The Hawley-Henley family decided to host, and one of the host moms shared a heartfelt testimonial about how they embarked on the crazy and exciting hosting journey.
“Just wanted to share a life update for all of my friends & family.
Danielle and I decided to host an exchange student from Bologna, Italy. Tons of students hadn’t been placed, and time was running out for these kids to get here before school starts here in NC. Many of them are seniors, so this is the only year they have for this type of opportunity. Of course we were nervous we weren’t ready or maybe too busy to take on this role as Danielle is in residency. So, we decided to be a “welcome family” to ultimately get the student here in the US and be able to start school on time. For the first 6-8 weeks that she is here, the student exchange company would work on finding another host family for the student for the remainder of the year. We felt we were at least helping somehow, even if we weren’t fully committing for the entire year.
Between the week of chatting with her over WhatsApp prior to her getting here and her being here an entire week (as of today!), there was absolutely no chance we weren’t having her stay for the entire school year; we actually may not ever let her leave! (kidding) Lavinia is, and will forever be, a part of our family. We love her so much already & so excited for this next year with her. She’s already taught us so much about her culture, one of which is that Italian food here in the US is NOT the same as in Italy, even if it’s a fancy Italian restaurant (she laughed at the menu).
It’s been such a fun experience with her, doing the most basic things like grocery shopping or trying Taco Bell for the first time (she was a big fan). Her first day of school was yesterday, and so far, so good (besides the lunch… we will be packing it from now on, lol). It’s just crazy how one decision you make can change so much in your life, and it’s safe to say we are so grateful for this one!
If you have ever thought about being a host family, DO it. You learn just as much from them (if not more) as they do from you during their time here.”
– Megan Hawley