With a month left of the 2015-16 exchange year, our inbox has been overflowing with notes from Aspect Foundation students expressing their feelings as the year comes to a close. Today our post is written by Nimfe from The Netherlands, who shares tips for the new students arriving in September and thanks her host family for ‘making her American Dream come true’! Continue reading
Tag Archives: Hosting
“Being a host family has become what we do and who we are.”
Aspect Foundation exchange programs don’t just benefit our students, they change our host families’ lives forever. Today we hear from Kathy who describes her experience as a host mom over the past two years, and how through each year of hosting her family grows bigger and bigger! Continue reading
Thank You Thursday – August 13, 2015
Our Thank You Thursdays usually come from student letters. But this week, it comes from a Facebook post! On Tuesday, we shared the story of Kathy’s family and Sarah on the blog. (Go check it out if you haven’t yet! Clicking on the link will open the post in a new window.) When we first reached out … Continue reading
A Match Made in Heaven
When her daughter Mackenzie, then a junior in high school, came home one day from school asking if the family could host an exchange student, Kathy didn’t need to think twice. “It was a no brainer,” she says. “We had wonderful exchange students when I was in high school, and I thought that was great. … Continue reading
Why Should You Host an Exchange Student?
Claudia, Aspect student featured in the video, returned home to Italy this past June after finishing her exchange year in Illinois. Carol and Joe, her host parents, wrote to us then about how much of a blessing it was to have her. You can find the post here: https://aspectblog.org/2015/06/29/new-daughters-and-sisters-in-illinois/ In honor of this we have rediscovered … Continue reading
New Daughters and Sisters in Illinois
If you would like a young person to swoop into your life and capture your heart, host an exchange student. After hosting our first student last year, we were hesitant to host another because we felt that we could never have another experience like our first. In a way, that’s true because each student is … Continue reading
A Dream Exchange
When I was asked to write about our exchange experience, I said I could write a book!! My husband and I always thought it would be fun to host an exchange student. I went to a very small rural high school 18 miles from us, and I remember several exchange students there while I attended. My husband, on … Continue reading
Taco Togetherness
It’s Tuesday afternoon, and Aspect coordinator Cory is headed to the grocery store. After checking his phone for last minute RSVP’s and grabbing what he needs, he heads home for preparations. His kitchen fills with warmth as taco meat starts to simmer, and the doorbell starts ringing. It’s a few guys from the local church … Continue reading
One BIG Happy Family
Patty and Bill’s red Hyundai is a conversation starter in grocery store parking lots all around town. “Are those all of your kids?” incredulous people ask, marveling at the smiling sticker family stretching the entire length of the rear window. “Yes,” Patty always says proudly. Sixteen Aspect exchange students now call a small town in … Continue reading
A Family’s Passion
Amy and Dan are welcoming their 15th exchange student home this fall! Amy has also served as a local Aspect coordinator in Michigan since 2006, helping other families make unforgettable connections. We began hosting our first year of marriage. We had dated for 7.5 years before we got married so we were ready to try something … Continue reading