After relentless rain from Tropical Storm Ketsana, the Philippines capital city, Manila, is trying to stay afloat. On Monday, flood waters began to subside after a weekend storm that hit Manila with its heaviest rainfall in more than 40 years. More than 80 percent of the capital was under water at one point Sunday.

Today reporters in the region estimate that at least 280 people have died and many are still missing. The rainfall has not only flooded roads, but has left the citizens of Manila without electricity and running water. Public buildings including school, universities and churches have been turned into temporary relief centers.

International disasters like the flooding in the Philippines affect people around the world in many different ways. Au Pairs and Host Families can expect increased wait times for visa appointments and approvals until the flooding has completely subsided and the damage has been fixed. The embassy in Manila was closed during the weekend and through Monday, but reopened Tuesday.

goAUPAIR is pleased to report that our International Representatives and their families are safe.  Noy Benedicto, goAUPAIR’s Manila representative said, "Lots of people in the National Capital Region are without a house, the vehicles were submerged, and some parts are still under water. NCR is devastated."

goAUPAIR will post any updates regarding delays from the Manila embassy.

Families frequently ask goAUPAIR representatives about traveling with their Au Pair. Are there any stipulations in the contract about traveling with an Au Pair? Can we take our Au Pair with us on our trip? Can Au Pairs work while traveling with our family? Because of the many questions goAUPAIR is asked about travel, we thought it would be beneficial to answer some of our most frequently asked questions about traveling with an Au Pair.

Can my Au Pair travel out of country during his/her first year?

Au Pairs are allowed to travel freely within the U.S. and may travel internationally during their first year of the program. Two forms of personal identification should always be taken to help ensure your travel will go as smooth as possible. As the DS-2019 document is required to re-enter the U.S., Au Pairs should ALWAYS take their DS-2019 and their passport when they travel.

In order to legally and safely travel internationally, Au Pairs will need to send their DS-2019 form into goAUPAIR's corporate office for travel validation prior to leaving the U.S. Travel validation is needed when an Au Pair will cross a port of entry - this includes cruises, U.S. territories, Canada and Mexico in addition to all other international travel. Au Pairs only need to submit their DS-2019 for travel validation once per year.

Remember to allow plenty of time for the DS-2019 to be mailed to goAUPAIR's corporate offices and back to your Au Pair. DS-2019’s should ALWAYS be sent via FedEx to ensure it is not lost in the mail. An additional fee is required for the DS-2019 to be FedEx’d back to the Au Pair and should be included when the DS-2019 is sent.

Are there any restrictions regarding what countries my Au Pair can travel to?

The international travel requirements are different for each nationality and while you as an American citizen may not need a visa to enter a certain country, your Au Pair might. Visit Embassy World to find out if your Au Pair will need a visa. Visa procedures for other countries can take several weeks, so make sure you find out what the requirements are well in advance.

Can my Au Pair travel out of country during his/her extension period?

International travel during an Au Pair's second year (extension period) is extremely limited and not recommended unless the Au Pair returns to his/her home country and applies for another visa at the U.S. Embassy. An exception to this limitation exists for Canada, Mexico and adjacent islands. Travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean (except Cuba) for fewer than thirty days is allowed, even with an expired J-1 visa. This is known as visa revalidation.

Why can't my Au Pair travel in his/her second year, except to Canada, Mexico & the Bahamas?

The U.S. Department of State recently began allowing Au Pairs to stay for a second year. Because this program is relatively new, many people are confused about the regulations surrounding second year travel.

Travel during the second year works as the following - When an Au Pair extends, the DS-2019 is updated in the SEVIS so the dates are accurate; however, the physical copy of the visa is not updated and therefore no longer valid for travel. Because of the United State's strong relationships with Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean countries, the Department of State has authorized travel to those few countries during an Au Pair's second year.

Can an Au Pairs work while traveling with their Host Families? 

For families who plan on taking their Au Pair on vacation with them, it is important to decide in advance if the Au Pair is working during that time or is also on vacation and free to sight-see on his/her own. Many Host Families choose to split the time between working days and vacation days for their Au Pair while on vacation, but it is best to discuss this with your Au Pair when initial plans are made so that there is no confusion during the actual trip.

Please let us know if you have other travel questions that are not answered in this post. We would be happy to address them personally or in another post about Au Pair and Host Family travel.

Many parents and Au Pairs find that nap time is a common struggle. Although a struggle, naps are vital for both parents and children. If a child does not get a nap they may get irritable, difficult, and lose their appetites. Parents and Au Pairs, also benefit from children taking a nap with some quiet time to catch up on things around the house.

The reasons for a lack of a child's desire to nap vary from too much stimulation, too tired, change of schedule and a thousand other factors. The most important thing that a parent or Au Pair can do to help a child nap is to look for the early signs that show a child needs a nap.

Elizabeth Pantley author of The No-Cry Nap Solution offers the following tips to help those providing child care to children who have a hard time napping.

Tips for encouraging naptime
No matter why your child won’t nap, there are a few specifics that can be helpful as you encourage any child to take regular naps. Keep these basic principles in mind:

• Maintain a consistent daily schedule that works with your child’s natural body clock. Create a predictable pattern to the day – with meals and naptime happening at reliable times.
• Modify your schedule according to your child’s sleepy signs. No matter what the clock says, it’s nap time when your child becomes quieter, loses interest in toys or playtime, fusses, stares off into the distance, rubs his eyes or ears, and of course: if he begins to yawn.
• Have a relaxing pre-nap routine to cue your child that naptime is here and help him wind down and relax.
• Set up a sleeping place that is cozy and that sets the stage for sleep. Dress your child comfortably for sleep.
• Keep mornings bright and active, and the half hour before each nap session quiet, dimly lit, and calm.
• Keep in mind that you cannot force a child to sleep, but you can follow the basic rules of biology, gauge your child’s sleepy signals, and create a setting that is inductive to sleep and relaxation.

If you have found that your child responds particularly well to a practice that you do to help them nap, please leave your comments and let us know.

In July, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took part in a town hall interview in Bangkok, Thailand on the Thai news channel, The Nation. During the question and answer session, Clinton mentioned her support of international exchange several times. One participant asked which U.S. foreign policy Clinton believes has had the most impact on Thailand and Thai education. Clinton responded with the idea that educational exchanges are the most important:
 
“We have been working together for 176 years, and there have been a number of important initiatives over that long period of time. But I think educational exchanges and student exchanges are among the most important, and I would like to see even more of them. I’d like more American students coming to Thailand. I’d like more American faculty coming to Thailand, and I’d like more students and faculty from Thailand coming to the United States.”

“…I think there’s no substitute for person-to-person connection, because we are fighting against cultural media stereotypes. The media paints a picture of the United States which very often has not got anything to do with reality. And for a lot of people in Thailand, that’s all they will know about the United States unless we create educational and cultural exchanges and opportunities. So that’s what I’d like to see more of."

There is no substitute for person-to-person exchanges. Nothing will be able to replace the experiences felt and lived by an individual who visits the United States. For this reason, cultural exchange programs are vital for an increase in diplomacy.

As goAUPAIR places young international adults also know as Au Pairs, across the country, the common comment from families are all the same - "We love the culture experience."

A Host Mom of an Au Pair recently said, "We really like the international experience... we enjoyed being hosts to someone from another country.  Also, it is very beneficial to us to have someone that is not from the area.  Being out of their element, we feel they form more of a bond with the family and the children."

The Au Pair program is one of many cultural exchange programs that help with the United State's diplomacy. More information about other exchange programs can be found on the U.S. Department of State Web site.

"In a global climate where diplomatic relations and foreign affairs heavily influence a country’s peace and prosperity, the Department of State views the J-1 visa primarily as a tool of diplomacy."

“A tool of diplomacy” - never before has the J-1 visa held so much importance for an administration and the nation. The above was taken from an article written by Melanie Hamner from the Immigration Law Web site. Her article cited the importance and growing relevance of the J-1 visa.

During the past two decades, the number of J-1 visas has more than doubled. After a steep increase in the issuance of the J-1 visa from 2004 through 2008, the number of visas issued has slipped due to the 2009 recession. Despite the recession, many people believe the number of J-1 visas will actually increase in 2010 because of President Obama's priority given to educational and cultural exchange programs which the J-1 visas facilitate.

Upon taking office in January, Obama requested a large increase in the 2010 budgeted spending, including $633 million allocated for State Department educational and cultural exchanges (J-1 programs). The request looks to be not only granted, but raised to around $635.2 million according to a press release from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

All the talk about the increased number of J-1 visas means great news for the Au Pair program. Au Pairs come to the U.S. on a J-1 visa and the increased funding only increases the chances for more visas for the Au Pairs program. goAUPAIR is looking forward with anticipation to the approval of the increased budget and the resulting increase of the J-1 visas.

Hamner summed up the situation about the J-1 visa with this, "An impending budget increase in addition to the rhetoric of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggest that Washington aims to improve foreign relations by establishing new programs and bolstering existing ones to facilitate cultural and educational exchange. As these initiatives start to take effect and as the economy begins its recovery, the J-1 visa is expected to once again continue on its path of growth, offering more opportunities for diplomacy, career enhancement, work place diversity, and academic advancement while supporting our country on its way to achieving a higher level of Global awareness and understanding."

As a member of the World Youth Student & Educational Travel Confederation, goAUPAIR periodically receives critical updates regarding travel and international affairs. The WYSE Travel Confederation works with its members, sector associations and partners around the globe to:

• Promote the personal, social, economic and cultural benefits of youth travel, student travel and international education
• Support the development and success of student and youth travel specialists, and the critical role they play in a multi billion Euro global niche industry.
• Develop innovative travel and educational products & services for youth and students, such as the International Student Identity Card (ISIC), language study programmes, and work abroad experiences
• Provide trading, networking and knowledge-sharing platforms

As the H1N1 Virus is still a major concern for individuals across the globe, we wanted to share the following facts from the latest email from WYSETC.

Key facts:

1. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus will continue to spread globally in its current form – it is a mild influenza that has a very low fatality rate. The virus has caused severe and fatal illness in young and healthy people – but the number of such cases remains extremely small.

2. At this time the WHO reports that there are no variations of the virus reported.  No cases of a more serious virus have been detected and WHO continues to advise against any travel restrictions.     

3. Governments around the world are continuing their vigilance and planning in the event of a possibility of a stronger strain of the virus and/or a ‘second wave’ involving much higher infection rates amongst the population in the coming months.

4. In preparedness for a so called ‘second wave’ of the H1N1 pandemic, coinciding with the beginning of the flu season in the northern hemisphere, UNWTO held a two day review and preparation workshop in Madrid last week on ‘Travel and Tourism under Pandemic Conditions’.

5. The WHO confirmed that in tropical climates, where the virus had arrived later, authorities needed to prepare for a rise in the number of cases.

6. UNWTO stressed the importance of transparent, timely and consistent exchange of information amongst the different stakeholders of the industry as the pandemic evolves – a role which the TERN group will continue to perform.

7. It was recommended that countries should ensure that tourism is appropriately included in overall pandemic preparedness plans.

8. UNWTO also confirmed that active responses from the workshop in Madrid included considering, developing and sharing guidelines across the sector. A strategy for safely conducting meetings and gatherings - as well as planning for the impact of high absenteeism rates at airlines and other travel suppliers were discussed - should a stronger more infectious strain of the virus occur.  We will update members on any resulting new developments.

9. Some TERN members reported continued, disruptive screening and intervention from specific authorities – if any of our members encounter such restrictions – please do advise us and we will report them in the next TERN meeting.

You can also find more information about the H1N1 virus in the Swine Flu and Health Update released by goAUPAIR in April 2009.

As many people traveled during summer throughout the United States, their destinations may have included theme parks and other tourist hot spots. A large number of people noticed that along with fewer people at the theme parks, there were also fewer foreign student/employees.

The dip in the number of foreign students in theme parks and other locations is directly correlated to the economy. As millions of unemployed U.S. citizens look for work, they are now more willing to take seasonal jobs, and other forms of employment that before, they would have not consider.

GlobalVisas.com reports, “Theme park Six Flags Great America in the state of Illinois received 12,000 applications well in advance of the summer season, double the usual amount. While the company would not reveal an exact figure, a spokesperson says they hired fewer foreign nationals this year. The 3,000 available posts are typically staffed in large part by foreign students on J-1 visas.”

Despite the fact that fewer foreign students were hired this summer, many business owners recognize that they are vital for their day to day operations. "We've been criticized for using international students, but they're still a lifesaver," said Tom Diehl, a business owner in Wisconsin.

Business owners are not the only benefactors, the students themselves enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity with a cultural exchange program. The U.S. Department of State is heavily promoting programs like these and many others including, Au Pairs, Study Abroad and others to increase foreign relations.