Football and Award Shows. They are so American to au pairs in Hampton Roads, Tidewater, Virginia, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, & Williamsburg

I was with a group of au pairs this weekend at a William and Mary college football game.  One had an interesting question.  "Why is it that you Americans love this game so much"?  It started me wondering.  Why are some things so enduring to Americans?

My answer to the au pair at the time was simple.  We love it because we grow up with it.  Then, my point was proven as the half time show took the field.  It consisted of two teams of tiny little football players and included one of our host children.  It was adorable to watch the little guys play after watching the huge college players.  The little ones were so excited to be there and really enthusiastic while executing the plays.

Another American event is the Emmy's.  Do other countries have over-the-top award shows like America?  At yahoo.com, you can find nominees, photos, videos, best dressed, worst dressed, news and blogs about the event.  I would guess that the night after an awards show in America, the most clicked link is the best and worst dressed.

When I take groups of au pairs to events, it is fun to hear their questions and listen to their opinions.  What are some typically American events that seem strange to our au pair visitors?

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In the Eye of Irene

As I sit here writing this, I am in the eye of Irene. I live in Hampton Roads, Virginia and we are in the middle of the hurricane. We have been under tropical storm conditions for the past 14 hours and hurricane conditions for 2-3 hours. Outside my window, the trees are almost bent in half. I hope they don't break. Rain is horizontal and debris is blowing. We are all safe, but it is a bit daunting.


















Our weekend inside has actually been quite fun. We have played many board games, made cookies, read, and simply spent time together. With our busy life of two active girls, a husband who works far away, and my work, we rarely have down time. It is ironic that it takes a hurricane to spend quality time with my family.

Earlier, when it was not hurricane force winds, my husband took a walk around our house and our neighbor's to see if the shingles were holding up under the onslaught of wind and rain. Both of our neighbors have evacuated because their younger children are terrified of storms. As he looked over the back of one house next door, he noticed a window had been blown open.

After calling the neighbor on their cell phone, we got the alarm code. Then, he slit the screen and dumped my youngest and smallest child into the window. She ran to unlock the door and he punched in the alarm code. They got towels, moped up the water off the new hardwood floor, furniture, and surrounding area. Crisis averted.

In another 10 hours or so, after the storm has passed, my husband gets to do his favorite thing. Drive around with his seldom used chain saw and help neighbors who have trees down. We will do this as a family, helping people who need it.

Overall, hurricane Irene has been good to us. We get to spend quality time as a family and help out our neighbors. Sometimes it takes hurricane winds to slow us down.