add some adventure to your year!

As many of you know, Steve & I hosted an exchange student from Germany last year.  Our experience with Tessa was wonderful in many ways & we really enjoyed the time we spent with her.  After she left, we actually missed having that youthful energy in our home so we decided to grow our international family by hosting another lovely German girl this year named Jule.

Jule has been living with us for a week now & I already know this is going to be another fantastic & exciting year.  There really is something so gratifying about pouring into and inspiring the next generation.  Plus it’s great fun to be part of experiencing many ‘firsts’ with these kids… (Halloween, cupcakes, refrigerators that have ice & water dispensers, Mexican food, Friday night football games and even the Dream Cruise)  No doubt, it does create an appreciation for the everyday things we often take for granted.

As you can probably tell I’m all for couples, singles or families of all ages who would consider hosting one of these great kids .  I can say that we have no regrets.  The only thing you’re responsible for is having a place for them to sleep (and they could share a room with a sibling) and providing meals for them.  They come with spending money for the rest.  Also, many people don’t realize that you get to pick out what student you want to come live with you.

Sadly there are still over 40 students that don’t have placements yet this year.  Here are some of their bios…

Yannick from Germany describes himself as a sporty guy – but he also says”I like to tell jokes and make people happy”. He likes sports like soccer and bicycling but hopes to also learn a new sport, or sports, while in the U.S. He says he is outgoing, friendly and very easy to please. His teachers agree and also say he is helpful, communicates well with others and adapts to situations well. He wants to work in aviation because he loves airplanes. Yannick also likes to cook and hopes to do some cooking for his new family. He likes to spend time with his friends, at the movies, hanging out or playing some soccer. Yannick likes dogs and talks very fondly of the family puppy who was recently added after they lost an older dog last year. An energetic young man who is very excited about his new life. He writes, “Thank you so much for your willingness to receive me as a family member”.

Laura, 15, from Germany, is an excellent student and a cheerful young lady. She enjoys music immensely, and plays the flute in her school orchestra. Laura also sings in the choir. Besides music, she loves sports, including rope-skipping! Laura is an excellent student, and likes languages and mathematics. She thinks it’s fun to do the calculations and draw the figures in geometry. Besides English — her favorite foreign language, she also takes French and Spanish. Laura comes from a loving and supportive family, where everyone helps out when needed. Laura is very excited to “collect many new experiences” while being with her new host family.

Not quite the “starting five,” Raphael from Switzerland lives at home with 3 brothers and he’s been playing basketball for eleven years (on a team and also with his brothers). Plus he also makes time to work out. His family comes from the French-speaking region of Switzerland, and they enjoys hiking in the mountains and taking an annual vacation together. At home, Raphael has to clean his room, do his laundry and sometimes take care of his little cousins when their parents go out. He describes himself as independent and stable. His teacher comments that he is an open-minded student with a good sense of humor. Raphael is determined to spend a great year and bring smiles and joy into his host family.

Laid-back, friendly and always willing to lend a hand! That would be Joao, age 17, from Brazil! Joao is not content to just watch the world — he wants to be part of the action. He works hard in school to maintain above-average grades as he plans to study international relations. He dreams of becoming a diplomat and interacting with various nations. With a very good command of the English language as well as Spanish and his native Portuguese, he is on the way to being able to communicate during those intended travels. Joao enjoys writing and is good at it. On the weekends, Joao like to go shopping, go to the cinema or just hang out with his friends. He likes soccer, handball and volleyball, and would enjoy participating in any of those or in American sports. Joao is looking forward to his exchange year and learning a lot about North America in this, his first international trip!

Monika, 16, from Denmark is a popular girl because of her happy, positive attitude! If you have a lonely piano, Monika would give it some company! She plays occasionally because she loves music. She also does Karate since her uncle persuaded her to try and inspired her interest in it last year. Now she loves it. But she loves many kinds of sports as well. Monika likes her school (for gifted kids) because it is a place to both have fun with your friends and learn new stuff. Monika’s favorite subject is math since she loves to learn about trigonometry. But she also likes to learn about “old” things and go to museums. She and her mom visited Pompeii and she thought it was amazing! Monika also loves painting, skiing, and spending time with her friends. She says she really likes animals but she is allergic to cats. She could live with a dog, but not in her bedroom. Monmon, as her friends call her, is really looking forward to meeting and hearing from you!

If any of these kids sound like they would be a lovely addition to your family, you can call 1.800.872.0200 & select option 2 or email founders@yfu.org.  Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns & I’d also be happy to talk with you.  Steve & I are looking forward to another year full of marvelous memories and hope you can take advantage of this great opportunity too!