Foreign Exchange?

Well, Kevin is not allowing me to get a viable exchange of ideas going, so I have decided to enter the blog for the purpose of free association. I have now been corresponding with two different placement agencies. Neither knows who the other is, I have told one woman that I am talking to another, but since I spoke to the other first, they don't know about the second. The two agencies, for my purposes here, must be named. They are CCI (Center for Intercultural Exchange) and PIE (Pacific Intercultural Exchange). Both seem to operate in almost the exact same fashion, and both are accredited with the watchdog agency, whatever it's called. They both list the reasons they are better, but PIE does it, and many other things, much more eloquently.

So, here are the options. I will start with CCI, since I did start with CCI. I filled in online inquiries for both. CCI called me first, and I spoke for an hour or more with their regional rep. She was nice, very energetic, strong South Jersey accent, four kids of her own. She seemed to be very good, said she would send me some profiles. She sent me three. One Danish girl, one Brazilian, and one Brazilian boy who talks mainly about his girlfriend throughout his "Dear Family" letter, and how much he "loves she". Also, the two Brazilians are here for only five months. The local rep, once I was put in touch with her, says that some schools may not be amenable to the half year students. She was supposed to be checking with our high school today.

Meanwhile, PIE sent me a packet via mail, and tried to call a couple of times. When I finally got through to that woman, by email, she sent me a link and a password to view ALL her students online. That was nice. I've only emailed with her a couple of times, but will try to speak to her in person.

I suppose it will come down to who has the student that seems to be the best match for all of us. Kevin asked me why I am doing this, and I can't even answer. Maybe I am having a midlife crisis, and instead of having another baby, I will get a teenager for ten months. It all came on the heels of the Fresh Air child, about whom we still have not heard. I'll send them an email in a week or two just to be sure we're in their system.

And who will have the best match? That is where the free association comes in. I'll start, again, with CCI. They have only shown me five so far, and I think I would consider their two girls to be the best match for us of that group. I liked the girlfriend-loving Brazilian, but something didn't quite sit right, and with others who don't have that happening, I must dismiss him. So, from CCI, it's J1 from Denmark, who likes books, cooking, and loves to care for horses; or J2 from Sweden, a cute blonde who loves soccer, and wants to join a team when she comes over here. She seems very athletic (in other ways as well) and would probably be well liked. Not that J1 wouldn't, but she seems more subdued. She is also blonde, and they are both in Megan's grade, although they're both older than she.

On to PIE. I have read so many that I get confused. First, I rule them out if they don't eat pork. I rule them out (sorry, but I do) for being Muslim, or Orthodox Jews. Not something I am prepared to take on for the first time. And I rule out all the girls if they want to be cheerleaders (which is almost all from PIE) and if they go on and on about how they love to go out dancing with their friends in all their free time. I like the ones who say they have a few friends, and like to go to movies or shows with their family and friends. Which only left one girl from PIE, J from Germany. But she is 5'9! And she wants to join a swim team. She is also in Megan's grade. I have not ruled her out. There's another girl from PIE who likes to jump rope occasionally to get her heart rate up. She looked nice, but I forget what made me rule her out.

More on PIE, they have a few interesting boys. Mainly there is S, who is from Mexico, which almost doesn't seem like an exchange because he goes to San Diego sometimes on the weekends, to buy clothes and things like that. Then there is a boy from Germany who swims, one who wants to play football, and another, Manuel, whose father died when he was younger, and he now lives with his grandparents because the mom has to work away from home, and his one sister left home to work as well. The sister still at home is severely handicapped and he must help out with her, yet he has already been on an exchange to France. I imagine not for the whole year. Many of the boys speak of woodworking, caring for livestock, and performing. One boy was in a dance troupe, and wants to take break dancing lessons while he is here! He also won a singing competition and plays the electric guitar.

Some of them make great demands in their requests, and I pass those over right away. Anyone who insists that they MUST ski or snowboard gets blown right by - not that it might not be a possibility, and the township also runs a program that takes them on a bus - but we need someone who can fit into our hectic yet humdrum lifestyle and not grow bored. I also wonder how I will keep the house clean for ten whole months. That is perhaps the most troubling. And we'll have to rearrange the office and the computer set-up, but that shouldn't really be a big deal, all that's in there now are a desk, folding card table, and two file cabinets. We can buy a small bed and dresser, move the boxes from the closet to the basement, and we will have a guest room. I also can't take on someone who wants to do an activity that isn't readily available locally. I am not driving an exchange student more places than I drive my own kids. Plus I am just one, and cannot drive three. Someone who will get involved in school activities is ideal...although our schools don't have buses for after school sports and clubs, so I would still have to pick them up. But that isn't far away, so I don't mind.

So, I don't know if this was really helpful to me in getting my thoughts organized. I welcome any suggestions re: boy or girl, comments or concerns. I guess I am not yet to the point where I have the thoughts organized. Mostly I want to get Megan's input on it all, since she would be the one going to the same school as this person.

Anyway, in other news, I worked this morning for the half day kindergarten. It was pouring when I got out, and the pool company was just leaving when I arrived at home. So the pool is open, but being rained into. Kevin is home because he got home late last night and had the appointment to get his blood results. Everything was more or less OK, the cholesterol was 190, which is still OK, but had crept up from the 162 it was a year or so ago, and the doctor said his blood sugar was getting a little higher too. Not high just yet, but high enough to remark that he should watch it. He said that if diabetes doesn't run in his family, he is either eating too many carbs or not getting enough exercise. It was, after all, fasting blood work, so there should have been no abnormal sugars in there. I need a trade-in! Finally, Brian's baseball team got clobbered last night, but he made a great catch in right field. He also got walked twice, but never made it home. And I got socked in the shin with a stray baseball during warm-ups.