Welcome to the cluster, Arminda!

Soledad Araujos (Arminda) is from El Salvador, joining our cluster in a couple days, which is great for several reasons:

1. We did not have a new au pair in a while. 
2. She is going to the au pair of my Host Mom‘s brother! This is very exciting!

She wanted to be an au pair, because she thinks, that taking care of children is one of her passions, so that could make her and other people happy!

She likes going to the beach and listening to music. Sometimes she goes to the gym and to the lake close to her grandma’s house! She is interested in improving her English, getting to know more about the culture in the US and of course to make friends from different countries!

Her friends says, she is responsible, patient and honest. She, also thinks, that she is good at teaching English.

Arminda would like to travel around the World with her little sister, that way they could visit Paris to see the Eiffel Tower.

On the weekends, she likes to go to her grandma’s house and swim the entire evening with her cousins and old friends. They talk about their plans  and experiences they had during the week.
I hope she is going to enjoy her year with her amazing Host Family! I am looking forward to meet her soon! ♥

 

What makes you happy? International Day of Happiness!

Today is the international Day of Happiness.  The United Nations has declared March 20 the first International Day of Happiness to underline the commitment of its 193 member states to “better capture the importance of the pursuit of happiness and well-being in development with a view to guiding their public policies.”

Today is an official day of laughing, loving, playing, hugging, dancing, singing and, of course, smiling. A smile is a universal sign of happiness. Hugs and bows have different meanings in different cultures. A smile is known around the world and in all cultures as a sign of happiness and approval.

The Au Pair program is a cultural exchange program. The program helps Au Pairs and Host Families explore other cultures. If, sometimes happen they don’t understand each other, here is a smile – the universal language of kindness and happiness.

Did you know about  the Gross National Happiness Index (GNH) that  uses an alternative measure of national and societal prosperity. GNH refers to the concept of a quantitative measurement of well-being and happiness. I am not sure how people cam measure happiness correctly because I believe that everyone’s thoughts of happiness are different.

I think that we often need small things to feel happy and success, money, losing weight and looking great are not on the top of the list of things that make us happy.

Here are 50 things that make people happy I found on the internet.

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favourite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake … (or vanilla … or strawberry!)
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach
16. Finding a 20-pound note in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Eye contact with a hot member of the opposite sex.
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you’re beautiful/good looking.
23. Laughing at an inside joke.
24. Friends.
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
29. Playing with a new puppy.
30. Having someone play with your hair.
31. Sweet dreams.
32. Hot chocolate.
33. Road trips with friends.
34. Swinging on swings.
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
36. Making chocolate chip cookies (and eating them…!).
37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
38. Holding hands with someone you care about.
39. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
40. Watching the expression on someone’s face as they open a much-desired present from you.
41. Watching the sunrise.
42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
43. Knowing that somebody misses you.
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
45. Knowing you’ve done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

46.
47.
48.
49.
50 Listening to a happy song

What makes you happy?

Please make a comment.

Related articles

• International Day of Happiness: Ways to turn that frown upside-down (blogs.independent.co.uk)
• The First International Day of Happiness Aims to Inspire 100 Million People (4goodnews.wordpress.com)
• Did you know… (blissfulblurbs.wordpress.com)