Sunday, October 18, German Oktoberfest!

Join your fellow au pairs in this traditional German Celebration!

Where?  Alpine Village, 833 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA  90502 - home of Southern California’s longest and largest Oktoberfest! http://www.alpinevillage.net/oktoberfest.htm

Meeting at 3 p.m. (but you can come earlier); cost to enter is $5.00

Saturday, November 21, American College Football!

UCLA vs. Arizona State at the world famous Rose Bowl (time tbd later)

The whole community is invited to join us at Jamba Juice (Westlake Village) any time Friday September 18.  Drink a juice or buy a snack and 20% of your purchase will be donated to Kids First, Cultural Care (provided you use the attached flyer!).

If you have trouble copying the flyer on this page, look for our au pairs in their blue Cultural Care t-shirts (the shirts with a ‘heart’) and they’ll be happy to hand you a brochure to submit with your purchase.  All the Jamba Juice donations will be matched 100% by Cultural Care.

Kids First is the philanthopic arm of the Cultural Care organization.  Au pairs, host families and the Cultural Care organization are all committed to helping children in need throughout the world.  For more information, please follow this link: http://infosource.lcc.culturalcare.com/program-information/kids-first.aspx

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Friday, September 18 at the Jamba Juice in Westlake Village on Agoura Road (next to Vons).

Looking forward to a really fun time as we all get together on our Sea Life Cruise on Sunday, August 16.  Please read the email I sent about what to wear and what to bring.   Directions to Island Packers at Channel Islands Harbor (Oxnard) are below.  Please make sure you go there (not to their other location!!).  See you Sunday, August 16, bright and early at 8:30 a.m.!!

On Sunday, July 26th, 25 local au pairs and their host families gathered to celebrate the traditional Swedish holiday of ‘Midsummer.’  We were able to enjoy this special day due to the generosity of Malka and Craig Chiate and the creativity of their Swedish au pair Linnea Ekblad.

Linnea and her host family came up with the idea when meeting with me, their Local Coordinator, on our Two Week Orientation.  We then planned a day of fun Midsummer’s activities, coupled with an American barbecue and swimming in the ‘fantasy’ pool at the Chiate’s home.  All who attended had a fantastic time!

It took quite a while to prepare for the event.  Craig Chiate and his sons spent many hours constructing a traditional Swedish Midsummer pole.   Craig said the construction was a fun project to share with his sons, ages 10, 7, 5 & 4.  Then, on the day of our event, our group’s 3 Swedish au pairs (Linnea with Annelie Bergmark & Ulrika Eden) gathered early to decorate the pole with leaves, vines and flowers.  As host families and guests arrived, each added their own flowers to make a truly lovely Midsummer Pole.  Ulrika commented that this was the first time she’d ever seen hibiscus on a one, calling it a Hawaiian or southern California touch!

Au pairs from other countries brought snacks, side dishes and desserts to supplement the wonderful barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs provided by the Chiates.  We feasted on Italian bruschetta, German potato salad and cheese biscuits, French quiche lorraine, Swedish meatballs, potatoes and locks and a variety of yummy desserts brought by au pairs from Czech Republic, Bosnia, Serbia, South Africa, Thailand, China, Venezuela & Argentina.

After some snacking and lunch, all gathered at the Midsummer Pole while our Swedish au pairs explained this ancient festival - a time where all gather to celebrate the Summer solstice, customarily on the longest day of the year when the sun never sets in Sweden.  This holiday rivals Christmas as a favorite in Sweden!  Host families, children and au pairs joined together performing traditional Swedish dancing and singing around the Midsummer’s Pole.  After all this excercise it was time for many to jump into the cool waters of the tropically designed swimming pool or grab a cold water or juice.  Finally, as the day ended we all knew that we had shared some very special times as we all departed with smiles on our faces!

Au Pairs, Children & Families Dance Around Midsummer Pole!

California Pool Party Style!

Date: Sunday July 26, 2009

Time: 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

MIDSUMMER CELEBRATION at 2:30 p.m.

Place: The Home of Malka & Craig Chiate

(please call or write emily davis - see below - for address)

Please bring:

• - Cut flowers, vines and/or leaves from your garden for decorating our Midsummer Pole
• - Swimsuits, sunscreen & towels
• - Your appetites & sense of fun!

Each au pair will bring:

• - A snack or dessert to share. Dishes from your home countries are welcome! (Please write to me and tell me what you’ll bring.)

The Chiates will be barbecuing hamburgers for all of us.  We are also providing water & soft drinks, plus a lifeguard for the pool area.

A little bit about the custom of Midsummer:

Midsummer is celebrated in June every year. It is a time when neighbors and relatives come together to celebrate the solstice. The Community comes together, and usually a committee makes the most arrangements before, but leaves the pole down on the ground. On the day, people coming help by bringing flowers to put on the pole, which then is raised by the “strongest men” (or all who want to help Afterwards, everyone comes together to dance and sing around the Midsummer Pole.

 For more information and to RSVP, please contact Local Childcare Coordinator Emily Davis at 818-414-7240 or via Email:  Emily.davis@lcc.culturalcare.com.  We look forward to seeing you there!

It is very important that all au pairs and host families understand this.  An au pair must complete the educational requirement and show proof of completion.  Please read the following and understand that they are serious requirements direct from the U.S. Department of State:

• An Au Pair who is in his/her first year or extending for 12 or 9 months, must complete either 6 credits or 72 hours at an accredited institution.  If an Au Pair is extending for 6 months, they must complete 3 credits or 36 hours.  At the end of their year, they must get an official transcript (or letter if class was an audit) from the school and fax, mail or email a copy of this to the Cultural Care office in Boston.  
• They must show their LCC (me) the transcript as well so I can approve their flight and deposit release.  I cannot sign the release without seeing the proof.
• Once the proof has been received by the office in Boston, they will schedule the Au Pair’s return flight to their home Country
• If an Au Pair does not send this in, they will be locked out of their on line account and will not have access to their flight itinerary until proper documentation is received.

If an Au Pair is wishing to extend the following must happen:

• The education component MUST be completed by the end of the Au Pair’s 11^th month.  I would highly recommend that they have it completed by the middle of the 11^th month to be on the safe side
• All proof of completion (official transcript or letter on school letterhead) must be received by the Boston office no later than the end of the 11^th month.  If we do not have this, the Au Pair cannot extend.  

If an Au Pair does not complete the educational component he/she will lose his/her flight home and any deposit paid in the home Country.  Au pairs who do not pursue their educational requirement are also at risk of being removed from the program since they are not compliant with the regulations of their visa.  All Au Pair’s are issued a J1 visa which is a student visa.  If they do not attend school they are in violation of their visa and due to State Department regulations, will be sent home.

August Meeting will be an Adventure Meeting to the Channel Islands, August 16.

Blue and Humpback Whale Watching Tours, June - August
Two species of endangered whales, the blue and the humpback, find refuge in the nutrient rich waters of the Channel Islands National Park and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.

We’ll take a boat out to Santa Cruz Island and have a Guided Tour of this unspoiled natural preserve: Santa Cruz Island General Information
Santa Cruz Island is located about 20 miles from the mainland coast, and travel time from Ventura Harbor on one of our swift catamarans is only one hour to east Santa Cruz Island Scorpion Anchorage, or one hour and twenty minutes to Mid Santa Cruz Island Prisoners Harbor.  Being the largest Channel Island, Santa Cruz is also the most diverse with interesting geological features including two mountain ranges, many canyons and a rugged shoreline.  At least 600 plant species, well over 120 species of land birds including the endemic Island scrub jay, and a vast expanse of wilderness area exist for the curious to explore by land or sea. 

You’ll love this trip.  Save up so you can enjoy the day!

Save the date!

Host families and au pairs.  Save July 26 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

We’ll have a wonderful time at our Swedish Midsummers-American Barbecue/Pool Party, graciously hosted by the Chiate family in Calabasas.  More information will be posted later so stay tuned

A traditional Midsummer

I really think this article and this news report explain our new Peace of Mind Guarantee quite well.  Take a look at this:

http://buzz.culturalcare.com/post/118603031/cultural-care-au-pair-on-abc-news

One important correction, however - Cultural Care has always had a very fair refund policy that is continuing.  It’s just that the new Peace of Mind Guarantee lets you keep your au pair and get a refund if you choose!  Wow!

Host Families - I know you have different questions at different times.  Now we have an additional resource for you!

Au Pair Answer Mom is now on YouTube! In addition to our office staff and me, your Local Childcare Coordinator (LCC), there is someone else who can help answer questions about hosting an au pair and that’s Au Pair Answer Mom.

The Au Pair Answer Mom shares her own thoughts on some of the most common questions about hosting a Cultural Care au pair through short video clips. Be sure to check out Cultural Care Au Pair’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/culturalcare for answers to the most common questions.

Have a question you’d like answered? Email aupairanswermom@culturalcare.com with your question!