Finding Family Through Foreign Exchange

“It wasn’t challenging at all since I have constantly felt a section of the relatives.”

With about 4,000 miles amongst Italy and Michigan, Francesca built her way overseas to expertise the American lifestyle by means of a foreign trade university student program.

Francesca claims, “I’m likely to do it since I’m going to be more unbiased and I want to make new good friends, meet new people today and see new places…I started out finding out English when I was 6, so I experienced a ton of follow right before I came below.”

“I consider that each individual family, if they are ready to, ought to have a foreign exchange student at minimum a single time,” suggests Robin Sims, Francesca’s host mother.

Robin Sims and her spouse and children have opened their doors — and their hearts– to be Francesca’s host spouse and children.
And not losing any time…

Robin says, “With the way her flight arrived in, we dropped our one daughter off at school and picked Francesca up the similar day and arrived household with her.”

Welcoming her in with open arms.

With a smile, Robin suggests, “For my spouse and I, we talked how Francesca’s become like our fourth daughter.”

Her host sister, Emily Sims, expresses, “Francesca has become a lot more than my finest buddy, she is my sister at this stage, and I can just communicate to her about nearly anything.”

“My sisters show me their close friends, so I dangle out with them. And we also begun sharing apparel like true sisters. They are my new family members, I take into account them as a spouse and children,” says Francesca.

Francesca has experienced so several firsts for the duration of this one-of-a-type practical experience in America– Like holidays….

She claims, “The most distinctive matter is Thanksgiving because in Italy we do not have Thanksgiving…with a major turkey like in the flicks.”

The variation concerning faculty and sports… 

Outlining, “School is very distinct. Here, lecturers are like your good friends. In Italy they are additional demanding. You can’t communicate to them about typical stuff…I like track time mainly because in Italy we don’t get the likelihood to do sports activities in faculty.”

And even trying new food stuff!

Laughing, Francesca shares, “I in no way had tacos just before. I under no circumstances experienced grilled cheese or donuts, corn canine, and I like burgers listed here they are my favored foods. I also tried using foodstuff that I did not like. I do not like ranch or pineapple pizza, I really do not like those people.”

But Francesca was not the only one particular studying new things–

And as we laughed out loud, Robin taught me some Italian, “Ciao mi chiamo Robin. Vengo dal Michigan. So I just explained ‘hi my name is Robin and I’m from Michigan.’”

Even introducing them to some Italian music…

“The band Maneskin. They’re really substitute rock but they do a ton of tunes in English. We really got tickets to see them in Detroit at the Fillmore.”

Even though her time is nearing its conclude below in Northern Michigan,
It is not the very last time she’ll see the Sims family… 

Francesca states, “I’m hoping to arrive again this winter season, and then they are going to occur pay a visit to me in Italy so I can display them wherever I stay.”

“We’re hoping to go in September, next drop. That is our 25th anniversary. We believed that would be a program and go see her for a few weeks,” claims Robin.