From Host Family to Forever: 50 Years as Host Mother and Son

“Of course, it is the first impressions that will remain in your memory forever, as if it were just yesterday. For me, it is the large group of host parents and siblings cheering loudly in the airport reception area, waiting for the tired exchange students; the humid heat (Michigan can get very hot in the summer) that greeted me as I exited the air-conditioned airport; and a huge road cruiser from a foreign brand (the small German car that my father used to drive at the time would have fit comfortably into the trunk!),” Andreas Selling describes his exchange memories.

Only yesterday – or 50 years ago – Andy embarked on his exchange from Germany to the US. Ever since, the decades have been filled with meaningful reunions and continuous friendship with his host parents Janet and Gene.?

?“I had a great time with my host parents Gene and Janet. Their neighbors, friends and relatives also welcomed me warmly, and I felt a warmth that extended far beyond the actual exchange year. We got along very well during my exchange year, but that doesn't mean there weren't a few disagreements every now and then. But I always saw it as part of my exchange experience; to deal well with conflicts and to come to terms with some things that I didn't know, that would have been done differently in Germany, or that didn't correspond to my youthful worldview,”?Andy explains.

Speaking of worldviews and opinions, Andy shares that while politics in his beloved host country have caused him worry in the recent years, he believes that his interest – and a certain benevolence as he puts it – towards the US certainly has something to do with the good experiences he had with the American people back in 1974/75 and the decades afterwards. ?

“The best thing, however, is that contact with my former host family has never been broken. I was back “over there” for the first time in 1979 and took the opportunity to explore the country in a small car (14,000 km!). In the following years there were repeated meetings, and at some point my family was also involved. When my younger son did an exchange year about ten years ago, Gene and Janet found him a host family in South Carolina, where they had set up a second home in addition to Michigan."

Since this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of his personal discovery of America, Andy and his sons visited Janet and Andy's "little" brother Mike's family in South Carolina this March. It was a reunion like no other, yet an important part of the family was missing: unfortunately, Andy's host father Gene had passed away last year.??"Despite the sorrow it was a great visit, and truly a celebration of the friendship that has lasted for fifty years (still counting) and that spans several generations! I'm proud of that, and I'm grateful to YFU for that," Andy concludes.

Thank you Andy for sharing your heartfelt story! If you would like to share your YFU journey with us, please reach out to us here on LinkedIn or per email at [email protected].

Many YFU students are soon embarking on their adventures abroad, and many of them are still in need of a host family. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in exploring the world by welcoming an exchange student in their home, please visit our website and get in touch with YFU in your country. And who knows, maybe you will build an intercultural relationship that will last for decades to come!

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