The Au Pairs and I headed to the Monmouth County Racetrack for this months cultural event. I was joined by Au Pairs Jessica, Chantelle, Ludmila and Geralene.
This event was Jessica and Geralene’s first and Ludmila’s last event. Always so nice to welcome new Au Pairs and so hard to say goodbye when the year (or in Ludmila’s case, 2) are over. Since we were going to the horse track and didn’t know much about betting, my husband and Ludmila’s boyfriend joined us this time. We started off getting subs at a deli outside of the arena and filled our cooler with good food, drinks and chips. The owner was so nice that he gave us free passes into the place!
We found a picnic table right by the track and ate and looked over the program. My husband taught us how to place bets on the horses and, for practice, we made friendly bets with each other…based on the name of the horse we liked the best; of course! My favorite part was running over to the gate to watch the horses fly by up close. After a few friendly bets, we decided to place a couple real bets. We only spent between $2-$5 per bet.
After lunch, we decided to head up into the bleachers to see the whole track from above and get some Italian Ices. We didn’t have much luck with the betting, so all the girls took a break on that, but the boys placed a few more bets while we took some videos. The three Au Pairs from South Africa, Chantelle, Jessica and Geralene, filmed a video about the cultural differences between South Africa and America. Ludmila filmed a video about Au Pairs and driving. As luck would have it, on the last race, my husband bet $2 on horse that was picked 40:1…and he won! The pay out was $300! We would have insisted he take us out to dinner, but everyone had plans that night…next time!
So hard to say goodbye to Ludmila! She was an awesome Au Pair and will always be an awesome friend!
Go Au Pair- New Jersey 