It was over 10 years ago, that we were contacted by an EF representative. My husband Jim was a bit reluctant at first, when we were asked if we wanted to host a Japanese exchange student. He wondered if we could handle the responsibility of having a third child in our household. Would the kids get along? Would there be culture clashes? But, we are a family that loves a challenge and it wasn’t long before we decided it was something we’d like to try. We have never regretted it. We had a great time with that first student, Yoshiko, and have been hosting exchange students ever since.

Unforgettable experiences
Our family, including our children Jacob and Megan, has had experiences that we couldn’t have gotten any other way. I’ll never forget seeing Yoshiko perform the Tea Ceremony for us in her traditional Japanese clothing. It brought the world into our home. But the highlight of Yoshiko’s year here, I suspect, was exploring the traditions in our country. Things like getting her hair permed or experiencing the high school spirit by going to football games and school dances were just a few of the ways she ‘discovered America’.

Lifelong friendships
Yes we’re still in touch with our Japanese daughter, Yoshiko, and most of our students from places as far apart as Norway and Ecuador. We have visited many students in their home countries and several have come back to visit us after their exchange year. Each relationship to our students is very important to us.

A thousand memories
We have a wall in our hallway that has a map of the world and is surrounded by pictures of many of our international sons and daughters doing things with our family. Not only is each picture worth a thousand words, they are also worth a thousand fond memories!