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

Fred Heda: World Traveler

Guest Blogger: Carol Johnson

In a 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 his host Mom, Carol Johnson of Bryson City, North Carolina.

Fred Heda: World Traveler 

We're the Johnson family; Carol, Wally and Tim. Our new addition for the 2014-2015 school year is Fredrik Heda. Fred is the third student we have hosted and our first experience with a German student.

Fred was shy and quiet in the beginning, over a short period of time we got to know him. He enjoys soccer and track & field. His favorite subjects are math and sciences which he studies intently, hoping one day to attend university and become a chemist.

Since Fred arrived he has participated in many activities, one of his first was exposure to cold water tubing in Deep Creek, here in Bryson City, NC. He informed us, early on, that he wanted to do a lot of traveling. We took him to New York City and he spent some time with our family in Northern New Jersey over the Christmas holiday. There he had the opportunity to visit the Statue of Liberty. Rounding out the trip was a Giants' football game, walking in New York seeing Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Broadway and 42nd street. 

In January he had an opportunity to visit Hawaii and had a wonderful time with the exchange-sponsored program. He also joined student trips to Philadelphia, NYC (again), and Washington DC. In June, he plans to travel to the West Coast; California, Arizona, and Nevada. Fred also enjoyed a trip to Charlotte, NC to see our extended family and there we learned that he really enjoys sushi! Over the past 10 months, we've learned the types of games he enjoys playing with the family; Monopoly, Yahtzee, and UNO.

He enjoyed an American Thanksgiving in Bryson City and got to see plenty of snow and ice! I enjoyed hiking trails with Fred in Deep Creek and saw several waterfalls. In February we went to Athens, Georgia to attend the exchange student's MidYear Retreat and met all the other exchange students in our three-state region. Shortly after, we traveled to South Carolina to see the Greenville Warriors take on the Florida Everblades hockey team. We had a lot of fun and were joined by The Cox family from Greenville who hosted Chris from Germany.

Fred eats a variety of food here in the USA. He enjoys fish and seafood and he enjoys having access to local markets with fresh fruit and vegetables. Fred has been kind enough to cook several German dishes for our family, which we have also enjoyed.

We hope this experience will encourage Fred to be more outgoing, feel confident when meeting new people, accept change more readily, and try many more new foods and activities! 

We will miss you Fred - Good Luck!! 

Wally, Carol, and Tim Johnson

Relaxation!

I GH Apples?

Tubing with our FLEX & YES students

HAN NGUYEN: Living the High School American Dream

Guest Blogger: James Lineberger

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 Dad; James Lineberger of Athens, Georgia.

HAN NGUYEN: Living the High School American Dream

Han was born in 1999 in her home country of Vietnam. Growing up, her dream was to live here in America and these days she is living her dream. 

Han is here on an international educational visa, rather than a cultural exchange visa, like most CCI Greenheart exchange students. Her desire is to to finish high school in Athens and one day attend an American university.

Han has a bright outlook and a bubbly personality. In her spare time, she enjoys watching movies, traveling and shopping is one of her favorite pastimes. Sounds like every teenage girl's American Dream!

Her character is sweet. She is diligent and hardworking and has been very successful in her academic pursuits at Athens Christian School. She interacts well with peers and loves to play with children. Any given day you'll find her learning some fun games like Chinese checkers and UNO, as well as badminton. And she is a fierce competitor!

Han is gifted with a beautiful voice and sings with the Athens Christian School Chorus and is also a member of the Ladies Ensemble. Her chorus was rated Superior at a recent ACSI high school competition. 

She makes friends easily and has many friends at Athens Christian School and at church. Han brings love and joy to everything she does. It has been wonderful having her as a member of our family.

James & Janie Lineberger

   

Tim Schrenk: Our Latest Family Addition

Guest Blogger: Jeri Baxter

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. Our first featured student is presented by his host mom; Jeri Baxter of Athens, Georgia.

Tim Schrenk: Our latest family addition

Tim is the third exchange student we (George & Jeri) have hosted and by far the most adventurous of the three. His bio portrayed him as an avid cyclist (mountain biking) and a love for doing outdoor things. Well, to us, he seemed like a great fit for our lifestyle with one exception; he didn’t like dogs. We had one named Blossom. What to do? Guess we’d give it a try anyway. After a few days together, Tim and Blossom began bonding and now get along beautifully. She looks forward to him coming home every day. I think she’s changed his mind a little on dogs. 

Since Tim has been with us, we have seen him grow and mature in a number of ways, including height! He is so open-minded about his whole experience here. As he told us early on, he’s here to learn and experience as much as he can while he’s here. So, to fill this request, here are a few things he has experienced: 

boat tubing - camping at Jekyll Island (where he learned to fish in the ocean) - pumpkin carving - ate his first S’mores & a Twinkie (apparently the Twinkie was a big deal) -  hiked part of Tallulah Gorge -polar bear plunge - attended and ate 3 Thanksgiving meals (an American holiday) - saw the Nutcracker Russian Ballet - visited to Washington DC - played soccer for Cedar Shoals High School and was captain of the JV team - volunteered at a soup kitchen - went to a hockey game - attended an American collegiate football game at UGA - ate a variety of new things (he now has some new favorite foods including real peanut butter mixed with honey) - played volleyball - next week he'll participate in the Athens to Savannah Ride bicycle race which is 210 miles over 2 days!

He and George have really bonded as well. They wrestle, play the towel-popping game, fish, and general goofing around. At times you would think they were brothers! 

A few areas we feel Tim has grown in are: being outgoing, willing to step out of his comfort zone when in a group of strangers, leadership, overcoming fear of dogs, openness, teamwork, tolerance, compassion for others, the willingness to try new things, and flexibility when something changes unexpectedly. These things will serve him well as he moves into adulthood. We look forward to seeing what this young man will accomplish in the future.