Placing students in Utah is different than most of the other states. We begin our placement season in Feb or March and only have until June 15 to complete them per the state law.
In the summer time we search all over the Western US for more host families. We want to make sure every last student who applied gets a home.
It can become discouraging when people are hesitant to open their homes and hearts to these amazing kids, but every year every student gets placed.
We usually have a 2 weeks break or so before kids start to arrive. Then it begins all over again!!!
I LOVE my job!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Saying goodbye......
This is the hardest time of the year. Everyone has grown to love and appreciate each other only to be parted.
It is bittersweet. The students are so excited to go home and tell of their adventure and see their families and friends again but sad to leave all they gained behind. Some are also nervous of the changes that have occurred to them and back home - will things be like they were, will my friends and family think I am different now, will school be harder, will I wish I was still in the US?
The families are excited for the students to go and continue on their life path and have new adventures but heartbroken to let them go. Young children sometimes don't understand and wonder when they will came back home.
It is my job to prepare everyone for this. Its not easy...
It is bittersweet. The students are so excited to go home and tell of their adventure and see their families and friends again but sad to leave all they gained behind. Some are also nervous of the changes that have occurred to them and back home - will things be like they were, will my friends and family think I am different now, will school be harder, will I wish I was still in the US?
The families are excited for the students to go and continue on their life path and have new adventures but heartbroken to let them go. Young children sometimes don't understand and wonder when they will came back home.
It is my job to prepare everyone for this. Its not easy...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
International Dinner
Every year we have an international dinner. All the families and students are invited. The students are asked to make a dish from their country to share with everyone. The food is ALWAYS amazing.
The students are also asked to bring a showcase of their talent. It could be one they already had or one they discovered while here on exchange.
A slide show of pictures from the year is shown while we eat and family pictures are taken and printed and framed after.
It is my favorite event of the year so you would think I would remember my camera.... nope.
I will post pictures as soon as I get them from the other coordinators
The students are also asked to bring a showcase of their talent. It could be one they already had or one they discovered while here on exchange.
A slide show of pictures from the year is shown while we eat and family pictures are taken and printed and framed after.
It is my favorite event of the year so you would think I would remember my camera.... nope.
I will post pictures as soon as I get them from the other coordinators
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Lasertag
There was a Utah activity for the students and host siblings to go do laser tag.
I was out of town and could not go and my kids all had made other plans so they didn't go either but the rest of them had a blast!
I was out of town and could not go and my kids all had made other plans so they didn't go either but the rest of them had a blast!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Moving Students
Sometimes it becomes necessary to move a student. A number of things could cause this i.e.: job loss, job transfer, personality clash between the student and someone in the family are just a few.
When there are family conflicts we first address the problem and try to find ways to resolve it. Most of the time it is just a miscommunication and the placement continues to be successful but sometimes it can't be resolved and for the happiness of everyone involved the student is found a new host family.
We do our best to try and foresee possible issues before placing but sometimes they are unavoidable.
Most often it happens at the halfway point in the stay. It is at that point when the "honeymoon" is over and sometimes true colors are revealed. Unfortunately I did need to move 2 students because of circumstances beyond their control. But no matter the reasons it is ALWAYS difficult....
When there are family conflicts we first address the problem and try to find ways to resolve it. Most of the time it is just a miscommunication and the placement continues to be successful but sometimes it can't be resolved and for the happiness of everyone involved the student is found a new host family.
We do our best to try and foresee possible issues before placing but sometimes they are unavoidable.
Most often it happens at the halfway point in the stay. It is at that point when the "honeymoon" is over and sometimes true colors are revealed. Unfortunately I did need to move 2 students because of circumstances beyond their control. But no matter the reasons it is ALWAYS difficult....
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Tubing
Tracy the State Manager arranged for the students and their families to go up to the Midway area of Utah to go tubing!
Due to a shoulder injury I am forever prohibited from activities such as this so I became the official photographer.
We had tons of families come. Those that had little ones stayed in the lodge and played games.
It was a fun time for all!!
We had hot chocolate and donuts after in the parking lot
On the way some some of us stopped to walk ON the reservoir. Some of them slipped rather than walked...
Due to a shoulder injury I am forever prohibited from activities such as this so I became the official photographer.
We had tons of families come. Those that had little ones stayed in the lodge and played games.
It was a fun time for all!!
We had hot chocolate and donuts after in the parking lot
On the way some some of us stopped to walk ON the reservoir. Some of them slipped rather than walked...
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
ITALY!
I have never been to a more beautiful place! I loved it so much! It would take too many words to describe all that we did so I will just nutshell it and post pictures. You can imagine for yourselves...
I owe it all to the wonderful families who opened their hearts and homes to these amazing and brave students.
There were about 80 of us CETUSA people and companions.
We landed in Rome and took a bus tour before going to our hotel.
The next 2 days we had on our own in Rome. We walked all over and got lost. I LOVED getting lost. We saw more of the city that way. We felt so safe there. It was amazing.
We headed south and couldn't stop in Naples like we had planned. There was a protest about the education system. We did stop to see the city from above.
We spent the rest of the day in the ruins of Pompeii. Words can not describe the feelings there. I was in awe the whole time.
We stayed in Sorrento the next 2 days. One day to see Sorrento and the other a boat trip to the Isle of Capri. Our room had the most amazing view!
Thank you again to my amazing families, students and schools who made this possible!
I owe it all to the wonderful families who opened their hearts and homes to these amazing and brave students.
There were about 80 of us CETUSA people and companions.
We landed in Rome and took a bus tour before going to our hotel.
The next 2 days we had on our own in Rome. We walked all over and got lost. I LOVED getting lost. We saw more of the city that way. We felt so safe there. It was amazing.
We headed south and couldn't stop in Naples like we had planned. There was a protest about the education system. We did stop to see the city from above.
We spent the rest of the day in the ruins of Pompeii. Words can not describe the feelings there. I was in awe the whole time.
We stayed in Sorrento the next 2 days. One day to see Sorrento and the other a boat trip to the Isle of Capri. Our room had the most amazing view!
Thank you again to my amazing families, students and schools who made this possible!
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