How could you address homesickness with your au pair should she experience it? We would encourage her to skype with her family and maybe even have our children participate so her family knows who she is spending her days with. If she wanted to get an international phone card and spend her personal time catching up with her family and friends, she should do it. When Kristen lived in Korea, she found that the new country and home was fun and exciting for the first 4-6 months but then got lonely and homesick around 6 months. We'd encourage her to talk to us if she's feeling that "Culture Shock" and getting frustrated at how long she's been gone. If her personal time off allows her to travel home for a visit, that would be wonderful! We should be able to accommodate a couple of these opportunities throughout the year. If she tells us what she thinks will help with the homesickness, we'd encourage this so we can help her as best we can. We can also reach out to our local representative for tips on how to help!