Preparing for our Exchange Student to Arrive

Picking Celia up from the airport in September!

We had four months to prepare for our exchange student’s arrival. Celia arrived from Germany in September and will live with us for the entire school year. For her to adjust well to our family and avoid frustrations, I felt she needed to understand our family values, rules, and expectations before she arrived.

Our family values guide how we function, and I wanted Celia to understand what’s most important to our family. If you were to be a fly on the wall of our home and observe our family, I believe that you would be able to decipher the following values that we try to live by:

Love God
Love & Respect Each Other
If It’s In Your Power, Do Good for Others
Honesty & Integrity Matter
Service is Leadership
Watch Your Mouth - Use Respectful Language
Watch Your Eyes - Guard Your Heart by Filtering What you Watch
Use & Grow Your Gifts
Resolve Conflicts (Murray Court is Available)
Family Time is Important
Have Fun!

Once we shared our values with Celia, I discussed house rules and expectations. Our family functions like a team, and everyone contributes to the house. We rotate chores and cooking dinners (I don’t cook on the weekend). When I buy groceries, everyone’s expected to come to help put the food up in the kitchen. Teamwork--common courtesy guides our family eco-system. 
 
Obviously, education is expected to be completed at the highest level. All the kids are responsible for getting themselves up in the morning and crafting their schedules to complete their schoolwork promptly. I expect school work to get done on time and for each child to regulate their break sessions. 

Celia cooking curry dinner for the family!

Sharing our rules, expectations, and family values have made Celia’s transition into our home very smooth. Before arriving at our house, she could decide if she could live by our ways, and she decided to join us.

​So far, we’ve had a lot of fun and expect the entire year to go well!