Meet and Greet

In most homestay programs the big moment is when the kids meet their host families for the first time. After an afternoon of walking around the city, sipping a hot chocolate, going to the cinema, and for some a ride on the carousal, we returned to the lobby of our hotel for the “big moment”. Students gathered their belongings and waited eagerly (or anxiously) for the arrival of their host moms and dads. Ethan, Kerry, and Tandre were the first to meet their family and within 20 minutes the lobby had been almost cleared of bags and nervous young Americans. Leslie and Mareya were the last to meet and greet their host mom. Like most of the other students, Leslie and Mareya provided each other with moral support as they wondered what it would be like to live with a total stranger for the next two weeks. After one deep breath, it was off to a new adventure, and for Tracy and myself, we would also soon embark on our own family adventure.