host Family is perfect -<br />
we have so much fun together. They take<br />
me to so many places for traveling. I get<br />
to see so many nice places and cities in<br />
the USA. I’ve made some good friends<br />
here as well. I enjoy living here in the<br />
USA. I think it was the best idea that I’ve<br />
ever had to become an Au Pair in the<br />
Afterwards, the Au Pairs<br />
enjoyed the fresh air and<br />
explored some of the park’s 800<br />
acres. The Potomac River,<br />
Mather Gorge and the<br />
Patowmack Canal were just<br />
some of the sites they took in<br />
during this beautiful spring day!<br />
Thanks, Holly, for sharing<br />
with the <strong>Gazette</strong>!<br />
EURAUPAIR PAJAMA PARTY!<br />
This past month, <strong>EurAupair</strong><br />
Community Counselor Patti Samuels of<br />
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania held an all<br />
American Pajama Party for her local<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pairs, Emine Ercirpan<br />
(Turkey), Lizbeth Utoft (Denmark), and<br />
Susanne Reiche (Germany)!<br />
The group started a bit early and had<br />
a great time shopping, going out for dinner<br />
and even checking out a local play<br />
before heading back to Patti’s home for<br />
Outside <strong>EurAupair</strong> Community<br />
Counselor Patti Samuel’s house, from<br />
left to right: Susanne Reiche (Germany),<br />
Lizbeth Utoft (Denmark), Patti Samuels<br />
(<strong>EurAupair</strong> Community Counselor), and<br />
Emine Ercirpan (Turkey).<br />
some big, gooey, homemade ice cream<br />
sundaes! “The Pittsburgh Au Pairs are a<br />
great bunch of girls and we are always<br />
looking for something to do together”<br />
says Patti, “We genuinely love to be<br />
together!”<br />
The group laughed into the wee<br />
hours of the morning, as they shared photos<br />
of their countries and families and<br />
found out all of the funny little things<br />
about each others’ lives.<br />
Morning indeed came early, but<br />
everyone was up and ready to meet and<br />
greet the newest Au Pair to their group,<br />
Alessandra DeBlasis (Brazil), who had<br />
just arrived! While Alessandra missed<br />
the PJ Party, she is definitely on board for<br />
the next outing in June to Niagara Falls!<br />
USA. Everybody in my German family<br />
is so proud of me!<br />
Last month, thanks to my Host<br />
Family having season tickets, I got the<br />
chance to meet the Denver Nuggets,<br />
Denver’s professional basketball team,<br />
at a Meet and Greet! My Host Mum,<br />
Liza, and the kids, Sophie and Luke,<br />
went with me to the Denver Downtown<br />
Aquarium for the Sixth Man Jam.<br />
It was so cool to see all the players<br />
up close, after going to so many of their<br />
games during the year. All the big stars<br />
were there: Marcus Camby, Allen<br />
Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, even the<br />
trainer! The players were all so nice!<br />
We took pictures with them and had<br />
a buffet with all the other fans. I got<br />
some good shots. I was so happy that<br />
night. After all, how many people can<br />
say ‘I’ve chatted with Allen Iverson and<br />
Melo at the cake buffet.’?<br />
Thanks, <strong>EurAupair</strong>!<br />
Sofi Matenaer<br />
Yakhouba Diawara (Nuggets’ player)<br />
and <strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair Sofi Matenaer<br />
(Nuggets’ Fan!).<br />
A Short but Unforgettable<br />
Trip West to LAS VEGA$!<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair Johanna Helbig of Germany (right) and her friend Lisa in Las<br />
Vegas, Nevada.<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair Johanna<br />
Helbig (Germany), hosted by the<br />
Gustafson family of Canton,<br />
Georgia, headed West to the land<br />
where Elvis still lives and cash is<br />
king!<br />
Below Johanna shares with the<br />
<strong>Gazette</strong> just a few of her trip memories<br />
to this very unique American<br />
town!<br />
Viva Las Vegas<br />
By: Johanna Helbig<br />
After a five-hour flight my<br />
friend, Lisa, and I finally made it -<br />
LAS VEGAS! The first thing that<br />
we saw at the airport were lots of<br />
slot machines. No doubt about it -<br />
we arrived to the right place! It took<br />
a while before we got to our motel<br />
because none of the bus drivers recognized<br />
the name of it, but they were<br />
all so friendly that we finally found<br />
it! After a little nap we decided to go<br />
for a walk on the Strip. We would be<br />
here just for 3 days, so we definitely<br />
needed to use our time.<br />
We took the DEUCE bus that<br />
brought us to the Strip. The first<br />
thing that we went to was the<br />
Bellagio Hotel because we really<br />
wanted to see the fountains. It was<br />
gorgeous - a lot of people and music<br />
and, of course, the fountains! Just<br />
like in the movie “Oceans 11.”<br />
Afterwards, we continued down the<br />
Strip to get some impressions of<br />
“Sin City.” Unfortunately, only two<br />
hours later and we were so tired that<br />
we were back in our motel room<br />
ready to go to sleep! Not exactly a<br />
wild night in Las Vegas!<br />
The next day we did a lot of<br />
sightseeing. We went to different<br />
casinos like “Ceasar’s Palace,” “Rio<br />
Hotel” and “MGM.” We even<br />
stopped at “The Venetian” to take a<br />
little boat tour. It was so much fun,<br />
but it took the whole day to see<br />
almost everything on the Strip.<br />
On our last day, due to the weather,<br />
we ended up going to “Madame<br />
Tussauds.” Lucky for us the weather<br />
improved so Lisa and I were off to the<br />
“Stratosphere Tower” where you have<br />
the best view. It was awesome! We<br />
could see the whole city, the whole<br />
Strip and behind that, the mountains.<br />
I’ve never seen something like that<br />
before. It was beautiful. We also<br />
wanted to see the fountains of the<br />
Bellagio for the last time. The best<br />
view is from the top of the Eiffel<br />
Tower. We went there and felt really<br />
sad that our trip was coming to an<br />
end. The rest of the night we spent on<br />
the Strip and enjoyed for the last time<br />
the feeling of Vegas. All in all that<br />
was the best trip ever and I will never<br />
forget it!<br />
Thank you, Johanna, for sharing<br />
your trip memories with the<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> <strong>Gazette</strong>!
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair, “May” from Thailand Shares<br />
Her Story of Love for Her Texas Host Family<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair Narinporn<br />
Waropastrakul (May) from Thailand<br />
arrived to Woodlands, Texas in January<br />
2007 to spend a year with the Lawler<br />
Family; Tara and Robert Lawler and<br />
their then 4 children. May and her Host<br />
Family had such a wonderful first year<br />
that in January 2008 they extended the<br />
program for another year, and May<br />
wrote the <strong>EurAupair</strong> <strong>Gazette</strong> to share<br />
her Au Pair experience in Texas. May<br />
writes:<br />
My First Year in Texas<br />
Today, January 19, is my first<br />
anniversary of living here with my Host<br />
Family, the Lawlers. Time has passed by<br />
so fast, I can’t believe it, and everything<br />
At the Pumpkin patch: <strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pair May<br />
Waropastrakul (Thailand), Tara Lawler (Host Mother),<br />
Baby David (a new member of the Lawler family), and<br />
Heather (the triplet’s Big Sister).<br />
is great between my Host Family and I.<br />
I remember when I first met them at<br />
the airport. They gave me big hugs, a<br />
bunch of red roses and a welcoming<br />
poster. When we arrived home that<br />
night, they let me see the babies, triplet<br />
girls, sleeping in their cribs. Even though<br />
it was dark, I could see them by a nightlight<br />
in their room. They were so cute. It<br />
didn’t take much time to get along with<br />
them. By the first month, I knew I had<br />
fallen in love with them.<br />
At this time last year, they were 13<br />
months old. They couldn’t talk or walk<br />
yet. They crawled wherever they wanted<br />
to go. They crawled so fast! Sometimes<br />
I couldn’t catch them. But today, they are<br />
25 months old. They can talk and run.<br />
They talk all day! They<br />
run away from me. They<br />
want me to chase them.<br />
Every time when we are<br />
going to play outside,<br />
they tell me to put my<br />
jacket with the hoodie<br />
on. They are bossy!<br />
This past year, I’ve<br />
had a lot of great times<br />
and new experiences<br />
here with this family. I<br />
went to many birthday<br />
parties. I went to play<br />
paintball with all of my<br />
Host Family members. I<br />
painted Easter eggs at<br />
night before Easter Day.<br />
On Easter Day, I helped<br />
one of my girls go egg<br />
hunting with her sib-<br />
lings and cousins. It<br />
was so much fun! In<br />
the summer, we spent<br />
a week in Arkansas.<br />
There I had the<br />
chance to try waterskiing.<br />
It was fun<br />
even though I couldn’t<br />
get up out of the<br />
lake. We shot a lot of<br />
fireworks to celebrate<br />
Independence Day. In<br />
August, we got a new<br />
member in our family,<br />
David, and tomorrow<br />
he’ll turn 5<br />
months old. In<br />
October, we went to a<br />
pumpkin patch and<br />
had a fun Halloween.<br />
We dressed the girls<br />
in bear outfits and put them in a wagon to<br />
go trick or treating around our neighborhood.<br />
A month later, we celebrated<br />
Thanksgiving. It was very interesting<br />
because I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving<br />
in my home country. The next day, we<br />
went to a Christmas tree farm to get one<br />
for decorating our house. In December, I<br />
had an awesome Christmas celebration<br />
with my Host Family.<br />
I also have had a great time with my<br />
new friends. We went to an ice-hockey<br />
game and a baseball game. We played<br />
kickball and had a lot of dinners together.<br />
I drove to San Antonio, Texas on my<br />
vacation with a friend. It is a nice city to<br />
visit. I went to the Space Center<br />
(NASA), in Houston, Texas. It was great.<br />
YEEHAW! <strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pairs Giddy-Up<br />
in the Mile High City!<br />
Pictured from left to right: Linda Soerensen (Denmark), Juliane<br />
Zimmermann (Germany), Lena Molter (Germany), Sabrina<br />
Ruehlmann (Germany), Lisa Achatzi (Germany), Ronja Schmitz<br />
(Germany), and Kittima Khathaiphet (Thailand).<br />
This spring, Marie-Luise Vaughn, senior <strong>EurAupair</strong> Community<br />
Counselor in Aurora, Colorado, rounded up her Au Pair group to visit<br />
the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, a Denver tradition for<br />
over 100 years!<br />
The Denver Au Pairs had a great time, learning all<br />
about the history of the rodeo, as well as seeing lots of<br />
cowboys, horses, cows, bulls and farm animals. To get<br />
into the spirit of the rodeo, some Au Pairs showed up in<br />
cowboy hats and western garb. And, even the usual<br />
smell of cows and horses in the arena didn’t deter these<br />
young women from this once-in-a-lifetime experience!<br />
Throughout the day, the Au Pairs learned how the<br />
various competitions of the rodeos originated from the<br />
actual day-to-day cowboy activities on working ranches<br />
of the Old West. Cowboys had to tame wild horses and<br />
chase after cattle and calves so that they didn’t get killed<br />
by bears and coyotes.<br />
Everything from bronco riding to team roping to bull<br />
riding were featured. In addition, the group saw cowgirls<br />
barrel racing, an event that only began in 1999. All<br />
agreed, however, that the most fun event was Mutton<br />
Bustin’. A competition for 5 - 7 year old girls and<br />
boys from the greater Denver area, these little cowboys<br />
and cowgirls try to stay on the backs of sheep as long as<br />
possible. It was an adorable sight! The winner was able<br />
to hold on for more than 17 seconds – quite a sensational<br />
score!<br />
Thanks, Marie-Luise, for organizing this uniquely<br />
American event!<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pairs Hit the Rink for<br />
Some Roller Boogie!<br />
For many, roller rinks are right<br />
up there with drive-in movie theaters<br />
as symbols of Midwest<br />
Americana. And so, for <strong>EurAupair</strong><br />
Community Counselor (and roller<br />
rink regular) Karen Hill of Chicago,<br />
Illinois, it seemed a perfect spot to<br />
hold her monthly meeting.<br />
Everyone agreed, what better place<br />
for her area Au Pairs to experience<br />
the excitement of “dancing on<br />
wheels” than at Karen’s local rink?!<br />
But the group soon found out<br />
that Karen wasn’t the only avid<br />
skater in the group. <strong>EurAupair</strong> Au<br />
Pair Izabela Piechota (Germany)<br />
surprised everyone by showing up<br />
with her own skates for the Monday<br />
night outing! With the first hour<br />
devoted to a skating lesson, the Au<br />
Pairs were as prepared as they were<br />
ever going to be for their evening of<br />
free wheeling and DJ music.<br />
There were lots of laughs and<br />
not a few falls during the night, but<br />
everyone agreed it was a great time!<br />
Thank you, Karen, for sharing your<br />
passion for skating (and being a <strong>EurAupair</strong><br />
Counselor) with your area Au Pairs!<br />
Roller skating in Lombard, Illinois. Pictured from left to right: Izabela Piechota<br />
(Germany), Jana Schule (Germany), Karen Hill (<strong>EurAupair</strong> Community<br />
Counselor), Deborah Bisan (Brazil), Julia Cavelli (France), and Evirgen Oytun<br />
(Turkey).<br />
Dressed up for Halloween: May, Ellie Lawler (in front of May),<br />
Doug Lawler (Host Father), Addie Lawler, and Cammie Lawler.<br />
My Latin friends taught me to dance<br />
(Salsa Dance). It was cool!! I would<br />
never know how to do it without them.<br />
I’m glad to be here with this lovely<br />
family. I love them. They told me, “ You<br />
are a part of our family, not just an Au<br />
Pair, but you’re their big sister. We love<br />
you.” That made me so happy. I appreciate<br />
them very much for everything in the<br />
past year. I can’t think of the time when<br />
I will have to leave them and go back to<br />
my country. It will be very sad leaving<br />
them.<br />
May<br />
A BIG Thank You to May for sharing her<br />
story with the <strong>Gazette</strong>!<br />
<strong>Gazette</strong> Info...<br />
The <strong>EurAupair</strong> <strong>Gazette</strong> is published<br />
four times a year. It is provided free<br />
of charge to <strong>EurAupair</strong> Host<br />
Families, <strong>EurAupair</strong> Au Pairs,<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> Community Counselors<br />
and staff, and friends of the<br />
<strong>EurAupair</strong> program around the<br />
world. Any copyright material is<br />
published with the written<br />
permission of the publisher and is<br />
so indicated. Any other material<br />
may be used for publication without<br />
permission of <strong>EurAupair</strong>.<br />
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