Category Archives: AFS

Host Mother: odd day

From karate lessons to scuba diving

Host Father: Fly home today

Home today. Feeling very tired.

Middle of the week already

Host Mother is working long hours and Host Father ploughs on in Cork.

Snailbeach

Visited the old lead mine of Snailbeach and walked over The Stiperstones.

Floodlit Bike Race

Walk in the morning, watched a flood lit bike race, then a film at home.

Scuba Diving

Host sisters started scuba diving training

The second day

Walking Up at 7am, a quick breakfast and into the car off to Julia’s. Julia and Peter and their daughter (all of whom, I should mention, are unusually tall – not that we had warned Mutty of this) live in an old house on the edges of a typically English village in the middle of

School Starts. Gukp!

Getting up Host Father had gone off to the airport to fly off to his current client assignment. (Other than holidays and a small amount of sick leave, he has been out of the country every week this year.) Host Mother was left to round up the kids for school. Older Host Sister is always

The first meeting

AFS “handed” Mutty over in the evening and Host Mother and Younger Host Sister took Mutty away for refreshments and to start to get to know her. It is hard to know who was the more nervous. Whilst Mutty is certainly more brave to travel to the other side of the world into a completely different culture, Host Mother was also taking on a lot.

Introduction

In September 2005 we took on the hosting of a Japanese girl (aged around 17) for an academic year. We did this through AFS. They provides intercultural learning and volunteer opportunities for students, young adults, teachers and families through international exchange.