Today we hear from Holley, a host mom and International Coordinator in Wisconsin, who recently reunited with several of her former exchange students in Europe. She and her family traveled through France, Italy, and Switzerland, sharing meals, birthdays, and everyday moments with her former students and their families. As Holley says, “life is better with an exchange student!”
It was pure magic! Because each student (the ones we have hosted, the ones I’ve mentored and supervised, and even some I didn’t but formed bonds with during their time in the US) came from different countries in many forms of transport, we were only all able to be together for just one day. We were missing our Belgian student from 2023–24, Maxyn, who was in the States coincidentally.
Each reunion was just as exciting and emotional, but when the final two from Italy arrived and they all stood for that picture in front of Notre Dame, my eyes swelled with tears and I couldn’t hold it back. Seven months of planning and dreaming, countless hours of FaceTime calls, and booking different parts of our trip all came together. I had them all there (the ones who could make it anyway) and I just lost it. I began crying and hugging them each and thanking them for making the journey to see us.
Each student is so special in their own way, and we have such a fantastic relationship with every one of those young ladies and gentlemen. They have all made a mark on our lives, including my three children who already plan to be host parents someday when they are grown up. Hosting is life-changing in every good way possible. These students definitely give more than they take. We always say “life is better with an exchange student.”
Our trip lasted 20 days, across 3 countries and 6 major cities. Along the way, we saw:
- Nelle from Belgium, fall 2021 (the first student we hosted)
- Camilla from Italy, spring 2022 (our second student)
- Lisa from Netherlands, 2021–22 (I supervised)
- Timo from Netherlands, arriving for 2025–26 (our sixth student and Lisa’s little brother)
- Marina from Italy, spring 2022 (became friends with Camilla during their time in the US)
- Elisa from Italy, spring 2023 (our third student)
- Clara from Belgium, 2023–24 (I supervised)
Most of these students were practically strangers at first, and by the end they were all networking and enjoying one another’s company. It was a sight to see. And the common denominator was us, the Schafers. Unbelievable!
Timo and Lisa’s parents also joined us in Paris. Elisa traveled with us from Paris to Tuscany and Lucca, where we spent six nights exploring the region of Italy. We enjoyed time with Elisa’s parents and younger sister, plus her aunt, uncle, and cousin. They invited us over for homemade lasagna, and we celebrated Elisa’s 20th birthday with cake.
From there we went back to central France to meet up with Nelle and stayed with her dad, stepmom, and older sister (who had been in Idaho on exchange 10 years ago) at their vacation home which is a completely renovated 14-bedroom castle in Baluftiere that was built in 1870. We spent four days there, then snuck away for two days to visit Geneva, Switzerland, before returning to the castle for four more days.
It was amazing. Everyone was so happy to see us, and the families were so gracious to host us, feed us, and take us to see really wonderful places such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, wineries, old castles, city centers, grocery stores, a medieval festival, flea market, and the lake.
It was an unforgettable experience for our whole family. My cup overflows!
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 2025-26 school year! Check out the profiles of our wonderful students!
