On August 4th, Trevor and I will be welcoming Tim from Germany into our home to spend an entire school year with us. A couple of weeks ago as I was browsing the Nextdoor app once again looking to see if anyone has seen my missing cat Chester, I spotted a post from a woman named Stephani. She shared some brief information about two different students from Europe who had plans to come to the United States for a year and needed host families.
Something about this really appealed to me and I reached out to her. She called me the next day and we immediately bonded. I shared my background with the Institute of Cultural Affairs and that I have lived internationally as well as in several places in the United States. I shared Trevor's and my schedules with her and then asked if she felt we could make it work. On my on weeks, we basically work opposite of each other. And then on my off weeks, I'm available all day, while he is available afternoons, evenings and weekends.
She explained to me that the host families associated with EF consist of all types of families. Some host parents are younger, some older. Some have children, some do not. Some are single, some are married. The important question would be whether or not Trevor would want to embark on this journey with me as it would take both of us since my work schedule would leave a high school student home alone on my work nights.
I was excited and anxious to present the idea to Trevor. I honestly thought that he would feel it would be too much for us to take on. For the past year and a half, we have extremely busy people. Busy with work. Busy with hobbies. Busy with building his house. Busy with remodeling my old house and then moving to my new house. Taking on an international exchange student for an entire year would require a significant commitment that I was not sure he would be up for.
Boy was I surprised when he responded with a resounding yes!
We have discussed the pros and cons: the work it will require, the amount of commitment it will take to ensure that we can follow through with being there for a kid that has been planning this adventure for a very long time. We have thought about what we can give to him: a nice roof over his head, extended family on my side and Trevor's side, exploration of Arizona and surrounding areas (possibly California), exposure to farm life on Trevor's property with the horses and chickens, access to life in Verrado with a pool and a gym, exposure to new hobbies and experiences of horseback riding, camping, hunting (if he wants and his family approves), traveling, hiking, running, swimming, woodworking, American traditions and holiday celebrations, American idioms and comedy (Trevor's and my goofy sense of humor), and so much more. But we have also thought about what he could give to us: introduction to a different culture, a sense of adventure from the perspective of an adolescent, and an excuse to take a break from the amount of hard work we have both put in over the past couple of years.
My daughter Peyton will be leaving to go to college at the University of Alabama two days after Tim arrives. Dante will be entering his junior year of college at the ASU Polytechnic campus. We have room in our home and in our hearts for another person who has been waiting much of his life for this year. We are both so looking forward to the opportunity to help this young man realize his dream of spending a year in the United States.