ROGUZ-FITZPATRICK FAMILY: GRANBY, MA 2016

We were excited to host a student from Spain, thinking that it would be a fun and meaningful cultural opportunity for our son. As it turned out, hosting a student was even more of a rewarding and enriching experience for our whole family than we could have ever anticipated.  We are looking forward to hosting again this summer!  

The RODGERS FAMILY: VOLUNTOWN, CT-  2013 & 2014
We hosted Ines from Burgos the last two years and it has been such an inspiring and fun experience. She was always polite and pleasant and taught us a lot about Spain, the different food and meals, the ways of life. It was funny watching her teach our son Spanish as he had a hard time, but she was persistent and he eventually got some of it. We went on vacation together to Ocean City, VA and camping in New Hampshire. We taught her how to rough it as she climbed Mount Washington with us and camped out in the woods on wooden planks with no hot food or a toilet. She loved it. They went to New York City with the group and came back with lots of great pictures and very excited. The organizers were relaxed and helpful. It’s been a such a blessing to have had this experience.

THE ANDRAKA’S: OWINGS, MARYLAND -  2014

Our experience hosting Juan from Burgos was exciting, interesting and transforming. He was so educated and energetic, such a pleasure to have him added to our family. We enjoyed taking him to Six Flags and to his first baseball game, touring DC together, going kayak fishing as well as July 4th concerts and home parties. He was such a character that when he wanted to cook for us, he went grocery shopping wearing an apron! He was looking for Spanish foods, but couldn't find much. Juan had never had a soft pretzel and it was something we wanted him to experience, but unfortunately six Flags wasn't the place to get it. It was terrible. He tried to act like it was good :) My son Zack was younger than Juan and so Zack admired him. Juan inspired him to make some changes to his own life, as to better himself in appearance and the choices he made in his daily life. He gave up computer games and decided to get out and make some friends and do things. He's like a different kid. Awesome! The organizers were kind, thoughtful, helpful and the trip to New York was an exciting and connecting time. Diane Andraka

The DEOW FAMILY: BROOKFIELD, NH - 2014

We hosted Mercedes from Bilbao this past summer, 2014, and it was a fun and rewarding experience. She was a quiet girl, but pleasant and enjoyable and we all had a great time sharing our summer with her. We took her to Boston, (Harvard) , to the trading post to see trained Black Bears, cookouts on the lake, a baseball game, and we taught her to play some softball, (she had fun except for getting hit on the head: ) . The New York trip was crazy, fun and tiring. We taught her expressions like “skeletons in the closet” and she taught us a lot about where she is from in Bilbao. Joe and Paula did an excellent job matching us with a girl who would fit into our family.

The PAVODANO FAMILY: BOLTON, MA -  2014
I have to say that as a family we had a very positive, fun month with our student, Diego. Diego was personable and flexible. He was willing to do whatever we had planned, (or not planned) and he always had a good attitude. He was such a good fit for our family. We enjoyed his spontaneity and goofiness (my son is goofy and the two of them got along extremely well).

The two boys loved to go fishing together at the pond down the street. They would spend hours fishing and swimming and just hanging out together. One weeK we drove 8 hours to Maryland to visit my sister and her family. Diego got along great with all of Jamie’s cousins ( four new people for him, plus my sister and her husband). They all had so much fun together and my sister was so impressed with him that she wants to host a student now!

My favorite memories are around eating.... The first time we brought Diego to Kimballs Ice Cream Farm, his eyes widened like saucers when he saw how big the ice cream cones were. He was so excited to get a Kimballs Special (or as he called it a Kimballs Especial – we loved his accent!) He and Jamie decided to to split one and spent about 20 minutes picking out flavors and sauces to go on it. They then wolfed it down in about 5 minutes! Another night Diego decided to cook dinner for us – his family’s Paella recipe. He got the grill going, and cooked the whole dish which included chicken, various kinds of seafood, and sausage. It was delicious. We ate his paella for dinner, a late night snack and breakfast the next morning!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a young teenage boy coming to live with us for a month. I had hoped that he and my son would enjoy each others company and find some common interests. What we got was so much more. Jamie has, I believe, a life long friend in Deigo. The boys enjoy communicating regularly through FB and Whats App. We all hope he will come back again this summer.
I am so thankful for all the work you and Paula did in preparing Diego for his stay with us, matching him with our family,& setting realistic expectations for him and for us.

The SCHNEIDER FAMILY: DANIELSON, CT - 2013 & 2014

The last two years hosting Alejandro from Burgos has been such a blessed and awesome experience. He was so polite, warm and fun loving and we really feel he is part of our family. We took him to amusement parks and history museums, sat around bonfires, and included him in our local church community as well. We taught him how to rundel, which is an early American game from the 1800’s. The group New York trip was an eye-opening and BIG trip! Joe and Paula were very detail oriented and organized. We have gained a friend from Spain in Alejandro and hope to stay in touch.

THE PALADINO’S:  BOYLSTON, MA - 2013 & 2014
The time Joseba spent with us was exciting, meaningful and full of growth. As he was such a well-mannered and interesting boy, we all had a lot of fun together. He was part of our family and so took part in weekly chores, went shopping, as well as went on a road trip. We also shopped quite a bit too. We taught him about the 4th of July and our Independence Day Celebration while he taught us so much about Spanish culture and the freedom young people have there. Joe and Paula were always available, kind and trustworthy, which helped make this such a good match and experience.

THE FORGET FAMILY: LUNENBURG -  MA 2014
We had an awesome,time this summer hosting Andrea, who was such a sweet and outgoing girl from Zaragoza, Spain. We created memories going to the beach where the kids looked for shells and played in the sea, running in and out of the waves, splashing each other; their smiles were priceless. We also went to museums, the Lego Store, the July 4th parade and helped out at Vacation Bible School and church camp. The group trip to New York was hot, but fun and memorable. Andrea learned how to make s’mores and we learned some Spanish. Joe and Paula were very helpful and wonderful to deal with. It was a fun and enlightening experience.

THE SCHUE FAMILY: MORRISVILLE, VT -  2014

I thought the experience of hosting someone my age from Spain was great since we both learned about each other’s culture and I now have a good friend in Spain who I hope to see one day. Ines had a very good attitude with everyone and everything. She never judged anyone and was a good person. We went to a water park in Burlington, to Hampton Beach with my mom and brother. I took her out with my friends on July 4th and w had a great time, we also played A LOT of games of Skip-Bo. Our greatest memory was New York because there were so many great things that happened in only two days, I met a lot of her friends from Spain who were also doing the program. When were in the hotel it was great because we talked a lot and I got to be friends with many of them. It feels like our family has gained another member.

Carlota was great! We all got along well, and she was easy going and was perfect for Callie, I thought. You were fabulous as organizers and Callie loved the New York trip. She gave my husband and I  a book about Bilbao and explained everything to us.  The whole experience was really fun for us all, thanks again!!                                                        Host  Mother Charlene from Vermont (2012)

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Alvaro and my son got on very well as they were close in age and had the same interests. He was great, very polite and engaged. He had lots of energy and a great sense of humor. We had a lot of fun. We have had two wonderful experiences over the past two summers.
Host mother Sue from Vermont (2011)

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We all found the experience to be fun and enjoyable. The girls are looking forward to hosting again next year already. I want to say how much I appreciate your care and concern for your kids. You truly have their best interests at heart. I really LOVE that about your program which is why I am excited to participate.
Host mother Candy from Connecticut( 2011)

The experience for us was excellent. Our student was easy going, helpful, very pleasant and very motivated to learn English. We also really liked her as a person and became friends. We’d like her to come back! This was also such a great experience for my daughter to see how brave our student was to come here for a month. I hope that my daughter will consider a program like this to learn Spanish!
Host mother Karen from Vermont (2011)

Inigo was delightful, we enjoyed his being a part of our family and both boys seemed to get along well. His English seemed great…he was fun to talk with, be with. You all were very helpful and I knew you were there…Thanks for the opportunity to share. Please keep in touch.
Host mother Evilyn from Massachusetts (2010)

Our time with Alfonso was busy but wonderful. We got out to see and do things right here in Vermont that we had not done. Both the student and my son were comfortable enough to be themselves. We hope you will keep doing this!
Host mother Jennifer from Vermont (2011)

We had a lot of fun with Leire. I had a friend that lived with me. We went to a lot of different places. Altogether, it was a fun program. I would love to do it again.
Host sister Christianne from Connecticut. (2011)

We very much enjoyed the experience of being a host. Our student was polite, interesting and fun and taught us a bit about Spanish culture and language. Joe and Paula were wonderful to work with and made our job much easier. Sharing our home, our family life and our culture was a way for the entire family to give something back. We highly recommend being a host.
Host mother Christie from Vermont 2008

We really enjoyed having Julia with us, we treated her as she was just like part of the family..We would do it again as it was a great experience and well done by the organizers.
Host Mother Loree from Connecticut (2011)

I learned a lot about myself and how to obtain a relationship with someone I was meeting from a different country. My mom and dad thought it was awesome because they love to learn about different cultures. And we did notice improvement throughout the month with her English and she became more open to our family every week especially on the week where our family went on vacation. She became part of the family. I thought it was a great way to connect with students from a different country and it taught me, personally different skills on how to approach a foreign student.
Host sister Neeja from Vermont( 2011)

It was a wonderful experience for all of us. We would love to have our student return next year. Despite her difficulty with the language, she really became part of the family. We miss her. Having her with us for a month helped to make this a great summer for all of us. Thank you for this opportunity.
Host mother Carol from Vermont (2011)

We really enjoyed having Claudia stay with us. She was very sweet and fun to have around. All of us missed her when she left. She and my daughter were very close and got along very well from the 1st day. They both danced and had similar personalities which helped a lot.
Host mother Yvonne from Vermont (2011)

Jasmine and I thoroughly enjoyed hosting Teresa. She is a special young lady. She and Jasmine hit it off immediately. I felt very well supported and comforted knowing that you were close by. The experience was all I hoped it would be; Jasmine has a new friend from Spain.  Thank you so much for organizing this program.
Host mother Terri from Vermont (2008)

The experience was great and, you did a great job keeping in touch. I loved the fact that you came and visited with our student in person. I would do it again in a heartbeat - as a matter of fact our student's mother has already asked if she could return next summer - absolutely yes!
Host mother Michele from Vermont (2009)

Sare was pleasant and friendly and generally easy to be with. I think her understanding of teen English improved and overall she seemed a bit more fluent at the end.
Host mother Jane from Massachusetts (2009)

New experiences always take a bit more effort, and this one did, but it was successful & worthwhile
Host mother Erin from Connecticut (2008)