Regenia, a Local Coordinator from Ohio, recently wrote about another incredible connection she’s made through hosting international high school students with Academic Year in America. She shares how her family grew to include a son from Italy named Mirko and provides helpful advice about how to choose a host student who will become a part of your family.
It was a cold, wintry January day when I opened my email to see that AYA had sent me an application to view for “an Italian kid” they thought my family would like to host. I opened the attachment to read the application. His name was Mirko, and he was 17.
I scanned his application to search for his “letter to my future host family.” I am a writer and believe this part of an application really reveals a student’s voice and personality. I wanted to officially meet Mirko through the words he chose as his introduction to his new American family.
As I read the letter, one comment in particular really resonated. Mirko said, “In my whole life, the thing that I really enjoy doing is communicating with other people in another language, different from mine.” It was as if Mirko had peeked into my heart and read it.
I am often asked by potential host families, “How do I choose a student?” I tell them it is the same question as “How do I choose a new best friend?”
You really don’t choose as much as know: this student was meant to come and live with your family. You recognize something, a quality, in their application that reminds you of yourself or someone in your family and that quality calls out to you, “we are friends.”
We accepted the opportunity to host Mirko, finished all the paperwork, exchanged a few emails with each other and set up a Skype meeting. He was so nervous, and so were we. However, we talked, and talked, and talked like we had been waiting our whole lives to do so. We sent messages to each other through WhatsApp daily with a countdown of days until his arrival.
We were so excited to finally meet in person, but ironically when that day arrived, I wasn’t home because of a work commitment. We joked later that Mirko had the honor of being the first exchange student to “welcome” his host mom to the family.
Our year together was marked with all sorts of wonderful memories including his girlfriend dramas at school, LOTS of discussion about politics and pasta, and endless moments of me telling my adopted stereotypically passionate and strong-willed Italian son to “calm down and relax.” I adore Mirko’s passion and tremendous sense of humor. We drove each other crazy, but laughed at the absurdities of how stubborn we both were at the same time. Best friends for sure.
My favorite memory as I look back on last year was near the end of Mirko’s year abroad. On May 29th, we celebrated his 18th birthday, my (cough) birthday and my daughter Micah’s 19th. Mirko and I shared the same birthday date (twins!) and Micah’s special day had only been two weeks earlier. It was a perfect family celebration and everyone was there. As family sang for us and we blew out the candles, I knew this would be one of those moments to treasure for a lifetime.
As sad as it was to say our goodbyes at the airport in June, we simply gave each other a quick hug and wave. Mirko and I knew that words were not possible at that moment. As much as we shared a love of languages… the words in either Italian or English were not possible. We promised to stay in touch and travel soon to reunite.
Just over two years after I opened that fateful email from AYA, my husband and I are counting the days until we fly to Italy. Mirko has promised to introduce us to “real” pizza and help us try all the best local gelato. We will get to meet all of Mirko’s Italian family and friends and be guests at his house. He will once again serve us as a cultural ambassador to a country that is part of our heritage and identity, but also a place we have never had the chance to explore. We can’t wait!
If you want to learn about a new culture and make a new best friend, why not choose to host an exchange student through Academic Year in America? It’s an experience that you will treasure for a lifetime.
Wonderful story. We gained a daughter this year and will be traveling to Armenia next summer to visit with our amazing Tatev and her family. Until then, we miss her terribly but count on lengthy phone calls to get us through.