Communicating with your student!

Pardon my long absence. I have been finding it difficult to frequently write on my blog because of the hectic lifestyle that I currently live. However, I shall try my hardest to write often and write well.. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and I hope you find some valuable information here. :)

In today's post, I hope to cover some of the things you should talk with your student about before they arrive. Of course, you would not want to wait until the day before they see you to discuss things.

If you read my previous post, you will know that you receive a package in the mail many weeks prior to the student's arrival. In this package, you will receive the phone number and/or email or the student and his parents.

In my opinion, I think it is best to start communication soon after the package gets to your home. You can start by sending your student an email (and the parents if they speak English. In Hyojin's case, however, her parents speak very little English).

In your email, you may cover things such as:

• Your family's names and ages, your family's interests, how well you will care for your student, etc...
• If there is someone close to the student's age, you can encourage the friendship. (For example. "I have a daughter your age. I think that the two of you will get along very well.") This will help the student feel more comfortable when coming to a strange country.
• Again, if you have a child with the same age as the student, you can have them write a mini letter, too, with things including: Interests, places he likes to go, how excited he is to get to meet the student, etc...
• Where the student will be sleeping*
• What the weather is like* 
• Perhaps what clothes to bring (unless you will shop together)*
• When they will be arriving*

*Try to cover these things in a second email. Make the first letter short and to the point, so that the student does not feel overwhelmed. After all, they have to translate everything you have written into their own language.

After the student replies to your email, you can send the second email. If the student has a Facebook, add them on there. Facebook can be very useful in communicating, especially when you can talk instantly on chat. I have already talked quite a few times on chat with Hyojin, and it really helps to build the relationship. 

Try to talk on the phone at least once with your student, so you can get an idea of how good their English is and so that it will feel less uncomfortable when you meet them at the airport. However, you first should get a phone card. Calls can cost anywhere between 5 cents and 20 cents a minute...

After a phone call, you should feel more at ease. Continue to write on the student's Facebook wall even up to a few days before they arrive.. It helps if you go on their page once or twice a week and ask them simple questions such as, "What is your favourite colour?" This will help you bond with your student a little more. Something I have been doing recently is writing, "Only 20 more days until you get here!" She seems to get very excited when I write this. Hehe! 

Even though it may be fun and useful to ask him questions about himself, be sure that you have a date and time for your student to arrive and make sure that they are aware of what to bring... 

Communicating these things before your student arrives will make the process go much more smoothly and will help the transition for your student less stressful.

I hope this information helps you in some way! Please look forward to my next post! ^__^

P.S. Only 17 more days until Hyojin arrives! <3

It's a Girl!

Those of you who are visiting my blog are expecting to see pictures of the exchange student, perhaps some daily things happening whilst living with the new "sister," and maybe even some exciting happenings. However, this is not the case as there are still thirty-four days that we must wait until the arrival of our lovely girl, HyoJin.

Indeed, thirty-four days may be a long time to wait, but believe me... There is plenty of information to go over, emails to be sent, and phone calls to be made.

So, to start off my first post, I am going to begin with covering what you will be receiving in the mail soon after you are approved for exchange.

It was lovely day in the suburbs, as I sat there awaiting the arrival of our mail man. His car slowly crept up to our mailbox and eventually a large, white package was slipped into it. I didn't actually see this happening, but I imagine this is how it probably occurred.

We were actually on our way to eat a Chinese dinner, when mother calls from the driveway, "Alyssa! Would you like to check the mail?" Naturally being the teenager that hates hot, clammy weather, I refused from the shade of the garage. "Alyssa! Would you like to check the mail?!" Fact is, I already knew what was in the mail...

Anyway, long story short... We attained the packet of all our information on our exchange student and on the top of the package was stamped a little Stork with the words next to it, "It's a girl!" Ooh, how exciting! How thrilling! It's like we're adopting!

If you are hoping to host an exchange student, say, from Russia, South Korea, or Germany, then you can expect to get a package like the one we received so graciously with some of the following information:

• Pictures of your student
• List of vaccinations student has received 
• Student report card from last 3-4 years
• Questions that the student answered regarding her arrival in the U.S. (Example: "If you could only bring three things on the trip, what would they be and why?")
• A personal letter from the student and parents.
• A small packet on her home country which will cover things such as; Population, Food, Religion, Etc...

After reviewing all of this information, we became quite excited and told ourselves that our exchange will be quite successful and fulfilling (if all goes well, of course).

Please look forward to the next post!