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I would like to share the details and experiences about my aupair trip. I hope that I can give my fellow sisters hope but not pressure.
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, \& Q# W2 C1 `0 W' S- W Firstly, when you got your J-1 visa, don't relax at once because you have something else to prepare --- pre-departure project. It is very important project that you will show it to aupair worker in the hotel and they will check it for you. You will also show it to your host family when you arrive in their house. Pre-departure project is an introduction of your hometown, your country, your host family, your responsibility, your skills. You need to take more than 8 hours at least to finish it. I would like to share my project and another aupair's one with all of you as examples. There are more details about how to finish it in your handbook. Please read it carefully and made it seriously because the trainers will give you score, and they also will choose the best one in order to show it to all the other aupairs. Don't forget you are the only Chinese girl in this big group. In our group, the girl who is from Germany got the adwards took one month to prepare this project.
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Secondly, I would like to share the experiences on the plane. I met Li Meng in the airport, we are very lucky because we knew a Chinese American on the plane. So we got a lot of information from him. He is a translator who works in U.S. for more that twenty years. He and his son went back to New York after Olympic Games. He is very nice to remind us not to go to some dangerous place and provide some experiences to live in U.S.because he know it is our first time in U.S. everything is new for us. And he taught us how to pass the Mag & Bag(安检).When we arrived in New York, he also make a phoe to aupair program ,he and his son left until we met the right person. But, my dear fellow sister, it doesn't mean you can trust all the Chinese strangers in your trip. We just chatted and got more information, you must be careful during your trip and never leave your important personal information.
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- n2 z- A6 I/ I0 h2 E6 j Actually, we got some trouble when we arrived the NY airport. I found that there are many different aupair companies representatives who are waiting for the foreign aupairs. It means we can't get the wrong bus. I ask two persons who showed"Welcome aupair", but they are not the right one we need. But I am lucky because one of them told me I can phone the number which is free on my paper to the headquarters and got useful information. So don't forget you have the number and you can use the pay phone in the airport. The officer of headquarters told me that I need to go out of the airport and find a small bus as the picture of the paper(the same paper of the phone). And we met two other aupairs from Thail and found the driver on the road. Li Meng worried a little because we are not sure the driver is a good person. And I asked him to show us ID, it is the same one as the paper printed. He helped us carry the luggage and took nearly two hours go to the hotel. Each of us paid 25 dollars for driving.
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Thirdly, the feelings of the training. I have to say the officers are very professional in the hotel. They organized everything very well. When we arrived in the hotel, we had a short meeting at first. They gave us a white envelop and some pieces of paper. There are some plans and mentions on the paper. They will remind us that we can buy a phone card which is 20 dollars to call our family, don't use the phone in our room because it is very expensive. Give us an example, some aupair used the phone to call her mom in the room last week about 15 minutes, when she left she found that she had to pay 700 dollars for it. Don't forget it is international call. Oh, we never use it in the room. We can use the pay phone in the hall which is cheap. And they remind you don't drink two bottles of water in you room, each of them is 4 dollars. They provide free water and juice in the class and restaurant. They also tell us the begining time of the class next day is 8:00 a.m.,we can have breakfast between 6:30 and 7:50. We can store our big heavy luggage in the boxroo,each for 2 dollars. Please pay attention here, you can not move your luggage once you store it. So remember that you need to take your clothes out which you want to wear for three days and your lotions,camera,swimming suit(there is a swimming pool in the hotel and you can swim if you want),important documents,money. ,specially your pre-departure project. It is very cold in the hotel because they use air condition,they also provide ice water,ice yoghout,ice fruit,ice cola,ice juice,ice milk. So I believe you really need some warm sweater or coat. Actually, you will feel that you are in winter when you meet some other people in the hotel. They know we are very tired, so we are free after the short meeting.% k: I& a% N! n! f
/ I _, Q; F( C, w: o5 { I met my other two roommates next morning. Because I am really sleepy and tired after 13.5 hours flight and 2 hours bus without bed. At that time, bed is the best one for us. Li Meng and I live in the different rooms. She and her roommates will all go to New Jersey. My roommates and I will all go to New York. My roommates are very nice, one of them is from Netherland, the other one is from Brazil. Actually, aupair group is a real international team. Our class is a true international party. There are more than 200 students who are from 28 coutries study together. If you enjoy my pictures, you will find different face, different hair, different skin. Of course, we can use the same languange - English to communicate.
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6 b. S8 e! v* q+ o' o0 N+ f The class is very interesting. The teachers are full of energy and humorous. They always made all of us very exciting. We have more than five teachers or trainers here who are all good at making a speech and they always try to encourage us. You can enjoy American humor here, that is true. For example, one teacher ask us how many children we will take care. Some students said one, two, three ,four. Only one students chose six. You know what the teacher said, in her family, her parents have 14 children...We laughed. "Oh,I know, I know..." she said,"my parents love to make babies." ) b k1 ^1 f( i j
The first day, we learned some classes about how to be an excellent aupair. Different age chilren will be seperated in different groups. It means I will look after 11 and 13 years old chilren, so I am in teenager group. Li Meng will look after 5 and 9 years old children, so she chose that age group. If one child is 1 year old, another child you need to look after is 8 years old, you can choose the age you are not good at. To my surprise, there are some aupair boys here, of course only 3 or 4 boys, one of them will take care 4 boys for her host family, one is only 10 months, so when he chose the group below one, all of us laughed a lot. He became one of the most popular aupairs from then on.
* Z$ A; H6 x1 A2 Y9 K; ? The second day,we learnt some ways to save the people. If the children or aldults are hurt, choke ,stop breathing... How to deal with the emergent issues. We can use the fake body to practise. We also learnt some ways to communicate with our host family. We may have the culuture shock in the future, don't be afraid of that. Share a way from my teacher: Breath deeply, and say to yourself "I can do that." Actually, sometimes your baby will cry all the time, your chilren will play you, your teenagers will quarrel with you... How to deal with this problem? You need to know reasons at first, sometimes babies cry because they are hungry ,thirsty ,tired ,sleepy ,boring. You can check them and provide something she need. For the little children, you must be patient, responsible, careful, warm-hearted, respectful. For teenagers, oh, it's my age group, I remember that very well-- just leave them alone for a moment and make them calm down. It is the best method.
! |6 h5 m* N% n. W) _; R$ S3 _ ]$ r- U/ X The third day, the teachers help us to summerize and memorize the main idea. Sometimes,the teachers will play a role as children on bended knees on the floor. They are very funny to cry and shout just like a child. If you can use the right, you passed. For example, the child is playing the vedio games all the time more than 20 minutes but her mother hope he plays it less that 20 minutes. OK, you can discuss it with kid, and tell him he had promised so he need to act. Or you can find something else which he is very interested just like some sports or games in order to distract his attention. And a lot of interesting examlpes the teacher will show you.& N5 \5 }5 u- k" k
The hotel provided breakfast and lunch, for dinner they showed you some menu of Chinese restaurant, pizza restaurant...You can buy it by yourself. It is very delicious food for us to eat although some of them are cold. Don't worry, you have free hot coffee and hot tea, too. When we finished our first day class, we can pay 30 dollars to visit New Yor downtown which is very busy for 4 hours. You have four 4 times to stay outside the bus and have a look the street. Don't forget your camera at that time. A cicerone will introduce New York for you all the way.
' F, b. j' ~' p _1 J; @ Everything goes well in the hotel. The only thing I don't adapt is time-zone. I remember I got up at 2:00 a.m. the first day, the second day is 4:00 a.m.( better), the third day in the hotel is 6:00 a.m.(Not to bad). But I always feel sleepy, but after 5 days, I think I relaxed very well and full of energy everyday.
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My parents picked me up in the hotel. If your host family live in the same state with you,just like New Jersey,New York, they will pick you up in the hotel. If you host family live in another state, the hotel driver will take you to the airport and you take another plane to your location. For example, if your location is Californian, you will use some hours on the plane to go there. And you will meet your host family in the Californian airport. All the family members of my host family came to pick me up which is really my honour. I was very exciting when I met them in the hall, I also gave two girls a warm hug.$ Q9 B* E) O! _* c3 i
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My host family are really nice. These days I enjoyed myselves to stay with them. The first day they took me to the restaurant and have dinner together. The girls are very funny, independant, mature, hospitility. They introduced all the things to me, our house , how to use the machines, you can't believe J.J is 11 years old. Leanne is 13 years old. They have a private speed boat and took me and two girls and their friends play in the sea all the afternoon. The second day we went to a popular beach enjoy the holiday. The third day they took me to see their grandma who is 80 years old and very healthy. Grandma has a swimming pool, we enjoy the whole afternoon there and I also met another host mom's sister and her two daughters. It is a big and harmonious family, I can feel that they get along with each other very well." y1 U# s# t7 k5 w0 e6 {
2 t5 N3 Q3 }0 [7 w8 I7 `8 q+ T$ A The girls are very friendly to me. They are patient when I can't understand somthing. My little girl said I am not her aupair but her friens. She show me a lot of her interesting toys and prepare gifts for me. She is also very interested in China and Chinese. She show me some movies about China, just like <花木兰> and her idol Indiana Jones who made the movie in Shanghai. Yesterday morning she found a 功夫 panda to me. 5 B+ @' M* {6 J$ ]: k* j
+ ~. H$ m3 e, z. D* ^ My host parents are very careful that they prepared the guideline of college and university and our city. They always try to speak to me slowly and use some simple words to express their meanings. They have three cars. One is for father ,one is for mother, another car is for me. I can use it to go to the college which is 15 minutes by car. * \: r9 W8 a+ s |5 i; o6 a/ K, i
: X# J' i2 F+ Y3 h! I: A/ e; y1 D% i I can't believe I am so lucky because I had a really nice family.
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Yesterday my host parents drive me to the college for the orientation. I hope I can study there as soon as possible. My host day also help me to practise my driving these two days. I tried to remember the map of Port Jefferson. Then it is very convenient for me to go to collge and take the girls to some parties. Leanne cooked some cookies by herself which is very delicious. J.J slept with me the day before yesterday, she wanted to teach me more English words and create a new idea--put all my thigs on the carpet, then pick up my socks, my books, my clothes, her toys and asked me what's that? She is a good teacher. I also taught her some Chinese. Now she can say "Hello,friend,good morning." in Chinese.! \, b6 G1 X. a+ W
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I hope I described all the information I want to share with you until now. ) Y5 ^8 H0 N4 u5 b/ B2 R
' g" k9 K" k9 [ Thank you for your attention. |
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