My husband and I actually met while he was on a (college) exchange program at my university in Wales, in the United Kingdom. I had lived overseas as a child and both of us believed that, indeed, one’s Aspect (capitalization intended) of this world is truly changed by living elsewhere, not just visiting, but being immersed in culture, environment and tradition.
We have always encouraged our own children to live overseas, and we were fortunate enough to do that with them. So, it was natural to want to welcome these brave young students that Aspect Foundation takes care of. Our first student, Miriam, from Germany, truly blessed our family with her visit and has become our 5th kid in heart. It’s hard to say goodbye, and so it took us a little while before we were ready to welcome Lucia, our Spanish daughter, and we will always be grateful we did.
Lucia has been a bright and loving addition to our family. She has brought her culture, her humor and her beautiful personality with her and we know we will always be partly immersed in Spain.
She has loved her year, enjoying our small high school with gusto and enthusiasm, making our somewhat serious family laugh a lot. She has joined our family celebrations, told us stories about her own (we can’t wait to meet a certain Auntie!) and contributed to our church and social lives without hesitation.
Our fondest memories will be her fun-loving nature (she was great at getting us to do selfies at important places), her joy and affection for everything, and the trips we have enjoyed together to Disney, San Francisco, Yosemite and soon to New York.
We plan to visit her in her hometown next year. She has added a whole new world to our lives. And we will be forever grateful. We will miss our 6th kid as well, but we are so glad for the opportunity to know her.
Below are some words from Lucia about her experience:
“Before I came to America I thought that everything was like the movies, high schools with the popular kids and the big crazy parties, but I discovered that it was more than that! Once I arrived here everything was so different, it has been difficult to answer the question that everyone asks about what is different between Spain and America because there are so many things! Everybody thinks about how difficult it is to be so far away from your home, your friends and especially your family, but for my experience I can say that with this amazing American family that I have been spending this year with, it has been lovely to be able to meet and we’ve spent so many amazing moments, traveling to Florida and California, spending so much time with family just everywhere, smiling, laughing but even when there was some sad moment they were always there to make it better.
About high school there is also a lot to say, it may not be the high school that you may be thinking but has still been a great place, not because of the things you study but for all the sports, musical and dances like prom and homecoming that allow you to meet so many great people that become really important for you, friends that you will always remember even years after coming home.”
Host a student like Lucia this upcoming school year! Visit our website to see how – aspectfoundation.org
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