Let me start with….My hubby is the BEST, and without him, I would be throwing things (or people) through a window.
Sunday I went in for an interview with a member of the Stake Presidency who used to be our bishop. I told him we had these exchange students and that it wasn’t the smoothest of experiences we’ve had, in our years of hosting exchange students. He and his wife have also hosted Japanese boys and Chinese girls in the same program as we have, so I knew he would understand.
“15 year old boys?” he said, “And TWO of them? Why would anyone want to have Fifteen year old boys? I would rather have 12-13 year olds or 17-18 year olds. 15-16 year olds are about the WORST.”
Yeah, and we don’t really speak the same language either.
I’m trying not to complain too much, but when they got home from soccer playing at nearly 1:00 (on a school night? Yes) and then, just as hubby was coming back to bed and was falling asleep (I slept through their arrival, of course). There was a knock on our bedroom door because one of them had lost his phone and thought it was in the car. ARRGH!
I just sent an email to one of the coordinators asking if they could speak with the boys about courtesy, saying thank you, and generally trying to act a little nicer to the hosts. I don’t know if that will help, but I HOPE so. We’re into this thing 1 1/2 weeks, and we still have 2 1/2 weeks to go.
Ryan is the one who is driving them back and forth, so really I shouldn’t complain at ALL. Yet here I am. Complaining.
OK. I’m done. (with the complaining, that is.)
that’s so tough. I’m glad we’ve never had problems like that, but we haven’t hosted nearly as much as you have. good luck
Welcome to my ONLY exchange experience. And it lasted 3 months. For the last week he was in the States, he moved in with his buddy’s host family (because Tucker got home that week from his mission, but he’d been sleeping there most nights anyway). It was awful. AWFUL! Haven’t even considered it again.
And for the record, he was 18.