In my freshman year of high school, my mom asked me and my sister if we were comfortable with taking in an international student from China for the remainder of the school year because she needed a new home. I heard from other students and friends who had great experiences with this type of program, so both my sister and I agreed that we would try it out. When I tell you it was one of the best decisions of my life to this day, I really mean it. I ended up really liking the student that year, so we made room in our house for another student from China. We didn’t really get the opportunity to get super close because it was only for a few months that they stayed with us, but my family made the decision that this was something we wanted to keep doing.
In my sophomore year, we hosted a girl from Mexico, and her name was Fiorela, or Fiore for short. It took some getting used to at first, but by the end of the year, Fiore ended up becoming one of my best friends, and she was able to teach me some Spanish, the language I decided to study in school. Her parents connected with mine, and before you knew it, we were planning a trip to Mexico that summer to stay with her family. Unfortunately, the pandemic ruined those travel plans, but we all stayed in touch.
In my junior year, we hosted a girl from Italy, and her name was Beatrice, or Bea for short. She was the funniest student we ever had in my opinion. She never failed to make me laugh and taught me so many things about her Italian culture (she was vegetarian too, so her cooking was brand new for me, and very delicious!). She sends me pictures of her town and the food she makes every once in a while, and I actually FaceTimed her last week to catch up because she wants to come back for a small visit next summer!
In my senior year, we hosted another girl from Mexico who was my sister’s age. Her name was Alejandra, or Ale for short. She and my sister became the very best of friends and the same thing ended up happening with our parents and her parents connecting online as well. Over time, we found out that Ale and Fiore lived 15 minutes away from each other in Merida, Mexico. The plans were set in stone that summer: we traveled to Mexico in June and spent a week with both Fiore’s and Ale’s family and it was AMAZING to see them all again! We still keep in touch today and plan on going back to Mexico in the Summer of 2024.
Since I came to college, I haven’t been home enough to get to know the other students that my parents have hosted, but I know who they are and I was able to meet them all and they’re lovely personalities. Last year, my parents hosted another girl from Mexico, Marifer (Maria for short), and Natalia from Spain. This year, they are currently hosting a boy from Spain, and his name is Alberto.
All of these students have taught me so much both about themselves and where they come from and also taught me stuff about myself. I have made lifelong lasting friendships with most of them and we still keep in touch. I can say that I truly do have friends and family all over the world!