Getting to know US Culture- what does that mean?
Besides improving language skills, getting to know the American culture is a main motive for many au pair’s to participate in exchange programs, such as the au pair program.
When thinking about ‘getting to know the culture’ many au pairs may mainly think of traveling, seeing as much as possible and always being on the move, exploring as many cities and states as they can. If due to schedules, budget or weather they might not get to travel as much as they hoped, they may feel like they are missing out on the ‘cultural exchange’ component- but is that true?
Yes, travelling can be a fantastic way to get to know a country and with that a different culture! However, travelling can also get expensive, tiring and maybe also logistically challenging. Remember that when you come on the program, you may be scheduled to help your host family for up to 45 hours a week. After being with the children all week, you may feel tired and not as motivated to take big trips but may just want to rest. Even if you may have the time and motivation, you may realize that traveling gets expensive and since the au pair program is not a ‘money making program’, you might find yourself in the situation that you have to choose between spending all or most of your money on traveling (either several smaller trips or maybe a bigger one during your vacation), saving most of your stipend or allocating it for other things that you might feel are ‘more important’ now. If you do decide to spend most of your free time and stipend on travel- this is certainly an amazing way to explore different parts of the US, which will possibly be very different, culturally, from each other.
You can also consider combining travel with education and sign up for an Au Pair Weekend class to get your educational component completed and travel at the same time. Since these classes are offered throughout the US and are only attended by au pairs, you will get to explore a different part of the US while also making new friends from all over the world. At the same time, you can get half or all of your educational credits completed! Win-win!
Even if you decide you don’t want to travel much or just don’t have the time or energy to do it, it does not mean you are missing out on ‘getting to know the culture’
What often times gets overlooked- just by living in a host family, you automatically get immersed in a different culture! The US is a melting pot of different cultures, languages and backgrounds. Even if your host family might not be born in the US, they will very likely still expose you to the ‘US culture’ as they will still incoporate language, customs, food, holidays etc. in their daily lives. By living with them, you then also get to share and experience this! On top, you might also learn more about yet another culture since they likely will also incorporate aspects from the country they are born in or that they maybe lived in for some time, into their daily lives as well- a true international experience!
Another big factor in getting to know the culture is to experience national holidays. Your host family might celebrate all, most or just some holidays in their homes and you get to experience it with them. Even if they do not observe all holidays at home, you will be able to join a friend in their holiday festivities or you may go out and explore holiday festivities in the neighborhood or the next big city yourself. However big or small the celebration will be- it will help you to get to know the US culture.
What is Culture Shock?
It is a “feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes” (definition as per Oxford dictionary). Sounds logical but it is actually more complex that it sounds!
Overlooked things when getting to know culture
Things that are often overlooked when thinking about ‘getting to know a culture’, but which are equally as important and essential to immerse in it, are:
- Trying typical food- regardless if you think it looks funny or tastes weird- try it! Food is a big part of a culture and trying it will get you closer to experience a culture- even if you don’t like it and never want to eat it again!
- Make local friends- don’t just find au pair friends (especially not just from the same cultural background) but try to find local friends to get to know their lives, customs, hobbies etc. Join a local church, spend time with family members of your host family who are similar in age, join meetup groups, take local college courses- all are great ways to make American friends and get to know their ‘American life’.
- Volunteer- getting involved in your local community is also an amazing way to experience the culture and also to make local friends! Whether you go volunteer regularly or help out at special events- you cannot just give back to the community you live in and make new friends, you can also immerse yourself in the culture even more.
- Speak the language; a lot!- sometimes it might be easier to find au pair friends from the same cultural background and/or the same language and to just hang out with them. But that’s not how you get to know US culture! Try to find a diverse group of friends of au pairs form different countries and also local/non-au pair friends. This will force you to speak English and to get more familiar with common phrases and vocabulary.
- Attend local events, festivals, cultural shows or visit museums- all of this can be great ways to get to know the culture and/or to learn about the local or national history!
- Ask questions and keep an open mind- be mindful and respectful but don’t be afraid to ask questions. Relate to your culture and ask about differences. Explain how things are done in your culture and try to understand differences. Even if you do not agree or find things ‘weird’, keep an open mind and embrace differences. Don’t judge but use the opportunity to broaden your horizon and learn something new!
Coming to the US and living with a host family gives you plenty of opportunities to get immersed in a different culture. From small things like tasting new foods or attending local events to learning the language, creating relationships, getting involved in the local community to celebrating national holidays or traveling- the au pair program offers a lot of different ways to get to know US culture. Make the most of your year by getting involved in different activities, ask questions and understand and embrace differences!