Supporting Educational Communities Around the World: Mark’s Homestay's Sam Casto Visits the “Other Georgia”

Written By: Sam Casto - Mark’s Homestay Marketing Coordinator

International students studying here in the U.S. come from a diverse array of backgrounds and locations. As part of the international education community in America, it is important that we do our best to understand and support international communities and be advocates for members of our global village.

In April, I went with a group from Marietta, GA's First United Methodist Church to visit Tbilisi, Georgia where we would work with a community of teachers, students and their families who had been displaced from their homes by conflict with Russian military in the 90’s. 

The students, teachers and families in these communities have accomplished so much in their efforts to re-build and offer quality education to their kids. Each child and teacher we encountered taught us more than we could ever teach them, and our new found friendship brought a richness to our lives. They taught us about supporting and seeking to understand one another despite cultural or geographical boundaries; about the importance of being advocates for each other through good times and bad, and about how really, at the heart of everything, we are all the same.

During our stay, we helped the community install electricity in the entrance of their school, housed in an old concrete soviet-style building; donated textbooks and literature, worked with the kids on art projects to brighten up their hallways and put smiles on their faces, and built relationships with the teachers in the community to encourage and support their development.

We would like to extend a big thank you to the members of the Tbilisi Sea School community for reminding us that in fostering cross-cultural relationships, we open doors to learning opportunities we can find nowhere else.

By becoming Homestay Hosts, we have a unique opportunity to experience this same valuable cultural exchange, and to help a member of our international community without ever leaving home. Click here to visit our website and learn more about applying to become a homestay host today.

Click here to learn more about how you can support Marietta First United Methodist's ongoing efforts to support international communities through global mission and aid.