It's so good to have a man (or 4) around the house.

Guest Blogger: Jessica Birchmier

To share the joys of hosting an exchange student, I have asked host parents to weigh in on their hosting experiences with their 2023-24 exchange students. Today's featured students are presented by their host Mom, Jessica of Woodstock, GA.

Double-hosting Adventure!

Eric from Spain & Nicky from Thailand

What do you do in the middle of the night when Monday threatens to become Tuesday before Monday's To-Do list is done?

• Your 'own' laundry?
  
• Ensure your “boys” are packed for a final school trip?

Of course, it's late and, as a mom, your personal needs move to the bottom of the list. Laundry? It can wait. Surely I can find something in my closet to wear.

The late hour coupled with the fact a recent medical procedure limits what I can lift, what a joy to hear:

"Hey, Mom, can I carry that downstairs for you?" ...and a little later:

"Mom, I’m going to ‘switch’ the laundry for you."

Living with 3 teenage boys (and a husband), Lord knows their laundry doesn't touch the washing machine for days… and yes, THEY ALL KNOW HOW TO DO THEIR OWN LAUNDRY!

I’m on my final countdown with my bonus sons (exchange students); Eric from Spain and Nicky who's half-Thai/half-Dutch. I never know how to describe him other than "ours".

Planning the boys' departure, attending my son's Honor Roll ceremony, and graduation for my Spanish son, all while WONDERING why they plan all these ceremonies simultaneously. Would I change the schedule of events if I could? ABSOLUTELY!

Do I look to improve exchange students' situations, OF COURSE. Would I change my life since taking in a kid because I liked his name in 2022? NEVER! I have been blessed, to be a host mom and also a local rep for exchange students in the area, making a difference in a world that badly needs change.

It's not about me. It’s about my boys, always. I may have birthed one but, I've got 3 more who call me American Mama.

You can make a difference, too. Reach out for details on how to be a host family.

HostStudents@gmail.com Talk/Text/Whatsapp: 706-202-1550

From (fill-in-the-blank) with Love!

They're here!  The new student bios for the 2024-25 academic school year have begun to flood in.  We have students waiting to meet their new American family...  Will that be you?

Advantages to choosing your student early:

• By committing to host early, we can read through the bios and find the perfect student for your family. Additionally, you can get to know your student(s) even before they arrive via email and social media. When you go to the airport to pick them up in August, it will be like meeting a distant relative or an old friend!
  
  
• Once you complete the vetting process and choose your student, their job has just begun!
  The school will issue an acceptance letter and I-20 form which allows the student to schedule an appointment with our Embassy in their county to get their F-1 International Student Visa. The later we get in the season, the longer the line is to get an appointment - some places take up to 12 (twelve) weeks!
  
  
• Also, the fact that many school districts have had budget cuts, and not all will be able to accommodate as many exchange students as in prior years.  They may only have 2-3 slots which, once filled, will close the school for the year.  Let's choose your student early - so we can get the school on board and secure a spot for them.

This is YOUR year to contribute to WORLD PEACE.

Did you know the new Vice Premiere of China was once an exchange student in Iowa?

You never know who you may be influencing.
Who will your exchange student grow up to be?
We all SEE a need for world peace...
But do we OWN the concept?
How do we SOLVE the problem, because we all say we want to make a difference...
Here's your chance to actually DO something about it.

Let's start your new adventure!

Facebook Group: Why Hosting Matters

Deby Sorensen, Cultural Exchange Specialist
Former exchange student to Denmark & Host mom to 20 students from 16 countries
For more information contact me today at 706-202-1550
To receive our Hosting FAQs email us: at HostStudents@gmail.com

Deby Sorensen Regional Manager & DOS Certified Local Coordinator Phone/Text: 706-202-1550
Email: HostStudents@gmail.com FAQs of Hosting: Click Here

New School Year 2024-25

We have some amazing students this season and we are looking to pair them with amazing host families.  If you, or someone you know is interested in hosting an exchange student.... NOW is the time!

Hosting a student is as easy as opening your heart and home to a new family member.

What is expected of me and my family?

• Accept the student as a member of your own family
• Open communication, encouragement, patience, and sound advice
• 3 meals/day, a quiet place to study, and his/her own bed (can share a room)
• Local transportation (student may not drive) Can ride with host sibling

Students are:

• High School aged (15-18)
• From one of 40 different countries
• Bring their own spending money
• Have their own medical/accident insurance
• Are active in sports, music, dance, and more!
• Excited to experience the American lifestyle
• Arriving soon at a home near you!

Who can host?

• Located in every state, volunteer host families provide these young ambassadors a wide range of landscapes, climates, activities, and lifestyles. SMG Host Families are also flexible and open-minded, are age 26 or older, come in all sizes, and represent the diversity of American culture. Our families are of varied economic, religious, and racial backgrounds including working parents, empty-nesters, singles, and single parents.
• FAQ sheet available upon request

As empty-nesters, my husband and I found that hosting two students together worked for us. The kids have fun getting a brother (in our case, we host boys) from another country. Some of the pressure is taken off them to make a friend instantly at school and for us to 'entertain' our new family member(s). We fall into a daily routine faster and they quickly remind each other of the 'rules' of the program.

Whether you are interested in cultural exchange for 1 or 2 semesters we have the perfect fit for you.

CAUTION: The life you change may be your own!

For more information contact me today at 706-202-1550

To receive an FAQ sheet, email at HostStudents@gmail.com 

A Year of Firsts

Gulnura Tukeshova - Kyrgyzstan: A Year of Firsts

(First published in April 2015)

No need for a guest blogger today... I get to write about my own exchange daughter!

Our grandchildren visit often and my littlest granddaughter, Adele, was unable to say Gulnura... so NORA, she became. Truth be told, she wasn't very excited about having a nickname. In fact, it wasn't until she attended the Civic Education Workshops in Washington DC this past March with other exchange students, that she realized the bulk of our students get a nickname. She didn't really get the fact that it was a "term of endearment", even though our little Adele arrives with her arms held high, running toward her yelling "NOOOORAH" at the top of her lungs! *smile*

Nora came to us as a welcome student. It had not been our plan to host for the entire year, and yet we fell in love with her right away! She was extremely homesick and completely out of her element the first few weeks she was here. To her credit, Nora asked for sticky notes and posted 10 of them next to her bed so she could read the messages she wrote on them every night before she went to bed and first thing every morning upon waking. "Be Positive"  "Stay Flexible"  "Smile"  "Ask Questions"  "Get Involved" and more.

Well what's NOT to love about somebody so totally out of their comfort zone and yet doing everything they can to "make lemonade"? Then there's the fact that she and I bonded early over the most random things: we have the same birthday; January 9th, our favorite color is purple, we are both devout religious women and we both love chocolate (she prefers white and I dark) so we don't have to fight over it! She has a huge heart for volunteering and we spent many, many hours together, serving others in our community.

What did Nora experience for the first time this year? 

"Real English Speakers" - Learning French - Riding a Bicycle - Volunteering - Playing the Piano - Riding the Yellow School Bus - Using a Dishwasher - Playing Tennis (on the school team) - Wearing Makeup and Nail Polish - Baking Brownies and Authentic Danish Pastries - Her First Birthday Present - Christmas - Thanksgiving - Learning to Ice Skate - Commercial Kitchen Cooking (250 guests for lunch, anyone?) - Feeding the Homeless - Being a Youth Advocate in Peer Court - Becoming an Aunt - Taking the ACT & TOEFL tests - Seeing the ocean for the first time ever - A real live Rodeo - Mining for Gems - All-You-Can-Eat Sushi Bar - Visiting Washington DC - Being #1 in volunteer hours for our organization's Eastern Division with 210+ hours served!

I can't promise you'll get a Nora (there truly is only one) - but I promise it will be an amazing, life-changing year for your family and your exchange student!

_______________________________________________________________________________

Almost 10 years later, Gulnura has never ceased to be amazing! She went on to study at university in Hungary and her home country of Kyrgyzstan. She is an English teacher who continues to touch lives daily through the generous sharing of her knowledge and serving others.

We are so proud of Gulnura and all she continues to accomplish!

Break out your Lederhosen!

It's Oktoberfest in Germany (yes, they begin a little early with all the festing) and we have several students who want to experience American High School Life for one semester only.  We also have one boy from Saxony who will be here for 4 weeks only (9/26-10/24)- seeking a host family for him... MACHT SCHNELL!

We don't get many short-term students - so if you've been considering hosting for a month or a semester, NOW is the time.  These students are much sought after, they go like hot schnitzels!

So give me a call today, and let's talk about sharing some good old Southern Hospitality!
Lederhosen optional.

Deby Sorensen

Local Coordinator
HostStudents@gmail.com

Savory & Spicy: From Armenia with Love!

Guest Blogger: Gina Nakagawa

In an effort to share the joys of hosting an exchange student, I have asked host parents to weigh in on their hosting experiences with regards to their 2014-15 exchange students. Today's featured student is presented by her host Mom, Gina Nakagawa of Athens, Georgia.

Anahit Ghazarayan - ARMENIA: Savory & Spicy

Last August a young woman from Hyastan (Armenia) entered the lives of my husband and me. If little girls are supposed to be sugar and spice, this lady is savory and spicy. Her name is Anahit Ghazaryan, and she came to this country for a year of American schooling on the Department of State FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange)n Program.

If ever there was a candidate for leadership, it is Anahit. She is thoughtful. She expresses her ideas well. She is firm in her convictions. She is really fearless, except when she is at the top of the lighthouse at Tybee Island and the wind is blowing.

Since she has come to Georgia, Anahit has become more and more willing to try new adventures. She has become involved in many volunteer activities from volunteering to distribute ice skates to help raise funds to handing out water at a bicycle race to acting as youth advocate at the local Peer Court and helping the Red Cross at their blood collection center.  Before she returns to Armenia, she plans the biggest adventure of all, eating at a dim sum restaurant.

Anahit has accomplished all of this while maintaining outstanding grades at Cedar Shoals High School thus greatly impressing her teachers.

She has become a much loved member of our family. She is like a blood daughter to us. She will return to the mother and father and brother and sister who love her, but she will leave behind two people who will greatly miss her and have a great hole in their hearts.

Bruna Gmurczyk: When Dreams Collide

Guest Blogger: Brandi Lytle

In an effort to share the joys of hosting an exchange student, I have asked host parents to weigh in on their hosting experiences with regards to their 2014-15 exchange students. Today's featured student is presented by her host Mom, Brandi Lytle of Greenville, South Carolina.

Bruna Gmurczyk - BRAZIL: When Dreams Collide...

You had the dream of coming to the United States.  We had the dream of having a daughter. And God had a plan.

We finally met face-to-face on December 28, 2014.  Dane and I knew immediately that you were special by the sweet way that you greeted Maddie, your new puppy “sister.” 
Bruna, it is difficult to describe how incredible you are…..

Bruna is one of the most amazing young ladies we have ever met. Although she is gorgeous, super smart, and extremely talented, she is also humble and kind and considerate.  

She does not realize how graceful she is at aerial silk nor does she know that she plays the guitar well and sings beautifully.  

We love listening to her giggle with her friends. And the deep emotions that she feels... Well, it is hard to explain the joy that it brings to our hearts. Bruna gets excited about little things like squirrels or a Selena song or fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle. Watching her stare at Van Gogh’s paintings for the first time is a memory that will forever be burned in our minds.  

She has made us look at life through new eyes and see the magnificent wonders around us. We are so grateful that God placed Bruna, the perfect daughter for us, into our lives. We are forever family.  

We love you, Bruna. 
You.  Are.  Amazing!

Hugs and Kisses from Your Host Parents,

Brandi and Dane