Host Family Rule Book

To be a host family, there are multiple orientations we had to attend, plus home visits, monthly phone calls, etc.  There is even a handbook to follow to help you transition your student as they come to America for the first time.    We never actually read the handbook until this morning, 96 hours into our "adventures in exchange studenting"

Chapter IV: Welcome to the USA.

The First Hours:

"Meeting you is the moment of truth.  It is an experience that few will ever forget."  Yeah, who can forget to people opening up a six foot sign with your name plastered across it screaming through the doors, YO! GET OVAH HEAH!  They gotta learn to tawk philly soon.

Plan some face to face time before you head home.  "Why don't you go outside and get the stink blown off ya while I wait for the bags to finally get delivered to the baggy-go-round."

"Do not invite guests over to your house the first day, give your child a chance to just rest or sleep if that is most appropriate to his or her state of health or mind"    So, going to a Diner, Philly, Pig Roast and New York in 48 hours doesn't qualify as a chance to sleep or contribute to a healthy state of mind?"  Uh-oh.

The First Few Days:

"He or she might enjoy making maps of the area."  Putting him on his bike to find his high school after being there once and getting a phone call, "Uh Monica, I think I am lost."  (true story, happened this afternoon)

Students will not know when and where they can do things. Not our kid, he starts American Football on Thursday, he hasn't a clue how to play.  He knows he can't get hit in the back.  This is gonna be good.  I might have to find some Valium to survive the season.

Minor physical upsets sometimes occur because of the big changes in the student's life.  Like a banged up head from slamming it into the drop ceiling the entire time he is running on the treadmill in the basement.  We just gave him a helmet, all is well again.

Stay tuned as we learn what else we are doin wrong as first time parents.

Moments to Remember

I guess with any teenager, there are moments that you want to hold on to because the time goes by to quickly.  Probably fewer with teenagers given the hormones et al, that comes along with them.  Well, with the teen in our house, there have been many wonderful moments already, and I know there will be many more.  In an effort to preserve these times,  I am going to keep a running list here of those gems I want to keep in my pocket to pull out every once in a while to make me smile.

1. Getting out of the car for the first time at our house and hearing crickets and locusts, I hope these never lose their entertainment value.
2. Seeing a skyscraper and having your hold world view change in a moment.
3. Walking up the steps at Penn Station to come out to NYC and seeing it for the first time.
4. Sitting in Times Square so that you can take in all of the sights and smells and people.  Something so big takes some time to absorb.
5. Laughing and gawking at a grey squirrel, after all they are red bushy tail little menaces in Germany.
6. Trying Doritos, and double stacking "American Cookies" Oreos for the first time.
7. Chocolate Chip Pancakes Anytime of day!!!
8. Eating a real American sirloin steak @ Hard Rock Cafe New York.
9. Trying to teach your hopeless host mom a few words a day in German or Russian without her bursting out in laughter.
10. Going to the first real pig roast and barbecue, eating multiple sandwiches and every salad available.
11. Iced Tea and Fresh Lemonade.
12. Eating a Hot Dog and Churro for the first time at Costco.
13. Ordering Spanish Fries with Jalapeno's @ Copa then learning he and his friends tried to eat a jar of Jalapeno's when the were young:  outcome, not so good.
......and these were all in the first 96 hours.....

14. Seeing a real baseball for the first time and blurting out "I have never held a baseball!" 
15. Trying to teach your host mom strategy playing chess.
16. Unlimited Texting.
17. First Football Game
18. POP-TARTS
19. Real grilled hamburgers with yellow mustard
20. Not going out first in that Russian card game you taught your host parents, OH, you mean your host mother went out before you?  Thwap!
21. Virginia eating and/or moving your things. backpacks, shoes, socks, sleeping bags.....the list goes on and on.....
22. Your first lost sock in the wash.
23. Blueberry pancakes.
24. Log Cabin Syrup
25. Dexter Addiction
26. Waiting to finally see the elusive chipmunk on the front step.
27. Seeing an Armadillo getting swept out the door and having no idea what it was.
28. Twinkies
29. Pink Snowballs
30. Its fitting this is 30, because on Sept 30th, you got your host mom out to the door to NYC for burgers. Spacibo.
31.Shopping Day for hoodies, trying to commit suicide with a stiletto.
32. Trying on your suit for the first time and taking your host mom's breath away.
33. Condos.
34. TastyKake
35. Brighton Beach
36. Valencia Orange Juice, I wish I had stock.

Skyscrapers, Skype and Pancakes

They say when you take a child to Disney World, you see it through their eyes and it changes everything. Host a wide eyed exchange student and you will feel the same way about your backyard, your front door, your guest bedroom, your car........

We were loaded up in the car last night and decided to take 76 home so he could see the city skyline. His jaw dropped and he blurted out, "I have never seen a skyscraper in my life!" My first thought was, 10 months is not enough time.

This morning was yet another mini adventure. He came walking downstairs with his laptop, on it was his cousin from Russia, then his grandparents and his aunts. It was like the clown car at the circus, relatives kept coming to the screen and crowding in, waving smiling and all talking at once. Of course, they were all speaking Russian and the only thing I could get out was dos vedanya which means, "Until I see you again comrade" REALLY? I slinked away and made a pot of tea.

I took him to an American Diner to get pancakes, but we were too late, so sandwiches it was. He looked at me and said, "Do you think we could go to Philadelphia today?" Within 30 mins we were on a train to center city.

I started him off small...the Reading Terminal Market ;), a cannoli was a must, so to Termini we went! From there we wandered throughout the markets, through old city, to the liberty bell, independence hall and South Street. We sat at Copa for a while and the owner asked him if he wanted a Margarita, I smirked and informed him he was merely 17. We watched what is always a freak show on South Street, regardless of the hour and talked about stuff.

We started to talk about things like, beer, curfews, drugs & school. He really is a cool kid with a good head on his shoulders. He will be a wonderful influence on Tony and I, keeping us in line and in good footing. We decided we would work on the rules together and figure it out as we go along, PHEW! This whole mothering thing is a tough balance, but I am kinda lucky with this kid that has simply made our lives that much better! We haven't had the whole "girl" talk yet, but it hasn't even been 24 hours!

So far, so good!

Do Ya Wanna Get A Kid?

It all started with a simple email. Yes, I would like a brochure EMAILED to me about hosting an exchange student. I had read that you can host for a week to 3 weeks, all the way up to an entire academic year. I thought a couple of weeks would be nice to see what it is like having a teenager in our house.

RING RING my desk phone blares, I fumble to get my headset on. Little did I know the MASTER OF PERSUASION was calling me. This was 12 days ago. I now have a 6'3", 17 year old boy who was born in Russia sleeping upstairs in our guest room, for a year.

Much like our decision to get married, the conversation went something like this. "I have been researching the idea of X, what do you think?" Da hubs answered, "Sounds like a good idea." and VOILA!

So here I am downstairs, excitedly waiting for this boy to come down so we can have tea together and talk. After our first meeting on Skype a few days ago, I started to experience something so overwhelming, it made me cry. I really began to fall in love with this being. He was going to be under my care, and it is my work now to protect, and introduce him to the United States. I love my nieces and nephews like they are my own, and everyone said it is different when they are, does this sorta count?

I am overwhelmed with joy and apprehension, but also the dread of being such a dork he gets hustled or bullied at school. I am setting out on a mission to find my cool and keep this kid in the "cool" and give him the experience of a lifetime..........