{"id":9522,"date":"2019-06-12T08:25:36","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T12:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/?p=9522"},"modified":"2021-11-16T10:28:46","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T15:28:46","slug":"an-au-pairs-advice-on-making-friends-in-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/an-au-pairs-advice-on-making-friends-in-the-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"An Au Pair\u2019s Advice on Making Friends in the USA"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n

Becoming an au pair in the USA will grow your independence. At the same time, creating new friendships is one of the best parts of the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Au pair Tammy, from South Africa, excelled at forming relationships with fellow au pairs, Americans, and her Local Coordinator. Let\u2019s hear her tips on how to make friends while in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tip #1 Ask your Local Coordinator to introduce you to other au pairs.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My Local Coordinator, Ann, gave me the names and numbers of au pairs that she thought I\u2019d have a lot in common with. She also asks all of her existing au pairs to welcome the new ones and show them around. That\u2019s how I met Silke, who was an au pair who stayed for one year. Silke lived a five-minute walk from my house. She left and went to Belgium, but I still talk to her every day. She is visiting me in two weeks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tammy and Ashleigh became best friends while on the program. Image courtesy of Tammy T.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tip #2 Say yes to activities where you\u2019ll meet Americans.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I made a lot of American friends! I met my American friend, Justice, two months after I arrived. To this day, I still see him every weekend. With Justice came all of his friends. It wasn\u2019t tough to make American friends. Everyone we\u2019ve met and become friends with are pretty awesome people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip #3 Get out of your comfort zone.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to put yourself out there. Get out of your comfort zone. You\u2019ll meet people at the weirdest places and end up having the best friendships ever. Friends are what get us through the lonely times. Just be yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Always say yes to trying new things and meeting new people. Image courtesy of Tammy T.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tip #4 Create a friendship with your Local Coordinator.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I met Ann, my Local Coordinator, my first week in Virginia. She was extremely friendly. She made me feel comfortable and answered every question I had. Everything about her is so maternal. At cluster meetings, I always ask Ann questions to get to know her more. I ask her how she\u2019s doing, how her kids are, does she have anything planned with her husband, or are they going away for the holidays, and so on. Ann always encourages us to try and do new things. She\u2019s always telling you to explore and have fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip #5 Participate in your cluster meetings.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At cluster meetings, we talk about everything and anything. Many au pairs go to these meetings, but they don\u2019t really say anything unless Ann asks them questions directly. I try to make sure at every cluster meeting to ask the other au pairs how they are doing and what their upcoming plans are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tammy at a combined cluster meeting in Washington D.C. Image courtesy of Meredith Dedolph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tip #6 Communicate!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The advice I can give to anyone is to communicate. That\u2019s how you build a good relationship with someone. Don\u2019t be afraid to share who you are. I didn\u2019t have to share anything with Ann, but I wanted to. I wanted her to know me, my character, and personality. That relationship helped me have a wonderful time as an au pair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Becoming an au pair in the USA will grow your independence. At the same time, creating new friendships is one of the best parts of the program. Au pair Tammy, from South Africa, excelled at forming relationships with fellow au pairs, Americans, and her Local…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":9526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-au-pair-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nAn Au Pair\u2019s Advice on Making Friends in the USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Au pair Tammy, from South Africa, excelled at forming relationships with fellow au pairs, Americans, and her Local Coordinator. 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