Don't Forget Us!

07/12/2011 22:01:00

Today I wrote a letter to the student my family and I hosted during the 2010-2011 school year. It was full of the usual news: the Fourth of July fireworks displays were magnificent this year, the garden is bursting with produce, the fireflies come out in abundance every evening, did you hear about that soccer game in the news, a son landed a wonderful work-study opportunity, a daughter visited, "Dad's" knee has been bothering him again, but he's not about to give up yet as a soccer referee, and how we miss him at Sunday dinner, etc.

I wonder if my ramblings will remind him of all he loved about this country and our home, or if they will bore him. He's in his home country now, very glad to see his parents again, studying like mad for college entrance exams and interviews, face to the future, not looking back. While he was here he told us how much he loved our family, how good he felt he had it compared to his peers, how he wanted to come back some day, if only for a short visit. Silently I do wonder if we will ever see him again.

When I feel like that I indulge in reminiscing about all the places we visited together as a family: Independence Mall, the Constitution Center, the Art Museum, the U. of Penn Museum of Anthropology and Archeology, King of Prussia Mall, and yes, even the (ugh) Mutter Museum. And, I plan for all that and much more with the new student, coming in September, whom we haven't met yet. Life is so self-renewing, and just so wonderful!

Thinking about September already

07/07/2011 00:15:00

I love summer! I would love the long, lazy days to stretch on forever! Food, music, and fireworks on the Fourth of July, swimming outdoors, the salt air at the Jersey shore, vegetable gardens bursting with bounty, fragrant flowers: I love it all!

At the same time I'm looking forward to getting our next exchange student in the Fall. I want to take time this summer to paint, scrub, and polish the spare bedroom, maybe hang some new curtains, perhaps put a fresh, new quilt on the bed.

I hope that on his first morning in America the songbirds in our woods wake him up. I hope he looks out the window at our old dogwood tree and the lawn, and maybe he'll see a white-tailed deer grazing on the edge of our place. I know he'll be nervous and excited, but I also hope that the environment of our home will inspire confidence in him. I hope he goes off to his very first day of school in America brimming with anticipation. I know he'll struggle with culture and language, but I hope he'll have no real disappointments. I hope that every afternoon he returns to the safety and welcome of what he considers his real, true home away from home. And, I hope he calls me, "Mom."

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Don't Forget Us!

Thinking about September already