Sine from Norway with her host family.

Aspect Foundation’s inbox is flooded with notes from students expressing their gratitude for the experience they have had on student exchange. On Thursdays, we post one of these notes, sharing the “warm fuzzies” with all of you!

Today’s Thank You Thursday features Sine from Norway, who thanks her host family for her year abroad in Texas.

“You will never be completely home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.”

I just said bye to my American family that has given me so much love and hospitality the last 10 months! They’ve inspired me in so many ways, and their way of helping other people is amazing! My host dad is the most amazing man I’ve ever met in my entire life. He’s so dedicated in what he does, and I’m gonna miss our nights of playing cards and drinking tea! My host mom is the most loving woman that I know! She’s been helping me through the days I’ve been sick, she’s been driving me to school every single day and everywhere else I wanted to go, she’s been helping me through a lot of projects at school and she’s always been there to help me procrastinate homework, haha! Rachel, my American sister, is my one and only sister. She’s been taking me out for Starbucks and sonic, and we’ve had a lot of fun on trips and just home laying around! Thank you for teaching me some songs on the piano! Adam, my host brother, has been playing cards with my host parents and I and he always has something clever to say! He’s funny too! Thank you for picking me up from school those times I would’ve had to walk home!

My host family is amazing in everything they do, and I feel so honored to be a part of it!

The match couldn’t have been better and they made my year in Texas unforgettable.

They will forever be in my heart, and I can’t describe how much I appreciate every single one of them!

Thank you so much, and I’ll definitely see you again soon, either back in Texas or back in Norway!

-Sine from Norway, in Texas

Interested in sharing YOUR corner of the world with an international exchange student? Learn more about becoming a host family at: http://aspectfoundation.org/host-families.

Sine’s favorite photos from her year in America.