My suitcase?????

My departure is far.. hehe. but I always thinking What im gonna wearing? I have to buy something??? What is the perfect gift to my Host Family...? OMG Can you help me..

Thanks

Diana

Hey,

Don t worry, we could help you

THis is the copy of an email that i sent to Regi before she left her country !

Quote :

Oh the luggage lol, not simple !

When i left to be an aupair,
we was autorised to have 2 big luggages + a small one. So what i did ? I
came with 2 big luggages + a small one, + my computer and my purse. So
too muchhhhhhhhhhh

If i can give you an advice, take juste
clothes that you know you gonna wear every season (underwear, Few tee
shirt, 1 pyja, A swiming suit, a Jean or 2 not more, A short a dress,
and take clothes for now, don t think too much about this summer ! It s
not here yet, and here in DC MD VA and PA areas, we can have wheater
like 45 degree celcius !

The thing is, Try to keep space in your
luggage, if not it's fine but if you can still have space it's better.
Because you could found another luggage here to put all the thing you
gonna buy in USA.

Don t take every stuff like shampoo, body
washer ... We have all that here in USA lol So take a little bit for
the first week in NY but not a lot because it will be havy in your suitcase. Take one towel
because the first week at the training time they gonna give you a
really small towel so, i was happy to have mine. But don t take a set,
your host parents have towels lol

Don t be afraid to forget
things, If you do, you could still ask your family to send the thing
you forgot or miss in your new house.

For pictures, you can
take few; but if you have a computer with you, just put them inside and
when you gonna be here you could easily print them, it s not expensive
at all. And that saves rooms in you suitcase.

The same for
books, cds, dvds ... Don t take them, when you gonna be there juste go
to the library close to you and register yourself, lot of time it s
free, if not, it s not expensive. THere you gonna have all the book you
want, all the cds and dvds. You can put the musique you like from your
country in your computer and then create cds when you are here. Dvds,
you could just use them on your computer, they don t work here, so don
t take them. And you are here for improve your english right ? So let s
practices by watching movies in english

I
think that s it ! Don t forget all the papers you need. Me i took all
the paper i got from the agency when i found my host family, so the
details of the host family, the visa, every papers which seems
important to you, take them.

I gonna think more, i just woke up, but i think i told you pretty much what it s better

Don
t forget that there is not expensive places for clothes, shoes, so if
you already like shopping in you country, you gonna love it here lol

Hope i helped you with this answer ! If i think about something else, i gonna let you know !

Kissssssssssssssssssss

I think this answer i did to Regi could work for you too

For the gift, if they have an aupair already, ask her what they like But you can take things from your country like candies, or cakes or books about your country for your host parents, and for the kids, books, games ... How many kids do you have ? How old are they ? I forgot sorry :/

Great!!!! That is what i need it! Im gonna take care a girl, she is 10 years old

Oh oki, i dont really have ideas for her age :/
Euhhhhhhhh Do you know what kind of things girls of this age like in your country ?

Oh my god, I really don"t want to do my suitcase, I know myself and it will be a nightmare!! I hote doing that!

And like you Dianis 0813, I'm looking for the gifts to my host family... I was thinking about some wine, and cakes, plus I live in Paris so it will be not difficult to find something, I just need to motive myself, I don't realize that I'am leaving in one month.

Good luck for your suitcase !
I m sure you could find things !
For the wine i heard we can t come with anymore, you need to check that on internet before

Arf thanks for the news about wine, I hope you are wrong but I will check thaht because my host family like wine and my parents have some really good wine I wanted to share with my host

If you can t by suitcase, maybe you could send them by mail. But you need to know the rules too with the post office and the douane ... Did you check that already or not yet ?

it's me again !

I looked quicly for your wine problem and that 's what i found :

Quote :

Au passage de la frontière américaine :


Le passage de la frontière a lieu au moment où vous arrivez aux
Etats-Unis : si vous avez une correspondance, vous devrez rendre ces
deux formulaires au premier aéroport. Policiers et douaniers sont
accueillants ; certains même prononcent quelques mots de français.
N'essayez pas de forcer la file pour gagner du temps, même si vous vous
sentez en retard à une correspondance : c'est mal vu. Demandez à ceux
qui vous précèdent de vous laisser passer en leur expliquant pourquoi.
Comme beaucoup sortent du même avion que vous, il y a toutes les
chances pour qu'ils parlent français.

L'entrée aux Etats-Unis se fait en deux étapes : d'abord, la police
des frontières vérifie votre passeport, récupère le formulaire d'exemption de visa,
prend votre photo (sans lunettes) et les empreintes digitales de vos
deux index (avec un scanner, pour les conserver en mémoire) et vous
pose quelques questions (en anglais) :
- "Venez vous pour affaires ou tourisme ? Ou bien : quelle est
la raison de votre voyage ? Combien de temps restez vous aux
Etats-Unis ?"
Une fois ce guichet franchi, vous récupérez vos bagages de soute,
puis passez en douane et remettez la déclaration correspondante. C'est
en général très rapide, mais le douanier peut vous demander si vous
transportez des végétaux. Ceux-ci (fruits, légumes, plantes) sont
proscrits, ainsi que viande fraîche ou non traitée et fromages aux
laits crus. Les alcools sont limités à un litre par personne, quel
qu'en soit le degré. Autrement dit, vous n'avez droit qu'à une seule
bouteille, qu'il s'agisse de vin, de champagne, de pastis ou d'armagnac
(à acheter, bien entendu, à la boutique "duty-free", à cause des
règlements de sécurité). Tous les détails sur le site des douanes
américaines :
http://www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/travel/ (en particulier "Clearing customs").

For other people who are not speacking french, this article explain that you are allow to come to USA with one bottle of Wine, not more !

Hope that could help you :)Kissssssssssssssssssss

ah thanks Pauline, because I haven't checked yet. But it's a really good news, like I wanted to bring only one bottle of wine, that's prefect

You are welcome !
So i looked where is exaclty Charlottesville ! It s so far away from me, it s too bad :/