8/26/2008 - The Joy of Hosting Exchange Students
I’ll never forget our Italian AFS exchange student’s great big smile when we first met at Arrival Camp two summers ago. We had communicated via email and by phone, but when my daughter Alina and I first met Eleonora in person, something tugged at my heartstrings! Right away, “Ele” became a daughter to my husband Tom and me, and a sister to Alina and to our son, Adam. We loved having this joyful young lady become part of our family. The only way we could let her go last June was that we knew we would always be part of her life!
Welcoming Ele into our hearts and homes was our second exchange through AFS. Our family had previously hosted a sweet and delightful girl from Germany named Ena. Ena was a wonderful introduction to the experiences of hosting an exchange student and parenting a teenager. She adjusted easily to life in our family and enriched our lives immensely. Our children, then 13 and 10, had the fun of having an older sister for the first time. They and we also learned more about Europe and about German culture. In 2005 we visited Ena and met her “other mother,” Sabine. Hosting Ena has been an exchange on many levels for me: an experience for Ena and our family members and in addition, getting to know Sabine and having her as a friend. Our Italian daughter’s mother and aunt have also become friends because of our having shared Ele for a year.
We’re about to come full circle with AFS. I had a year in France with AFS, when it was known as the American Field Service. It was a real growth experience, as well as fun, and I made lifelong relationships. I’m still in touch with my French mother and sister after three decades! Moreover, this summer our daughter will be in Italy on a short AFS summer program and will stay with Ele’s family in Milan for a few weeks. Ele just emailed us that she’s “so happy Alina’s coming in July – I’ll get to remember everything and will share other wonderful moments with her and my Italian family!”
If only more Rochester/Finger Lakes area families knew about the joy, the lifelong friendships and the learning process that come from hosting an AFS exchange student, I think more people would apply to host! My fellow AFS host parents and I firmly believe we are “changing the world, one student and one family at a time.”
From now through June, area volunteers will be looking for caring host families for our new students who’ll be arriving in mid-August for 11 months. You don’t have to have children at home to host – empty-nesters can make terrific host parents! We’d especially love to connect with people who went abroad with or who have hosted AFS or other exchange students, and people with overseas experience.
As we say, “understanding the world starts with you!” This week think about helping improve international understanding while having fun and learning about countries you may never visit, or learn about your heritage. Making an AFS exchange student part of your family makes you feel good for a whole year and beyond. My family can speak from experience about the joy of watching our students grow through their experiences here. You’ll grow too if you host, and you’ll make a real difference in a young person’s life. You’ll also learn something crucial: that people around the world are more alike than different.
Carol Kindig Urbanic
AFS Returnee, Host Mother & Volunteer
Republished with permission by Messenger Post Media.
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