SPARTAN SPOTLIGHT
That was two and a half years ago . In the fall of 2014 , the Bowlings welcomed Jennifer Xu ’ 17 from Shanghai , China , who started at Steward as a sophomore and would ultimately stay for three years . “ We ’ re driving up to [ Washington ] Dulles [ International Airport ], and we said , ‘ Oh my gosh , what are we doing ?’” Mrs . Bowling said . “ We figured Jennifer was probably thinking the same thing .”
Jennifer recalled : “ We emailed before , but we didn ’ t FaceTime so I was a little bit nervous . I knew what they looked like because I ’ d seen their picture , but I didn ’ t know how to find them . They picked me up with balloons and Joan gave me a hug , which really meant a lot .”
Despite the initial nerves , Jennifer and her host parents had a great year together settling into a new routine complete with carpool pickups and drop offs , homework , and activities . Outside of the weekday routine , Richmond adventures and east coast travel filled Jennifer ’ s time in the United States . The family traveled to Pittsburgh for holidays and Hilton Head for spring break .
Exploring Carytown , visiting the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts , watching the Chinese Ballet , attending a Flying Squirrels ’ game , and touring the city via Segway are just some of the things Jennifer and the Bowlings have experienced together in Richmond . “ We became tourists in our own town ,” Mrs . Bowling said . " Jennifer ' s like , ' Let ' s go here , let ' s go there !' We ' ve come to enjoy our city again ."
Based on the family ' s success with Jennifer , the agency Steward partners with for homestays asked the Bowlings if they would consider hosting a European exchange student as well . Over the years , the Bowlings have welcomed three more students into their home : Sophie Massier ( who stayed for a semester during the 2014-15 school year ) and Ayda Asghar Afshari ( who stayed for the 2015-16 school year ), both from Germany , and Emilia Aguilera Rodriguez , who they ' re currently hosting from Spain .
“ It ’ s been great exposure for us as well as these kids ,” Mr . Bowling said . “ We ’ ve been exposed to [ the cultures of ] China , Germany , and Spain , and there ’ s new energy being infused into the household .”
The language barrier is another big challenge , both for the student and host parents .
“ It takes more time to get into class and focus ,” Emilia said . “ In math , in history , in English – everything is different so it takes you a long time to get used to it . But I have so much fun and we laugh a lot when I make vocabulary mistakes and get confused . For instance , we were in the car and my host mom told me Roger was going to smoke the chicken , and I was like , ' Smoke the chicken ?' I was so confused ; I ' d never seen him smoke . When I figured it out , we laughed so hard ."
In regard to communication difficulties , Mr . Bowling added : “ You have to develop a little bit more patience . You want to help them along , but sometimes you just want to let them do their own problem solving and figure out how to communicate what ’ s going on inside their head .”
Steward ' s International Student Coordinator Allison Buchik said that patience is key to student achievement . " Having a local family who students can talk to about American culture and speak English with at home ( in addition to at school ) makes a big difference ," she said .
In spite of the challenges , the Bowlings said the experience of hosting international students has been well worth it . “ The new relationships have been just lovely , as are the open invitations to Shanghai , Hamburg , and Madrid ,” Mrs . Bowling said . “ We have not gone yet , but it ’ s just so cool that we know families there . I think the international culture is just great . How would we get that any other way ?”
So what ’ s next for the family ? Emilia will return to Spain at the end of the 2016-17 school year , and Jennifer will graduate from Steward in May and begin college in the fall . When asked if they ’ ll host a fifth student next year , the couple replied , " To be determined ."
“ It has been a lot of fun ,” Mr . Bowling said . “ I would definitely recommend it to somebody . Throw your fears and concerns out the window . They ’ re real and legitimate , but you ’ ll get through them . You ’ ll find a way around them , and you will have fun .”
Ayda and Jennifer at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg
BY THE NUMBERS
65 11 16
11
Number of international students in past three school years
Number of countries international students represented in past four school years
Number of Steward international students who have gone on to attend American universities in past four school years
Number of current international students living with non- Steward families
All the fun and new relationships aren ’ t without some challenges , though . When asked what ’ s most difficult about being a host parent , Mr . Bowling said : “ The additional time commitment . We want the kids to be comfortable , feel safe , and feel wanted in addition to the educational side . |
For information about becoming a host
family , contact Ms . Buchik at Allison . Buchik @
stewardschool . org or ( 804 ) 740-3394 ext . 5512 .
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5
Number
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of current international students living with parents or relatives in the United States |
It ’ s about a lot more than just the education .” |
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The Colonnade | 15