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.