When Vicki Magnant was a child, her family hosted Julia, an exchange student from Germany. Years later, Vicki’s family is hosting Julia’s daughter, Mara.
Vicki was six or seven years old when her family first opened their home to host German exchange students. Although she can’t recall many specific memories other than the videos and photos she’s been shown, she only has positive associations with that time in her childhood.
They formed a particularly close bond with Julia, and the two families continued to stay in contact long after the exchange was over, visiting back and forth between Germany and the U.S. several times over the years.
Decades later, Vicki invited Julia and her family, including her two children, to her 2022 wedding. It was there that Julia’s daughter, Mara, first got the idea of going to the U.S. for her own year abroad.
“At their wedding I got to meet their kids and her husband, and I just thought, ‘That’s a great connection, and I’d like to experience a different culture!’” Mara said.
At the beginning of 2023 Mara’s family messaged the Magnants asking if they knew someone who might want to host her, or even if they would like to host her themselves.
“It was an easy yes,” Vicki said.
Around the same time, Vicki and her husband, Robert, found out they were expecting their son, Calvin, who is now 15 months old. Not every family would be willing to welcome another member to their family so soon after welcoming a baby, especially since Vicki and Robert already had two other children. Still, they were confident in Mara’s upbringing and knew she’d be a great addition to the family, and when they asked if she’d still be comfortable staying with them, she was all-in.
“It’s been really great — Mara is teaching him German!” Vicki laughed. “She’s very helpful around the house, and we can trust her to watch him if I’m taking a shower or running to the grocery store. So that part’s been really great.”
Mara, who has one older sister, says she was excited about the idea of having multiple host siblings. Prior to coming to the U.S., she didn’t feel nervous about having to adapt to a new family — she was more apprehensive about adjusting to a new school. Vicki, who works in education, was able to provide insight and support to help Mara in her transition.
Now halfway through her school year, Mara feels like she’s truly a part of her community — she’s active in ski club, volunteers with a local youth leadership organization, and goes to the gym during her free time.
She’s also made some incredible memories with her host family, she says, including visits to local attractions and trips to Toronto and Washington, D.C. One particularly memorable outing was a lunch with Vicki, Mara, and Vicki’s mother, who originally hosted Mara’s mom and sparked a lifelong intercultural connection all those years ago.
“It was just us three girls, and that was really nice,” Vicki said. “Her parents also got to visit after Christmas, and it was great to spend time and have them here.”
Vicki’s advice for other families thinking about hosting an exchange student is simple — “include them in your family.”
“Their experience isn’t about being a guest, but it’s really about being involved as a member of your family,” Vicki said. “Take them to see your town and neighboring towns. You don’t have to go far, but there’s lots of things that they haven’t experienced in their countries.”
For Mara, her exchange year has been all about taking the leap and adapting as she goes.
“Before I left Germany, I was sad to say goodbye to everyone,” Mara said. “But I knew that there’s always a plane that goes back, but there’s never a second chance to go. So I would just do it, and usually it turns out really great for most people.”
As far as post-high school plans, Mara isn’t sure yet whether she’ll end up home in Germany, or studying at a university in the U.S. But one thing is for certain — the bond between these two families will continue to reach across oceans and last a lifetime.
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