My name is Gillian and I'm 30 years old. I host students frequently for Mark's Homestay LLC, a company that places international students with local American families for cultural exchange. A "homestay" is where an international visitor or student lives with a local family in order to learn English and experience American culture.
Typically, most of the students looking for homestays are in their early 20s. However, I recently hosted two students a bit different from the norm--a retired married-couple in their 50s from Columbia, Harold and Cece. Below is my true life story about how a much younger "host mother" made a cultural connection between a different culture and yes, a different generation through the homestay experience. The result---a new international friendship and a lifetime of memories. Let me tell you about my experience...
Closing the Gap Between Cultures & Generations
I was excited to meet Harold and Cece and hoped we would get along great. Of course, I was nervous they would not receive me well since I was a much younger "Host Mother." However, as soon as they arrived, it was like welcoming home a long lost aunt and uncle. They were so polite and friendly as we shared stories about our families--I told them about my parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins, and they told me about their children and grandchildren. They even have a daughter with a very similar name to mine who is the same age as me--I think this fact kind of instantly bonded us. At first, their English was pretty limited--but they studied more than I’ve ever seen students study! By the end of their trip, we told stories back and forth with ease, and I was really proud of their progress. Even though I was young enough to be their kid, I felt parental pride for their progress--after all, I’m still used to being kind of a “host mom.” Everyday I supported and applauded their efforts and their consistent progress, and I was glad to help them along the way.
I have three especially fond memories with Harold and Cece. The first is the day we took them to my family’s farm in Marietta. Here, surrounded by flowers and apple trees, Harold told us that he felt transported back in time to his grandfather’s farm, and that it made him feel like a small boy again. We could really feel that this brought back some beautiful memories for him, and we loved witnessing his child-like joy.
The second best memory is of the last dinner we had with Harold and Cece. A large party of friends and family went to a Mexican restaurant, and Roberto sat at one end of the large table with my father at the other end, and it was two hours filled with the sharing of stories and food.
The fondest memory I have is of when Harold and Cece said goodbye to me and my father, and they told us how much it meant to them that we opened our lives and homes. We felt that hadn’t done anything extravagant, but as Harold brushed away tears from his eyes, we felt humbled that the homestay experience meant so much to them. Wonderful friendships really can form in even just a month. It couldn’t have been a better experience of cultural exchange, and was truly a homestay experience that was uniquely special.
I hope you will consider this unique experience by being a host family too.
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