Hosting is a fascinating choice for many American families, but what exactly draws them to this experience time and time again? Today, we’re thrilled to present a wonderful story that captures the very essence of why families continue to host Aspect Students from all over the world! We had the opportunity to interview Holley from Wisconsin, a host mom and Aspect coordinator who shares the magic and wonders of hosting an exchange student. Stay tuned for next week, where we’ll share the story of her husband, David, a host father who initially was hesitant to host an exchange student, but ultimately embraced and now loves the experience!
What initially inspired you to host?
My college roommate was from Mongolia. Initially, I didn’t want to room with an international student, but she became very quickly one of my best friends. She ended up staying in the US and getting married, so we’ve stayed friends all these years. Then, I traveled abroad to Australia the following year and I had a roommate from Indonesia. It was just awesome!
Now with kids of my own at home, I thought it would be great if they had exposure to other countries, cultures, and people. I tried to convince my husband, David, that it would be awesome! He’s like, “We’re going to have to sacrifice a lot of things like time and money and space in our home.” I tried to promise him that living with people who were from different countries would be more beneficial than it would be sacrificial.
I showed him profiles of students, so he was able to read their letters and learn more about them. Reading Nelle from Belgium’s profile, who ended up being the first student we hosted in 2021/22, he realized that she’s just a normal teenager looking for a new experience. He reluctantly agreed, and now he has a tattoo on his arm that says, “All the sacrifices”, which is his tribute to our four host daughters. He got the tattoo when we were in Milan visiting our second student, Camilla from Italy, this past summer.
How did your children react to having a new host sibling?
I think they were confused at first because they were still kind of little (7, 9, 11 and 14) when we hosted the first time. I don’t think they knew what to expect. They just knew that someone was going to be living with us, but they were hyped. I think because we get to talk to our students before they arrive, they start to form a relationship and connection before our student even steps foot on US soil.
They were anticipating Nelle’s arrival and then once she got here, they didn’t stop talking! Having a big sister, they connected immediately. She would do my daughter’s hair and braids; they would talk about fashion and music. Then, they found common ground over food, like introducing her to Pop-Tarts and seeing her reaction. I think my kids just thought it was the coolest thing, to introduce a teenager to a Pop-Tart. It’s the little things like that and now they communicate all the time. They stay in touch through WhatsApp and Instagram, and they have a very close relationship. They all cry every time our student leaves at the end of the year.
How do you and your husband balance hosting while raising four children and working full-time?
It requires a lot of communication, a lot of “Hey, you might get picked up early. You might get dropped off late. You might get dropped off earlier, picked up later.” We’re only two adults and we have 4 kids and an exchange student. Plus, I’m a living caregiver, so I do that full-time as well. Sometimes it’s leftovers for dinner, sometimes I have a full gourmet plated family dinner on the table. You know, life is life. I’ve come to find out that hosting all these different students that it’s no different across the seas. It’s the same.
Everybody has a busy life. Everybody does the best they can, and we have laughable moments when things are going well and we cry a bit when things aren’t going well. It doesn’t faze the kids, it doesn’t faze my husband. He’s just like, “Yep, where do I need to be and what time?” A lot of times, he and I are passing on the same road, him going one way and me going the other. We just honk and wave, and then we know that when all the sports are over and we sit down and eat dinner as a family, everything’s back to normal.
How do you choose the best-fit student for your family?
I’m very picky about the students for my family. Their interests and hobbies must align with ours pretty similarly. We pick someone who loves kids, who loves to cook and bake. Because if maybe my husband and I aren’t home or only one of us is available to make dinner, they step in and they cook something. We also pick students who love adventure and who don’t take life too seriously. We tend to pick someone with a more “lighthearted” letter.
You mentioned you visited Europe and saw your previous students! What was the experience like?
Amazing! Some things were beyond amazing, I don’t know if English has a word for it. We spent just about 3 weeks in Europe. We arrived in Belgium, and we spent time with Nelle, our first student, and her family, then we took Nelle with us and went to the Netherlands and saw some students that I had supervised as an International Coordinator.
My husband got to know them and we went to Amsterdam together. Then, we went back to Belgium and met Maxyn, who is the student we are currently hosting during the spring 2024 semester. So, we got to meet her, and Nelle came with us too. Nelle has built all these connections over Europe through being an exchange student at our house, which is really, really cool.
We went to Paris for a couple of days with Nelle and her sister. Then, we flew to Milan and spent four days with Camilla, our second student. Later, we took a train to Rome to see Marina, a student I previously supervised. Afterwards, my husband and I flew to Palermo to meet Eli, who had just recently returned to Italy from our home. Nelle also flew into Palermo to meet Eli. The two girls had never met before and they embraced immediately. We all stayed together with Eli’s family, and Nelle said it was the best trip she’s ever had. I brought my exchange students who live in different countries together!
What was it like to be in a completely new environment with your students?
It was a miracle, I’ve never felt so welcomed and so loved, and despite all the language barriers, I never felt like I missed anything. I didn’t feel like there was no communication because love doesn’t need a language to be honest.
Are you interested in making a student a part of your family? We are looking for American host families to welcome a student for the upcoming 2024-25 school year! Check out the profiles of our wonderful students! New student profiles go online every Thursday!
