Au pairs share unique holiday traditions

Lisa Scadden, Blaire Martin, and Sara Torkelson (left to right) do their best “Charlie’s Angels” impression at a dinner for North Shore, MA au pairs last Wednesday night. Scadden and Martin are from Australia, while Torelson hails from Sweden.

Cultural Care Au Pairs on the North Shore of Massachusetts are in the Salem Online News today after sharing their thoughts on spending the holidays far from home. A reporter from the publication interviewed some of the 40 au pairs who attended the holiday dinner at Prince Pizza to which they brought desserts native to their home countries. A portion of the interviews is below:

Mengue Zhang, 23, from China
Au pair in Georgetown

What do you like about being an au pair?
“I think of how the families raise their kids and I learn a lot. I really appreciate it. I think Chinese kids are very spoiled.”

Differences in Chinese and American lifestyles?
“We make most foods from scratch.”

What Chinese holiday dish did you prepare?
“We don’t have Christmas, we have Chinese New Year. I made a Chinese dessert: egg tart. That was my first time baking.”

Graziele Alves, 21, from Brazil (raised in Austria)
Au pair in Manchester

Do you like being an au pair?
“I’m very excited every day. Every day you learn something new about the American way.”

Why, what do you like?
“I love Dunkin’ Donuts,” she said with a laugh. “I die for it. And Burger King is also better than in Austria. … I’ve been to New York three times; it’s good to travel around.”

Is it hard?
“You miss your family. At home, I can do anything, and here I have to be a little bit careful what you do.”

Caroline Akerlund, 20, from Sweden
Au pair in Boxford

What Swedish Christmas food did you bring?
“Saffron buns and ginger bread.”

Differences from life in Sweden?
“The food, especially how they cook here. Everything is so quick, and how you buy it done.”

Do you like Boxford?
“I love it. It’s true country. I’m from the country with horses, dogs, woods and hills, and I love it … It’s great to have two families: one in Sweden, and one in America.”

Cultural distinctions?
“How American people raise their kids. They’re so overprotective here. It’s always, ‘Careful, careful!’ They can’t see kids fall down, but they have to fall down to learn.”

To read the whole article, visit Salem News Online.