During the time I was with AYUSA , we were the host families for eight exchange students: Jordi Moras from Spain, Mari Shimizu (Hanatsumi) from Japan, Nigel Parkin from England, Nicole Sepp from Germany, Vuk Andrejevic from Yugoslavia (now Serbia), Jairo Fraile Lopez from Spain, Masanobu “Mass” Yamada from Japan, and Rene “Ren” Roth from Germany. This was a positive experience for our family. Some may have fit into our family a little better than others, but we learned about different cultures and were glad we had that opportunity to share our lives and home with each one.
Family Christmas photo with Jordi
Jordi de las Moras Maso, Barcelona, Spain
Mari Shimizu (Hanatsumi), Yokohama, Japan
Nicole Sepp, East Berlin, Germany
Nigel Parkin, Wilmslow, England
Vuk Andrejevic, Belgrade, Serbia
Jairo Fraile Lopez, Barcelona, Spain
Masanobu (Mas) Yamada, Nisshin, Japan
Rene (Ren) Roth, Markneukirchen, Germany
Although we have fond memories of each of our exchange students, only Mari, Nigel, Vuk, and Ren have come back to see us; and we went to see Jairo in Spain. Beth enjoyed being with Jordi and his family in Barcelona when she was in Spain as an exchange student one summer when she was still a high school student.
Our nice visit with Jairo's family in Barcelona, Spain, before the Mediterranean Cruise we took with Bill and Karen - 2010.
Nigel at the time of hosting seemed to be the one our children had more difficulty relating to as a "sibling." He also had problems socializing with the other high school students. When his regular correspondence stopped coming after he returned to England, we were sad to learn he had been sent to jail for embezzling from the hotel when he was the hotel manager. Even when he was living with us, it seemed Nigel had problems accepting who he was and needing to impress others.
Jordi was fun, but our children were quite a bit younger; he socialized with his friends at school and was very popular. Nicole seemed to feel comfortable in our family of seven children and grandchildren in spite of having only a mom and no other members in her own family. She kept in touch with us for several years until her life moved on with a serious boyfriend.
Vuk, another favorite, has come back to see us; and we met up with him and his wife while we were on a Fun for Less Tour in Belgrade. We also had developed a relationship with Vuk's mother during the time he was kept from family by the Moonies prior to his returning home at the end of his stay in the United States.
Vuk - between Scott and Beth in the mddle row
Celebrating Vuk's birthday - 1991
Vuk with us as his host mom and dad
Vuk at my dad's home in Orem (Vuk, Beth, Granddad Nelson, Doug, Jeff)
Visiting Vuk and wife Ivana in Belgrade in 2019
Ren also came back to see us, and we have kept connected on Facebook and know he has a little girl and seems to keep involved with a wrestling club in Germany.
We have lost contact with Mas, who was our last exchange student. He was always polite and enjoyable to have in our home, but it would have been nicer for him to have had a host sibling still living at home.
Of all the 8 exchange students we have hosted, Mari Shimizu from Japan has been the most consistent in keeping in touch with us. We are ongoing "friends" on Facebook. She came back to visit us at the farm in South Dakota and to Spanish Fork in Utah when she brought her mother and daughter; and her daughter came in 2013 and stayed with Beth and Todd's family. Mari is a regular poster on Facebook; but often times the posts that are translated from Japanese to English don't translate very well or have unrelatable information. I am very glad I did see Mari's post on Facebook today.
Mari (right of Beth) came to visit when Vuk (left, back row) was with us - 1992 (two boys at the left were visiting our church with their dad)
It was very moving for me to read today (September 20th) these nice words Mari posted on her Facebook page:
Not just friends in the astrology world, so let's not talk about special stars here.
Writing it lately though, the past few years I've been timed to end one major cycle of my life and start the next. Also, yesterday's full moon was special to me, and I think it also meant things like "reach", "goal", "receive", and "full".
Until yesterday, I thought, "Even if you say that, there's not much of an event or feeling that I can feel."
As I wrote earlier, I suddenly received a contact from a job I had lost contact with for a while (and not in one place), and I feel like it's a "contact" as a result of how I've done each job with my own integrity.
(And now, a person with regular sessions said, "As Marie's advice, we negotiated the gala without being greedy," and it turned out rather good!" What a line of reporting)
And what's more this morning. Happy thing happened to me.
At American universities, their dormitories are closed during the winter break so students have to go home or go on a trip, but as expected, foreign students don't come home and spend time at their teacher's house.
My daughter decided to take her Japanese exchange friend to stay at my former host sister's house in Utah where she went to hang out for two weeks alone last year! Came on the line with. Already bought plane tickets! and.
The host sister's household is devout Mormons, so I wanted my daughter to experience it at least once so we could have a good old Orthodox Christmas. And she wanted it too.
When I was a homesteading family of nine, now growing to nearly 70. Not all of them, but many of them get together for Christmas to do a play on the birth of Christ, exchange gifts and enjoy a Christmas dinner with a big turkey.
"Actually, in my series of clearance, I've been revisiting the numerous journals, letters, and photos I wrote when I was studying abroad. There were also drafts of essays written during exams for study abroad groups.
"I want to experience normal life in different countries. "I want to make friends all over the world" that was passionately written.
With this thought, I spent 10 months of 17-18 years old in South Dakota, USA, visited my family in South Dakotas many times after that, and brought my former husband with me. And even after they moved to Utah, I'm still visiting with my 1st grade daughter and mom in 2015. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, my daughter is revisiting single handedly in 2023.
And now my daughter brings her friends to stay at the same family house. Generations over generations, and lateral relationships spread, seeds sown 36 years ago sprouted, trees grew, and now they are big big trees with branches and leaves.
Isn't this the future 17 year old me dreamed of?
No, far beyond what I imagined back then.
I couldn't imagine my daughter talking, playing and watching movies with her host sister daughter someday.
I truly appreciate my daughter.
Thank you for such a happy gift.
The greatest thanks to the Ireland family who have been through life together like a real family for so many years.
I feel the meaning of being born into this world enough just by this.
It's more than happy for me.
I realized this morning that this is what my horoscope has been trying to tell me.
Oh, this is the work of the universe.
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