Au Pair Performs with Community Chorus

Performing in the Farmington Community Chorus Spring Concert "Rodger That!" May 6 and 7 was a young woman who will long remember the experience of singing music from "The Sound of Music" and "South Pacific" after she flies home to Germany in August.

Samira Franzel, 20, is living for one year with a family in Farmington Hills before she returns home to begin her university program. She works with Au Pair in America, one of the largest government-approved au pair agencies in the country.
Franzel said she decided to be an au pair because she wanted a chance to "experience" the United States first-hand and to have a true cultural exchange. She was eager to learn about our customs and holidays and to become part of a family and learn about their family life.

In her role as an au pair, Franzel provides child care for two children, ages six and nine. She helps get them ready and organized for school in the morning, picks them up after school and gets them started with their homework until their parents get home.

On school holidays or other school closures, Franzel spends the entire day with the children, finding interesting and fun things for them to do. The children also learn about Germany and have a cultural exchange right in their own home.

Franzel said her love of singing, and her desire to be part of the community when she arrived here last August, led her to try out for the Farmington Community Chorus. She began practicing with the choral group in September and performed in their holiday concert in December, as well as the spring concert.

"Samira is a very nice person, and we enjoy having her sing with us," Shelly Addison, manager of the Farmington Community Chorus said. "I am glad she found the chorus."

By joining the chorus, Franzel has had the opportunity to meet many people of varying ages and backgrounds and has learned much about American culture – more than she had ever imagined. She said she is "treated the same as everyone else and felt part of the group," even though she is from another country.

Senior community counselor Carol Benton said Au Pair in America's motto is "Child Care with a Cultural Flair," and Franzel has certainly provided great child care while at the same time enjoying a wonderful cultural exchange experience in Farmington Hills. For information on the Au Pair in America organization contact aupairinamerica.com  or contact Benton by e-mail, cbaupair@aol.com, or phone, 248-489-1407.