My husband and I wanted to host an exchange student for a couple of reasons. First, we were at the point in our lives where our careers were moving along and the money wasn't tight. We felt providing the room and board would not put any financial strain on us. Second, it would be a lot of fun to give someone an adventure.
Anna came to us as our 3rd exchange student. Anna was a 16-year old FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange Program) student and came to us from Kiev, Ukraine. Anna was one of three students who came to stay with us on August 21, 2006. We also had Tijana, a 17- year old student from Nis, Serbia and Murad a 17-year old student from Azerbaijan. Murad's stay was temporary until a host family could be found for him and Tijana and Anna were to live together in our home as host sisters. We went from a no child home to having three teenagers in one day. Talk about a shock for both myself and my husband.
Murad's stay with us was 3 short weeks and then we had to say good-bye. It was a very sad day because even in 3 short weeks you can become very attached to someone. Tijana's stay with us was also short as she was not a good match in our home. Tijana moved out of our home in October to stay with a family from her home county who now resided in Franklin, Wisconsin. We did have the pleasure of having Anna stay with us a whole school year.
Anna and I spent many evenings doing her homework together for the two English classes she decided to take. One of her first writing assignments was to write a two page paper on who her hero was. She asked me to read her paper to make sure that there were no grammatical or punctuation errors and as I was reading her paper tear welled up in my eyes. She wrote that her hero was me. How my unselfishness to have a complete stranger stay in my home and to allow this stranger to have the same luxuries and experiences that I get in my everyday life was something she had never experienced before. She was grateful that I had "chose" her as a student to stay in my home and that she was very blessed to have someone who cared so much.
Me and Christina were taking in the same nursing program. A month or so of knowing her I decided I'd find find out if she had known Mary. Maybe she was a relative, aunt, friend '' Mary was my mother" she said. I didn't know how to respond, I was so in shock. I needed to know everything about Mary that I never knew. " Your mother was a great woman " Christina looked confused to how I knew her mother. Me and Christina been spending a lot of time togehter, not only was she my friend but I was beginning to fall in love with her.
Krisi came from Albania to live with my family for a couple of years. I have a lot in common with Krisi, we both are very out of the box thinkers and we both are quite curious and creative people, like two friends playing Minecraft and maybe that was why I felt persuaded to tell her anything and everything I knew. I gravitated to her quickly, I felt a deep connection with her and to this day we’re like two sisters who share the same thoughts but from all the way across the world and that's why I had decided to tell her. We were driving up the hill on a foggy day after my figure skating practice and the words just tumbled out of my mouth so effortlessly like someone else was saying them for me, but that wasn't the surprise and when she told me that for years she thought about the same thing, it was truly mesmerizing. I longed to find another person close enough and eligible enough to tell my thoughts to but somehow on this random day the words came out like I had worked so hard yet I only needed so
... to the United States, which made her really proud. Her rough teaching method actually left a positive impact on my life because I build a good habit of learning and using English, and also I feel so fortunate that I can get all of these supervision, criticism, encourage, and care from her.
I remember one time in fourth grade, there were going to be a special performance in school for the mothers, due to mother’s Day celebration. The teacher asked all us students to write something for our mother’s it could be a letter or a poem. I was so excited because I want it to do something special for my mom. I started to write this poem for my mom in which I expressed all my love to her. When I finished with it I gave it to my teacher. She loved it she was very happy with it that I was one of the students chosen to present the poem to my mom during the school performance. I was very nervous during the pre...
Even though our team, “The Stingers”, eventually changed to “The Velocity”, one girl, Christina, was always there for me and continues to be by my side today. Through playing on the same soccer team for nine seasons, we developed a bond that will not easily be broken. We can look at each other and just start laughing for no reason. I know all of her drama and she knows mine. Our mutual trust that was developed on the soccer field has branched into every aspect of our lives. I know I can turn to her at any moment and she will quit whatever she is doing and come to my rescue. Likewise, she knows I will always be there to help her through any situation, no matter how difficult it may be. Recently, when Christina received the heart wrenching news that her mom has breast cancer, I stood right by her side to help her through it. She was able to lean on me for support when it was too overwhelming for her to handle on her own. When she needed to get away from the stresses of her mom’s health, we would hang out and just talk for hours on end. Similarly, when my relationship with a mutual friend was struggling, Christina was there to help me get through it. She encouraged me to stay strong and continue to treat our friend with respect even though she neglected me and our decade of friendship.
You came into my life and changed me forever. Over the years people have complimented me for being a good mother but I can't take credit for that. You were born good and you were the one who was often teaching me. I believe you are an angel God sent to teach me. You taught me love. You taught me honesty. You taught me how to forgive and how to be strong. You are the strongest person I have ever known and you gave me strength when I was weak. When times were sad and tough I looked to you for strength. You taught me how to be myself. Most of all you taught me about life and how to live.
She doesn’t know this, but she changed my life. She was there for me when it seemed like no one else was. When most of my friends were dissolving around me and I just didn’t feel like I could do anything right, she was there, and she made everything seem okay. It didn’t matter that I was inevitably going to graduate with a GPA a tenth of a point lower than I wanted, or that my director told me that he was disappointed in me because I just didn’t seem focused lately, or that my other friends just weren’t talking to me anymore. It didn’t matter because she was there and she made me feel safe. She’s my best friend, and I love her and admire her for so many different reasons.
I met her in the autumn right after she had taken a terrible fall going to her mailbox and I was hired by her family as an in home aide. Her name was Jane* and she became a fast friend and provided me with never to be forgotten lessons that cant be taught within the walls of a school. Jane took the time to prove to me that I was worth loving and showed me unconditional love that at the time I couldn’t find. In the end all I have left are a few cherished memories, a pearl necklace, and some of the best lessons in life.
I had just turned eleven and received a book, Eleven by Lauren Myracle, from my mother as a birthday gift. As I opened the page and read the first line I immediately had an overwhelmingly bubbly feeling. The sheer coincidences made me feel like that book was written with me in mind. I read on and on non stop for the rest of the day because how could I turn away from a book that was hypothetically written about me. It expressed my pre-teen drama, things only an eleven-year-old would consider drama and it inspired me. It gave me the sudden urge to pour my heart into the little mini books I was known for writing and leaving around the house. Writing was something that I was very passionate as a little girl and is still something I am very passionate about as a young adult. The little things I did in my childhood
One day I was going through my deleted voicemails when I found one from my grandmother that she had left me during the first week of school. In this voicemail she said, “Hi Miss Maggie, I was wondering how your first week is going? I heard you are having a tough time, just remember the hardest times often lead you to some of the greatest moments. I love you call me back later.” I lost that voicemail when my old phone broke, but I often found myself listening back to that. I know she probably wasn’t the first person to ever say that, but having those words come from her in that point of my life really changed my perspective on
In my immiediate family, there are 5 members in our household. We as family have been living in bloomington, Minnesota for about 10 years now. My father Brian, who is in his early 50's, and is employed for the Toro company where he is a finance department. My step-mother Roxanne, who is in her mid 40's, and is employed by the government where she is a probation officer. My younger brother Niles who is 20 years of age, and is currently enrolled in a community college in Minneapolis, MN. My youngest...
When I got to know you better a year later I realized I wasn't alone and that something inside of you was what constantly brought tears to my own eyes. I went through a time in my life where I felt worthless and unloved and I continuously searched for happiness. I wasn't getting along with my family, and my friends were all hating each other, leaving me in the middle, stressfully trying to pull things together. You made me laugh and forget everything that was going on. That year you became my escape, my survival. I don't think I could have made it through as strong as I did if it weren't for you.
It was on a Friday morning at 4:30 A.M. that happiness and joy filled the hearts of both my parents. I was born on November 29, 1996 at Broward General Hospital in Fort Lauderdale Florida. My parents had five children, and among the five children that they had, I was the third (or middle) child from them. It started off as two boys, then I came along as the first girl, after it was another boy, then finally, another baby girl; so total was three boys and two girls. The way that my parents lived and treated each other was the same as if any other married couple that loved each other so much. They’ve gone through a lot to get to where they are now today, but they made it and along the way had us five children. They have been really strong with each other which made them only have the five of us and no other step children. My mom is a great cook and enjoy cooking for us; this is probably where my passion for culinary comes from. My dad is an amazing tailor, he is very good at making our clothes, and my passion for fashion probably came from him. My dad is also a teacher, one of the best math teacher I know, he is passionate about his job and his family is the center of his universe. I cannot finish this chapter without mentioning my grandmother, I was lucky enough to have ever met. I had spent part of my life time with her, like the rest of the family she is sweet, my grandmother Abelus,
Have you ever thought about studying abroad? No, not just for a few months for your work-experience, but a whole year (or longer) as a transfer-student. Of course, you don’t make such a decision from one minute to the next. It needs to be thought over well. Going to college is a big change in your life because it usually means living on your own for the first time, but as a foreign student it is even a bigger change because you are on your own in another country. This is often the greatest concern for students to go abroad: to leave everything behind. They have trouble leaving their family and the familiar environment. They think this price is just too high. But if they only knew how rich they will be when they come back.
She seemed like a whole new girl. “Bullying At School” mentions that a simple hello or smile can change a person’s life, and in this moment, I felt the change in her attitude, personality, and overall presence (2). It seemed that the simplest acts I did seemed to make a world of difference to her. Graduation day, 2015, I sat in my chair watching all of my friends prepare to walk the stage. As the ceremony began, I saw the girl from that day climb the stairs to the stage and begin to speak. She was our Valedictorian. She began, “Dear fellow graduates. I can’t call you my friends because most of you do not even know I exist. My name is Sam Carter. I am your below average student that didn’t fit in like the rest of you. I had one friend and you know who you are. I was gratefully introduced to a friend earlier this year in a crucial time of my life. Everything was piling up and I was being bullied at school. She came into my life at just the perfect time and saved me. The day she helped me pick up my books and stood up for me in the hallway before class was the day that I was going home to end it. My life meant nothing to anyone. I had my goodbye letter written out, the rope in my room, and had my goodbyes said and that day, she showed me that I wasn’t alone and that someone cared for me. The simple things you did for me changed my view on this world. You saved my life. As I