If you're a bird, I'm a bird

I am an Academic Coordinator for a non-profit organization, Cultural Homestay International (CHI). I recruit families to host exchange students in their homes from August '15-June '16. The family can select the student that will fit best with your family. They range from ages 15-18 and come from mostly countries of Asia, Europe, South America, and Russia. These students possess maturity, good character, and scholastic aptitude. Host families are not expected to alter their lives. The student is expected to adapt to your lifestyle.  Students participate as a member of the family, including following family rules and doing chores. Students attend the high school in your zone (or a charter school), and we encourage them to get involved in sports and clubs at school. Students bring their own spending money for school functions and supplies, clothes, cell phone, eating out, and extracurricular activities. They also have their own medical insurance. Requirements for Host Familie...

According to Wikipedia "Yarn bombing  is a type of  graffiti  or  street art  that employs colorful displays of  knitted  or  crocheted  yarn or fiber rather than paint or chalk. While other forms of graffiti may be  expressive ,  decorative ,  territorial ,  socio-political commentary ,  advertising  or  vandalism , yarn bombing was initially almost exclusively about reclaiming and personalizing sterile or cold public places. " I have a part-time job of placing exchange students with host families. It is not always easy finding families to open their homes. If they are a interested, there is something else holding them back, like moving or their husband or the size of their house or the schools. Life happens. I love when I find families that jump right in and we finish u p the process in a couple days and before I know it, they are selecting their student! One day I came up with an outside-the-box ide...

I wanted to get a manicure before work. Since I work on Lady's Island, I found a place close by. I picked out my nail color and soaked my hands to soften my cuticles. The lady was speaking another language to the male co-worker, as usual. It sounded similar to Chinese. I asked her where she was from. She said Vietnam. I was so so excited to tell her about our exchange student coming in August! I asked how to pronounce his name and if the Saigon restaurant in Bluffton was authentic Vietnamese food. She said that she would be willing to help with translating if he needs help or cook for him if he gets homesick. She has a 12th grader "who is a good boy." I told her which high school he would be going to and her son goes to the same one. Her son will be going to college 1.5 hours away, but I'm sure will visit on the weekends. Then if meeting a Vietnamese woman with a teenage son wasn't cool enough, she proceeds to tell me that she lives next to the high school. It...

Phong I take my job as Academic Coordinator for Cultural Homestay International very seriously. I enjoy the challenge of looking for families. I set a goal for myself to recruit 6 families by August 2015. I have already placed 4 girls as of March! These families have selected 3 Japanese girls and 1 Spanish girl. Our family selected to host a 15-year old boy named Phong from Vietnam. He looks very sweet and there were several things in his profile that we thought would mesh with our family. He has been accepted into his high school already! I'm excited about having a teenage boy in our home. It will definitely be different than two toddlers. I have three informational sessions at libraries in April and May. I have registered for the Relay for Life in April. I already have another family that is a definite, but they are waiting to move in June/July to do the application process.  I honestly think I am going to place more than 6 students! I have two families in the "think...