Susan Wildeboer

The city of Los Altos blocked off Main Street, turned it into an outdoor movie theater and invited all the families in town to watch a movie together. My au pair family and I were there to enjoy Friday Movie Nights in downtown Los Altos together. We brought our folding chairs, blankets, munchies and relaxed together for several hours. Friends joined us from other au pair groups and other au pair agencies as well. We gathered for a group picture as it was beginning to get dark. Several host families attended with their children as well. They came over to us to say “Hi!” It was a festive atmosphere with music playing over loud speakers, lots of families relaxing together, plenty of food and fun.
Check out the photo page of this website to see more photos of our night at the movies!

At our July meeting, we enjoyed a combination of German and American campfire treats. In Germany, where they love their bread, they wrap bread dough on a stick, roast it over a campfire and then enjoy it hot off the stick. We wrapped it, sprinkled pretzel salt on it, roasted and it was tasty!

In America, where we love our sweets, (a little too much!) we toast marshmallows until they nearly melt, slip a piece of chocolate inside and make a sandwich with graham crackers. Both were delicious and we all enjoyed sitting around the fire, chatting and “roasting”! I asked the au pairs who are ending their year to share their words of wisdom with the new au pairs who have arrived. We also discussed the educational component of the program and how to complete that requirement. Due to the California budget crisis, classes the au pairs have relied upon are being reduced. So I stressed the importance of registering at the first opportunity to ensure a spot.

The last half of the meeting was reserved for Cultural Care’s Continuing Education Program. We moved inside to talk about how to keep the children we care for safe from accidental household poisoning. We took a quiz in groups of two and then discussed how to make our homes safer. Please go to the photo section to see more of the photos from this meeting.

Palo Alto Adult School - New English As a Second Language (ESL) class!
These four courses bring together different aspects of American life in a fun and engaging way. They will help you decipher the important news of the day, introduce you to the works of well-known writers and and take you on a journey deep inside American society by acquainting you with American history and customs through “pop culture” movies and music. While analyzing and discussing a variety of media in small group settings, you will expand your circle of friends, refine your pronunciation, broaden your vocabulary, improve your grammar, and enhance your overall command of the English language. Recommended for intermediate to advanced English learners. Enroll in one or all four.

*Movies: Mondays, 9:30-11:30 am, September 14-November 17, Greendell $120
*Fiction: Tuesdays, 9:30 - 11:30 am, September 15 - November 18, Greendell - $120
*Current Events: Wednesdays, 9:30-11:30 am, Sept. 16-Nov. 19, Greendell - $120
*Music: Thursdays, 9:30 - 11:30 am, September 17 - November 20, Greendell - $120

Instructor: Mitra Bahrami
Fall registration begins on Friday, August 14. Classes will fill fast so register asap! Students can register online at www.paadultschool.org or in person at the Adult School office in the Tower Building at Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Rd. (corner of Embarcadero and El Camino) Palo Alto
Please note that a placement test is not required for these classes, however the classes were developed for intermediate to advanced level English learners.

Summer Fun with Au Pairs & Host Families! We had a relaxing afternoon together - eating, face-painting, (to support an orphanage in Africa), and then finished off the afternoon with a water balloon toss. The surprise came when the “official” water balloon toss ended, and a FULL cooler of extra water balloons was revealed. The kids grabbed them - and the chase was on!
Visit the Photo section of this blog for more images of this fun afternoon.

Imagine, chasing each other with laser guns, through a black light maze with techno music in the background.  That’s what we did for our meeting in April.  Another au pair group joined ours and we had a great time.  Add some pizza and soda and you have an aerobic and tasty evening!

We enjoyed having one, big, birthday party in March to celebrate Everybody’s Birthday!  Everyone brought a gift,  several bakers made cakes, I added the candles and we all sang happy birthday to each other.  Everyone brought a gift, so we drew names to exchange gifts and spent time getting to know each other while we opened presents.

For our February meeting we watched a movie and made our own facials.  The chocolate facial was good enough to eat - just ask Victoria!  Everyone took them home to enjoy.   Stephanie had a little helper who enjoyed applying her chocoate facial. 

I chose our January meeting to coincide with the presidential inauguration of Barak Obama.  We watched together and had a very interesting discussion about their reactions to the event and to the election process in the United States.   I contacted some local newspapers and asked if they would be interested in your opinion and they were!  They asked me to write an article and submit it.  It was published in it’s entirety in the Los Altos Town Crier, and as part of an editorial in the Mountain View Voice.  So, you’re famous!  Take a look and send this link to your families about your local au pair group. 

Local au pairs offer thoughts from abroad while watching Obama’s inauguration.   http://www.losaltosonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16682&Itemid=47

Town Forum of Mountain View Voice: http://www.mv-voice.com/square/index.php?i=3&d=&t=930

Three of my au pair friends and I decided to make a weekend trip to Las Vegas. We arrived in Las Vegas on Friday in the evening, did a tour of the Grand Canyon on Saturday and flew back home on Sunday in the middle of the night. Although it was just a weekend, we left with unforgettable impressions!