Among the student body of local high schools is a tiny, but vibrant group of visiting students from other countries. Exchange students make up less than one percent of the student population of any high school (only 5-9 students are accepted at each one every year), but they bring with them a unique cultural perspective that enriches the lives of students and faculty with whom they interact. In addition to that, they become fully integrated into the social fabric of a community through their host families, who provide stability, love and guidance while the students are away from home, and an avenue to explore our culture while they’re here.
At Holly Springs High School this year, there are seven students floating around who hail from different parts of the world. They don’t stand out from the crowd of over 2100 other students, but they each arrived in the U.S. eager to learn, eager to explore their host community, and eager to learn how their teen counterparts live.
Although they all say they did not arrive with any preconceived notions of what to expect, they did all have different reasons for wanting to spend a year away from home… with strangers… and taking classes in a language not their own.
Mimi Hajdukova, who is only 16, is from Slovakia. She originally did not want to travel to the U.S., and was hoping for a placement in the United Kingdom instead. But, the UK was more expensive and her parents preferred the United States for a variety of reasons, so she landed in Holly Springs. Mimi’s host family situation changed partway through the year and she moved to the home of 70-year old Thelma Crankshaw. “Just before Christmas, I was asked if I could be a host,” Thelma explains. “Mimi moved in the Tuesday after Christmas and she was my late Christmas present! What a gift she’s been!”
Although Mimi’s motivation to study abroad was educational and she is very focused on completing coursework so she doesn’t lose any ground back home, her favorite experiences have been traveling with Thelma. Spring break took them on a 2400 mile trek to Niagara Falls, New York, with stops in ten states plus Washington D.C. “She could have gone to Disney like some of the others,” Thelma shares, “but she wanted to see more of the country, so that’s what we did.”
Mladen Rabasovic (Maki), is 17 and from Serbia. He and his twin brother both decided to study abroad at the same time, and Maki’s brother is currently living with a host family in Texas. Maki was looking forward to being independent from his parents for a while, but was surprised at a few things in the States, such as the high cost of food and the difficulty of his classes.
Maki has spent this year living with the Allis family in Holly Springs. His host mother, Crystal Allis, runs Borderless Friends Forever – a nonprofit organization that places exchange students in host families across the country. Although her company did not facilitate his placement, it has been an advantage living in a family that thoroughly understands the dynamics of exchange students and their unique situation. Maki’s favorite experiences while in the U.S. have included celebrating Halloween and Christmas, as well as participating in the Color Run, visiting Busch Gardens, and traveling to New York City.
Seventeen-year old Emka Cibulkova is also from Slovakia. She chose to study abroad for cultural and educational experiences and to improve her English. She had more flexibility in choosing her classes than Mimi did, and as a result she was able to take some fun classes along with the required English, math and science. Fall semester she enjoyed a Team Sports class, which allowed her to try out all kinds of sports. She is also participating and enjoying a new activity, being a part of the Lady Hawks lacrosse team!
Emka has spent the year with two families, the Browns and Martins. She has enjoyed traveling to New York, Chicago, and Atlanta. She has grown very close to both of her host families. “I truly never expected so much love,” she shares. “My host brother and sisters are like my true siblings.”
Fred Maina from Kenya is the oldest exchange student in this year’s group at age eighteen. Unlike the others, none of Fred’s credits from this year will be accepted when he returns home, so he came to the U.S. to have fun and be successful in his classes. Fred immersed himself in school life almost immediately, earning a spot on the school’s championship wrestling team and now as a runner on the HSHS track team.
Although he has visited Virginia, New York City, Atlanta, and the NC beaches, Fred’s most memorable experience this year, hands down, has been his trip to Disney World. He was so enthralled with the enormity of the theme park that his host family worried they might lose him in the crowd as they walked between activities. “I was amazed at how organized and well-run it was,” Fred explains. “It’s like a machine – clean, efficient lines at the roller coasters, a whole army of workers. It was a brand new world!” Fred fell in love with roller coasters on that trip and his host family the DeSarno’s still plan to take him to Carowinds before his visit is over so he can ride a few more.
One of the biggest challenges for most of these students was their initial acclimation to the social and cultural fabric of their new school. “Making friends was hard at first,” says Emka. “It took a while for established groups to get to know us, but getting involved in sports and clubs helped a lot.” Mimi has been happy with just a few close friends, which she has made slowly. Fred, on the other hand, had no problem making friends. “I think I was just so different. I stood out so much that people wanted to know about me – find out about my story.”
Another challenge was just the sheer enormity of being thousands of miles away from their families, and having to rely on the love and guidance of a host family to get them through any struggles they met along the way. “It’s so brave of these kids to leave everything they know and go to a new place where they know nobody,” shares program coordinator Crystal Allis. “Add the challenge of having to insert themselves into a whole new social structure AND take classes in another language, and you can see why we work so hard to find good host families.”
Host family and student matching is much like online dating. Host families can view student profiles before they fully commit to the program, but cannot see the student’s photo until after they have applied to be a host family and are fully vetted by the organization. “We look at family interests and activities and try to match them as closely as possible to incoming students,” explains Allis. “We encourage all family types to apply. We have had very successful placements with families with teens, single parents, older adults, and families with small children.”
“I have loved having a host brother my age,” says Fred. “It’s good to have someone to talk with every day, to help break the ice with things, and goof off together.” Mimi, on the other hand, is very enthusiastic about her experience with Thelma as a host mother. “I am a vegan, and I have enjoyed sharing the vegan lifestyle with Thelma,” she says. “And our travels have been so much fun. She took me to an Eastern European neighborhood in Trenton, New Jersey that had a Slovakian bakery. It was like I was back home for a few minutes!”
Kathy DeSarno shares that selecting Fred as her student wasn’t an exact science. “Fred’s profile didn’t really match our profile, but there was just something about him that I liked.” He fit into the family instantly, bonding with Kathy’s son, Vince, and eagerly taking advantage of everything his new experiences were offering. His experience on the wrestling team was so inspiring that he plans to introduce the sport at his school in Kenya when he returns this summer!
Holly Springs High School traditionally accepts its full complement of nine exchange students every school year. Allis’s organization, Borderless Friends Forever, is now approved to place students in host families for a full academic year, and there are still a few slots left for the 2016-17 year. There are also U.S. State Department scholarships for students who wish to travel to the U.S. for academic year placements. If you or anyone you know is interested in being considered as a host family for the short-term summer program or the academic program beginning in August, please contact Crystal Allis at callis@borderlessfriends.org.
