A Family Tale
“Family”, with its simple three syllables, is an abstract bond that is more powerful and embracing than any other form of love in this world.
Despite her busy schedule to take care of the family alone, Michelle, a single mother with a son and a younger daughter, has hosted two years in a row. She opened her home to Jose from the USA in 2009-2010 and Max from Germany in 2010-2011.
Michelle’s initial thought was to find a buddy for her son, Boris, at home. She was overwhelmed by the unexpected gains that dawned on the family through hosting. Michelle experienced language and cultural differences, and had her first taste of hugging a stranger out of love. She was always eager to make sure her host sons understand her perfectly, so she spelled out words with uncertain pronunciations. Her tolerance and generosity rewarded her with fond memories which are both heartening and hilarious at times, such as finding her bedcover turned into a canvas with permanent paint, briliant piece of art by Jose. Michelle laughed it off with a shrug. What more can you do but to embrace the sudden artistic flair of your American son?
The hosting experience is never complete without a few sheds of tears and outbursts of fury, which came two months after Jose’s arrival. That night the boy failed to return home after midnight. There were no phone calls and he was out of reach. Michelle was both worried and agitated, and the thought of sending him away crossed her mind. Just as she was about to call the police, Jose came home. ‘It took me a while to calm down before I could talk to him. But I was glad I took my time because it turned out that Jose was lost with an out-of-battery mobile phone. It was merely unfortunate and he was not to be blamed.’ Michelle narrated. The incident became a lesson of communication and patience, which turned out to be the key factors in a harmonious relation.
Communication is vital, more so is preparing the mindset of taking in exchange students as member of the family. Right from the start Michelle treated Jose and Max as her own sons and made sure they were involved in family matters. This mentality, instead of serving them as guests, takes the stress out of the room and makes it an enjoyable experience. After all if it is a family, there should be nothing to much for tolerance, right?
In slightly more than a month Max will be packing his bags and boarding the flight for home. Now that Michelle has grown accustomed to his presence, she will have to readapt to the strange silence once again. But before that, she has set out a list of To-Dos for her son. The regrets would be hers if her son went home with any regret from his exchange year.
‘Family’ is a simple three-syllable taught in kindergarten, but it takes years to appreciate its magic and significance. A generous act to open her doors to strangers bestows the notion of “family” with new blessings and a stretched boundary for Michelle and her family.
Text: Sarah Yeung (09/10 Germany)
