My name is Idil and I am from Istanbul, Turkey*. In March 2018 I learned that I would be placed in the state of Maine, in Old Orchard Beach. I was excited to meet with my host family but while I was flying from Washington DC to Portland, Maine, my original host family were unfortunately not able to host me any longer due to a special circumstance. So a Greenheart Local Coordinator, Lisa Naseef, picked me up from airport instead. While we were looking for her car, she told me that they were searching for families but in the meantime time she said I will be her fifth (hosted) kid!
During the next few weeks, there were a couple of families who were a possibility but in the end Lisa said “I think I am going to keep her!” Later we compared this to finding a puppy for 5 days and deciding to keep them after all, in which case I am the puppy. Even though she has three different jobs and a lot of communities that she is involved with, Lisa always makes time for us to hang out and to show and teach me American culture. So my advice to the busy families that want to host is: “You will have time!”
My host family taught everything I know about America. Maybe it doesn’t seem like big deal to you but it will when I go back to Turkey and tell them how welcoming, nice and caring Americans were! One of the things that I heard from host families a lot is, since exchange students have mostly never been outside of their country, is that everything you will do together will be new to them (the student). But trust me that it was hilarious how my dear host mother laughed at me as I kept falling when I tried ice-skating for the first time!
Also, I have always been a worrier and over thinker, and I am still like that a little bit but Lisa taught me that only if you pay attention or worry, will things affect you. Also, she always talks about karma and how you treat people will be the way that they will treat you. So overall I learned kindness this year. While I was in Turkey learning about YES program I thought it would be impossible for a family to host somebody that has different ethnicity, religion, language and even nationality from you. On top of this you give food to them, spend time with them for 10 months for free. So now I can proudly say that I learned goodness and kindness first from my host mother then from all mother’s that gave a home away from home to us, exchange students.
Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you so much and we all love you!!!
*Idil is a YES scholarship recipient. If you are as student from a YES country seeking to study in the US, visit: www.yesprograms.org