“Guten Tag - Hello!”

Picking up Celia from the airport!

This school year, we welcomed Celia Grosß to live with our family as an exchange student from Germany. Celia is finishing her senior year in the U.S., homeschooling with my kids, and completing the college application process.

​And yes, homeschooling is illegal in Germany, so it’s a good thing that Celia is now a dual citizen.  It's awesome to be in a country that allows for educational freedom!

Homeschool Field Trip to the Botanical Gardens
From Left to Right: Shaun, Jared, Celia, Anaya

​It’s been enjoyable having Celia added to the family dynamics, especially since we dropped Jayda off at college this school year. She has filled in the gap of Jayda’s presence, giving me another child to help along the path of adulthood.

We often forget Celia was not raised in the U.S because she speaks excellent English with no German accent. In fact, not only did she learn English in school, but she taught herself how to speak like Americans by watching television shows like Nickelodeon. She is a very driven teen who has fully immersed herself in American culture.

Homeschool Field Trip to the Delta Fair
From Left to Right: Jared, Celia, Anaya, Shaun

Another unique thing about Celia is that she is half-African American. Her dad is a U.S veteran that served in Germany. Although he did not raise her, she has always desired to connect to her African-American roots.

​Being black in Germany gave Celia many challenging encounters with racism as she was usually the only black child in her class. I can often relate to Celia’s stories about growing up in a majority white space because I grew up in Oregon, where African-Americans were 1% of the population. 

Celia's learning that I love to take pictures of everything! 

I’m happy we can allow her to learn about Black culture and history. By living with us, we are giving her her first chance to live with a Black family that includes a father and mother--with three siblings.

​And Celia is a quick learner--she is learning how to fend for herself in our big family.