To head into November I need to start from the last few days of October. The weather really became autumnal in the last week of October and all of the leaves were changing quickly turning orange, yellow and red. They were a sight to behold! Emilia and I enjoyed the crisp weather and ventured out on a few walks after school.
Soon came Halloween! I had been invited out with the family to go trick or treating. Not having an outfit in mind I took to Google for a few ideas before knowing exactly what I should be. It didn’t take long for me to joke about being a character I frequently get called by my friends. Upon thinking of this character I knew all I really had to do was dress as me! White sneakers, black jeans and a high pony tail at the ready, all I needed was a collared shirt and grey sweater with a crown on! I popped to Old Navy and got the sweater that best suited but refused to pay $30 for a white collared shirt I’d never wear again. As soon as I got home I used a yellow piece of felt from the craft cupboard and terribly sewed it onto my sweater.
Betty Cooper was ready!
For those who don’t know the joke, just ask my friend Emma and her boyfriend Jono, both of whom started calling me Betty when the first episode of Riverdale aired on Netflix. Since then my other friend Lauren also agrees that the character resembles secondary school me! Why wouldn’t I go as Betty? I basically was warm in a sweater and jeans and didn’t need to buy some fancy costume, only a sweater I now wear every day.
That afternoon Emilia’s school had a Halloween party in the classrooms which relatives and friends could attend. My host mom wasn’t able to attend but I popped in so I could see Emilia in her classroom and meet her friends. It was a small ‘party’ if you could call it that. All the kids did was eat the foods that parents had to send in and then it was time for dismissal. There wasn’t even music!!
When we got home we had an early dinner, host mom included and got ourselves ready to head out. We went to a local beach town to meet up with two family friends of my host mom. The kids went of trick or treating and at one point got called back as they went too far. As you’ve probably assumed already, all of the kids returned.... but Emilia!
Without going into too much detail, Emilia went missing for an hour! I noticed she didn't return with the other kids and turned round to the group to ask ‘where is she?’. Everyone then split up and went searching, police got involved, I was interrogated by officers a couple of times, I got to ride in a cop car (thankfully in the front), the whole town was calling her name, the canine unit was called but wasn’t available to assist, Emilia was then found, the police officer I was with did an announcement over his tannoy system and the whole town cheered!
The end.
Personally not the Halloween I was expecting to have as my ‘American Experience’.
Soon came Halloween! I had been invited out with the family to go trick or treating. Not having an outfit in mind I took to Google for a few ideas before knowing exactly what I should be. It didn’t take long for me to joke about being a character I frequently get called by my friends. Upon thinking of this character I knew all I really had to do was dress as me! White sneakers, black jeans and a high pony tail at the ready, all I needed was a collared shirt and grey sweater with a crown on! I popped to Old Navy and got the sweater that best suited but refused to pay $30 for a white collared shirt I’d never wear again. As soon as I got home I used a yellow piece of felt from the craft cupboard and terribly sewed it onto my sweater.
Betty Cooper was ready!
For those who don’t know the joke, just ask my friend Emma and her boyfriend Jono, both of whom started calling me Betty when the first episode of Riverdale aired on Netflix. Since then my other friend Lauren also agrees that the character resembles secondary school me! Why wouldn’t I go as Betty? I basically was warm in a sweater and jeans and didn’t need to buy some fancy costume, only a sweater I now wear every day.
That afternoon Emilia’s school had a Halloween party in the classrooms which relatives and friends could attend. My host mom wasn’t able to attend but I popped in so I could see Emilia in her classroom and meet her friends. It was a small ‘party’ if you could call it that. All the kids did was eat the foods that parents had to send in and then it was time for dismissal. There wasn’t even music!!
When we got home we had an early dinner, host mom included and got ourselves ready to head out. We went to a local beach town to meet up with two family friends of my host mom. The kids went of trick or treating and at one point got called back as they went too far. As you’ve probably assumed already, all of the kids returned.... but Emilia!
Without going into too much detail, Emilia went missing for an hour! I noticed she didn't return with the other kids and turned round to the group to ask ‘where is she?’. Everyone then split up and went searching, police got involved, I was interrogated by officers a couple of times, I got to ride in a cop car (thankfully in the front), the whole town was calling her name, the canine unit was called but wasn’t available to assist, Emilia was then found, the police officer I was with did an announcement over his tannoy system and the whole town cheered!
The end.
Personally not the Halloween I was expecting to have as my ‘American Experience’.
Now into November and the temperature keeps dropping every day! Autumn didn't last long at all and it’s truly getting into winter now.
One Friday afternoon I received a text everyone wants to receive ‘fancy having an Indian buffet for lunch’. HELL YES! Thanks to Lucy’s great idea, we went and had Indian food for lunch, buffet style and under $20. Win. Win. Win.
On the first Saturday of November I met up with Ashleigh and we decided to go village hopping. Village hopping is something I do with my Nan when I visit my grandparents in Hampshire. We just get in the car and visit a couple of towns, have a wander and a cup of coffee and then head back. So this was exactly what Ashleigh and I did. We started off by heading up to a town called Litchfield which was SUPER expensick! Expensick being so expensive it made us sick! No not funny? Not a word? Okay!
Next we drove through West Cornwall and stumbled across a covered bridge. Basically a wooden bridge with a roof and trust me, it feels super unsafe to drive on! Ashleigh and I held on for dear life whilst driving through it. West Cornwall was pretty much just properties in the woods and with that we continued onto the next place which was Kent.
Kent was a really old style, cute American town. There were plenty of little shops, a few antique places and some small restaurants. We decided to stop for a late lunch in a café called the Cheese Market. Selling only cheese products, we opted for the grilled cheese (cheese toasties in England).
After Kent we then headed back to Danbury and went to the mall to do a Primark haul. So freaking happy there’s a Primark nearby! We also grabbed dinner at the mall before heading back to Ashleigh’s house where we hung out with her host parents until midnight.
Tuesday 6th was Election Day here in the US. Elections are held at local schools which mean most of them close for the day. In the morning I decided to take Emilia to Stepping Stones Museum for Children which she loves to visit. We headed home for lunch and had an hour of chill time before her best friend came over for a play date.
That Saturday I met up with British friend Lucy and we went window shopping at the mall. Well it was meant to be window shopping but we ended up buying a small item each. In the centre of the mall they had already set up the Santa’s Grotto and Santa was even there that day! We both agreed it was too early for Santa and his Grotto to be in town! That evening I went to Ashleigh’s place for a movie night with her host family. We watched Incredible’s 2 which was awesome!
On the Sunday Ashleigh and I headed into New York City to see a family friend of hers. We all went out for lunch at an amazing Italian restaurant and my mushroom ravioli was divine! Obviously the visit wouldn’t have been completed without eating Tiramisu one of my favourite desserts! Bellies stuffed we continued our day with a walk around Central Park. We walked over Bow Bridge and arrived at a café in the park. We each got a hot chocolate to warm our hands as we proceeded through the park. Walking out of the park and onto Fifth Avenue, we had gone in a couple of stores before noticing the road was still closed from the Veteran’s Day parade which took place in the morning. All of us looked at each other and said ‘Why are we still walking on the side walk?’'. Each of us jumped into the road quickly to enjoy the moment of quiet on fifth and to gloat in the fact that we were able to walk in the road and on Fifth Avenue! Soon enough our excitement was squashed by the smallest police car known to man as it drove down the road screaming an announcement that the road is about to open up and to get on the sidewalk. Still, we got to walk in the road on Fifth. Have you?
One Friday afternoon I received a text everyone wants to receive ‘fancy having an Indian buffet for lunch’. HELL YES! Thanks to Lucy’s great idea, we went and had Indian food for lunch, buffet style and under $20. Win. Win. Win.
On the first Saturday of November I met up with Ashleigh and we decided to go village hopping. Village hopping is something I do with my Nan when I visit my grandparents in Hampshire. We just get in the car and visit a couple of towns, have a wander and a cup of coffee and then head back. So this was exactly what Ashleigh and I did. We started off by heading up to a town called Litchfield which was SUPER expensick! Expensick being so expensive it made us sick! No not funny? Not a word? Okay!
Next we drove through West Cornwall and stumbled across a covered bridge. Basically a wooden bridge with a roof and trust me, it feels super unsafe to drive on! Ashleigh and I held on for dear life whilst driving through it. West Cornwall was pretty much just properties in the woods and with that we continued onto the next place which was Kent.
Kent was a really old style, cute American town. There were plenty of little shops, a few antique places and some small restaurants. We decided to stop for a late lunch in a café called the Cheese Market. Selling only cheese products, we opted for the grilled cheese (cheese toasties in England).
After Kent we then headed back to Danbury and went to the mall to do a Primark haul. So freaking happy there’s a Primark nearby! We also grabbed dinner at the mall before heading back to Ashleigh’s house where we hung out with her host parents until midnight.
Tuesday 6th was Election Day here in the US. Elections are held at local schools which mean most of them close for the day. In the morning I decided to take Emilia to Stepping Stones Museum for Children which she loves to visit. We headed home for lunch and had an hour of chill time before her best friend came over for a play date.
That Saturday I met up with British friend Lucy and we went window shopping at the mall. Well it was meant to be window shopping but we ended up buying a small item each. In the centre of the mall they had already set up the Santa’s Grotto and Santa was even there that day! We both agreed it was too early for Santa and his Grotto to be in town! That evening I went to Ashleigh’s place for a movie night with her host family. We watched Incredible’s 2 which was awesome!
On the Sunday Ashleigh and I headed into New York City to see a family friend of hers. We all went out for lunch at an amazing Italian restaurant and my mushroom ravioli was divine! Obviously the visit wouldn’t have been completed without eating Tiramisu one of my favourite desserts! Bellies stuffed we continued our day with a walk around Central Park. We walked over Bow Bridge and arrived at a café in the park. We each got a hot chocolate to warm our hands as we proceeded through the park. Walking out of the park and onto Fifth Avenue, we had gone in a couple of stores before noticing the road was still closed from the Veteran’s Day parade which took place in the morning. All of us looked at each other and said ‘Why are we still walking on the side walk?’'. Each of us jumped into the road quickly to enjoy the moment of quiet on fifth and to gloat in the fact that we were able to walk in the road and on Fifth Avenue! Soon enough our excitement was squashed by the smallest police car known to man as it drove down the road screaming an announcement that the road is about to open up and to get on the sidewalk. Still, we got to walk in the road on Fifth. Have you?
Emilia’s dad was in town for a week from the 10th. This meant I didn’t have to pick her up from school for the week of the 12th and didn’t need to cook dinners. I was given the freedom to spend my time off how I wanted and it was a great opportunity to meet up with some friends.I had recently met a new German au pair called Jenny. We met up on the Tuesday for a coffee at a local coffee shop I’d wanted to try out. Safe to say the Caramel Nut flavour coffee was disgusting!
Then on the Wednesday Ashleigh and I had dinner together and went painting at a place in SONO called Muse. We had a wooden board which we then painted maple leaves on and wrote ‘thankful’. My BTEC and GCSE failed me and my art piece definitely wasn’t the best!
Then Thursday came and I got to finally catch up with my friend Hannah since she went into re-match and moved to Upper New York State. After she left the weather changed and all through the afternoon it was snowing! Real snow! It became quite a few inches deep but since it gets dark so early I wasn’t able to go out in the settled snow. I did however go outside as it started to snow so I was able to enjoy it whilst it was falling (and take a few pictures).
The following day I had to clear off at least 4 inches of snow from my car before driving Emilia to school. It was so deep and when I got back from school drop off I decided to walk around the garden and enjoy the sight of snow.
Saturday 17th Ashleigh and I drove to a town called Mystic. It is known to be a little bit touristy for visitors in Connecticut as it is a quaint and cute town. As we arrived at lunchtime what better way to start our days visit than having some lunch and for Ashleigh and I, we don’t go to just any restaurant, we always eat at an Asian place. Samurai Noodle was just that and we really enjoyed our food. Ashleigh had Salted Edamame beans to start whilst I had Spicy Calamari. Then for mains I chose a ramen dish and Ashleigh had noodle curry.
Once again, bellies stuffed we started our walk around the town. In one little store we even stumbled across Joules clothing! However the US prices for one item pretty much was our weeks wage.
Mystic also had an old town so we drove there before heading home. The stores were all wooden and there was a little pond in the centre. Since the Christmas items have been out in stores I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect Nutcracker. They are so strong and festive looking I have been wanting one for a long time and when Ashleigh saw a tall Nutcracker which also has number blocks to countdown to Christmas I knew this was the one!
The following day Lucy, Ashleigh and I made our way into New York City as we had booked tickets to see The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. Lucy is an au pair through Au Pair in America (APIA) and her company emailed with the Sunday tickets for $45. What you had to do was book your ticket and send the link you received to your friends so they could book at that price and to be near you. That didn’t work! Lucy got her ticket first and then forwarded us the link to use. I then used the link and bought my ticket and Ashleigh’s. Because mine and Ashleigh’s were bought in the same booking, we were sat together but Lucy was sat two sections away and on her own! Ticketmaster failed to seat us together even though their link was supposed to book us together.
Very disappointed we tried to ask the box office staff if there were any vacant seats where we could at least sit together and they responded by telling us we would have to buy all new tickets! Refusing to pay for a second ticket we had to bite the bullet and just sit where we were allocated.
According to other au pairs who booked by using their friend’s link, were also sat in completely different sections! That being the only issue, we all thoroughly enjoyed the performance and were amazed by the whole production.
Definitely one of my highlights since being in America!
Then on the Wednesday Ashleigh and I had dinner together and went painting at a place in SONO called Muse. We had a wooden board which we then painted maple leaves on and wrote ‘thankful’. My BTEC and GCSE failed me and my art piece definitely wasn’t the best!
Then Thursday came and I got to finally catch up with my friend Hannah since she went into re-match and moved to Upper New York State. After she left the weather changed and all through the afternoon it was snowing! Real snow! It became quite a few inches deep but since it gets dark so early I wasn’t able to go out in the settled snow. I did however go outside as it started to snow so I was able to enjoy it whilst it was falling (and take a few pictures).
The following day I had to clear off at least 4 inches of snow from my car before driving Emilia to school. It was so deep and when I got back from school drop off I decided to walk around the garden and enjoy the sight of snow.
Saturday 17th Ashleigh and I drove to a town called Mystic. It is known to be a little bit touristy for visitors in Connecticut as it is a quaint and cute town. As we arrived at lunchtime what better way to start our days visit than having some lunch and for Ashleigh and I, we don’t go to just any restaurant, we always eat at an Asian place. Samurai Noodle was just that and we really enjoyed our food. Ashleigh had Salted Edamame beans to start whilst I had Spicy Calamari. Then for mains I chose a ramen dish and Ashleigh had noodle curry.
Once again, bellies stuffed we started our walk around the town. In one little store we even stumbled across Joules clothing! However the US prices for one item pretty much was our weeks wage.
Mystic also had an old town so we drove there before heading home. The stores were all wooden and there was a little pond in the centre. Since the Christmas items have been out in stores I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect Nutcracker. They are so strong and festive looking I have been wanting one for a long time and when Ashleigh saw a tall Nutcracker which also has number blocks to countdown to Christmas I knew this was the one!
The following day Lucy, Ashleigh and I made our way into New York City as we had booked tickets to see The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. Lucy is an au pair through Au Pair in America (APIA) and her company emailed with the Sunday tickets for $45. What you had to do was book your ticket and send the link you received to your friends so they could book at that price and to be near you. That didn’t work! Lucy got her ticket first and then forwarded us the link to use. I then used the link and bought my ticket and Ashleigh’s. Because mine and Ashleigh’s were bought in the same booking, we were sat together but Lucy was sat two sections away and on her own! Ticketmaster failed to seat us together even though their link was supposed to book us together.
Very disappointed we tried to ask the box office staff if there were any vacant seats where we could at least sit together and they responded by telling us we would have to buy all new tickets! Refusing to pay for a second ticket we had to bite the bullet and just sit where we were allocated.
According to other au pairs who booked by using their friend’s link, were also sat in completely different sections! That being the only issue, we all thoroughly enjoyed the performance and were amazed by the whole production.
Definitely one of my highlights since being in America!
Another highlight was having my Mum spend time with me in America!
She flew out on the 21st the day before Thanksgiving which was a very busy day to travel! Finally after taking hours to get into Connecticut she arrived after 5pm.
I had planned with Lucy and Ashleigh to join me and my Mum for dinner so she was able to meet a couple of my close friends here in America. We went to a diner called Elm Street (ironically located on Elm Street!) where my Mum ordered the standard American burger. We were so full from our dinners and because it was getting late we didn’t opt for the desserts, but trust me we really wanted them! Check out Elm Street diner on Instagram to see some of their incredible creations!
The next day Ashleigh and I had planned on taking my Mum into New York City to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a secret. Although we did have to tell her, especially as the weather was creeping below 0 Celsius. On the day of the parade the temperature actually dropped to around -11c which was the coldest Thanksgiving on record since 1903!
We were all wearing SO many layers, including thermals and multiple pairs of socks. Even though we were rocking the Joey Tribbiani look our toes and fingers kept getting really cold.
The parade was really cool to see in person and grasp just how big the balloons are! There were even celebrities on the floats including Rita Ora, Ashley Tisdale, Kane Brown and John Legend. We shouted “Rita” as Rita Ora was going passed and she turned round to wave at us. Ashleigh and I became real fan girls when Kane Brown was approaching. We called his name and he also turned to wave. He even gave a big smile when Ashleigh and I started dancing to his song which was being played on his float. The whole experience was a must do, just don’t do it when it’s record breaking temperatures!
Thanksgiving evening my Mum joined me at attending my host mom’s family dinner held at her Dad’s house. We had a wonderful meal which included a lovely mushroom soup to start and berry pie for dessert!
Friday after thanksgiving is now known in America as Black Friday. Where all of the shops have ridiculous sales and trust me it’s true! Ashleigh joined me and my Mum at an outlet mall to do our shopping. I got a Michael Kors coat which was over $300 down to $100 which is roughly £80! I also bought myself a new pair of shoes and a Kate Spade handbag. Ashleigh tried to calculate most of what we all spent and how much was saved. I can’t remember all of the details but together we all saved hundreds of dollars!
Saturday was then my Mums last day in town and we decided to have a relaxed morning as the past few days were all 5am starts and we were both tired. After a leisurely breakfast my Mum and I ventured off to spend some time together in the City. We walked through Grand Central, Times Square & Bryant Park, passed by 5th Avenue, St. Pauls Cathedral, Rockefeller Centre & the National Library before grabbing a bite to eat as a late lunch. Then we went and collected my Mums bags, had a coffee and said our goodbyes before she got on her shuttle to the airport.
It was a really special few days with my Mum getting to experience some American culture and explore a beautiful city together. Mum if you’re reading this, can we do another city break together? I’d enjoy nothing else more!
She flew out on the 21st the day before Thanksgiving which was a very busy day to travel! Finally after taking hours to get into Connecticut she arrived after 5pm.
I had planned with Lucy and Ashleigh to join me and my Mum for dinner so she was able to meet a couple of my close friends here in America. We went to a diner called Elm Street (ironically located on Elm Street!) where my Mum ordered the standard American burger. We were so full from our dinners and because it was getting late we didn’t opt for the desserts, but trust me we really wanted them! Check out Elm Street diner on Instagram to see some of their incredible creations!
The next day Ashleigh and I had planned on taking my Mum into New York City to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a secret. Although we did have to tell her, especially as the weather was creeping below 0 Celsius. On the day of the parade the temperature actually dropped to around -11c which was the coldest Thanksgiving on record since 1903!
We were all wearing SO many layers, including thermals and multiple pairs of socks. Even though we were rocking the Joey Tribbiani look our toes and fingers kept getting really cold.
The parade was really cool to see in person and grasp just how big the balloons are! There were even celebrities on the floats including Rita Ora, Ashley Tisdale, Kane Brown and John Legend. We shouted “Rita” as Rita Ora was going passed and she turned round to wave at us. Ashleigh and I became real fan girls when Kane Brown was approaching. We called his name and he also turned to wave. He even gave a big smile when Ashleigh and I started dancing to his song which was being played on his float. The whole experience was a must do, just don’t do it when it’s record breaking temperatures!
Thanksgiving evening my Mum joined me at attending my host mom’s family dinner held at her Dad’s house. We had a wonderful meal which included a lovely mushroom soup to start and berry pie for dessert!
Friday after thanksgiving is now known in America as Black Friday. Where all of the shops have ridiculous sales and trust me it’s true! Ashleigh joined me and my Mum at an outlet mall to do our shopping. I got a Michael Kors coat which was over $300 down to $100 which is roughly £80! I also bought myself a new pair of shoes and a Kate Spade handbag. Ashleigh tried to calculate most of what we all spent and how much was saved. I can’t remember all of the details but together we all saved hundreds of dollars!
Saturday was then my Mums last day in town and we decided to have a relaxed morning as the past few days were all 5am starts and we were both tired. After a leisurely breakfast my Mum and I ventured off to spend some time together in the City. We walked through Grand Central, Times Square & Bryant Park, passed by 5th Avenue, St. Pauls Cathedral, Rockefeller Centre & the National Library before grabbing a bite to eat as a late lunch. Then we went and collected my Mums bags, had a coffee and said our goodbyes before she got on her shuttle to the airport.
It was a really special few days with my Mum getting to experience some American culture and explore a beautiful city together. Mum if you’re reading this, can we do another city break together? I’d enjoy nothing else more!