Sharing Our World with Nacel Open Door    Monthly Newsletter for Families, Students, and Representatives             Feb/March

This special cross-cultural fluency is something that family members acquire as they learn about the influence of enculturation, adopt a more empatic way of interacting and gain experience from hosting exchange students. You may discover a number of ideas which you can use to enhance intercultural discussions with your student. Try using the following formula: 1. In situations where the student's behavior or comments are confusing, first identify what exactly occerred (the actural words or objective event). 2. Ask yourself what conclusions you are drawing that might reflect your own cultural values, assumptions and perceptions (observer's interpretations/conclusions). 3. Next, discuss the situation with the student, describing the observed event and your interpretations/conclusions. 4. Ask the student to identify what cultural assumptions may have prompted the behavior that ou found confusing. 5. As much as possible, put aside your own point of view so that you can see things from your student's perspective. 6. Compare your interpretations/conclusions with the student's assumptions to reach an understanding of what exactly is defined differently in the two cultures. As host families develop the capacity to see events through both their students' eyes and their own, an appreciation for different cultural patterns is developed. In time, the family and student may each be able to say: I can understand why you think and feel the way you do,. In your country, your behavior and customs are just as logical and appropriate as mine. As they say in Brazil, "O que e diferente nao e obrigatorimente errado" - What is different is not necessarily wrong.

home. Confidential talks can develop about such things as mixed feelings for a girl or boy friend, disagreements with natural parents, doubts about one's identity and values, or uncertainties regarding a career direction. In these discussions, the host (who serves as an adult friend to the student) can provide unique help which is not usually available from the adolescent's peers.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Two new holidays that your student may not know. Valentines Day is a day to share with that special someone. Giving candy or flowers or maybe just a card. St. Patrick’s Day is a day where everyone is a bit Irish! More of the American culture for your student to learn about. You might want to warn your student to wear a bit of the green so they don’t get pinched and not understand what is going on!

Planting Seeds...

More Stages...

Cultural learning is about being able to accept your own biases, then suspending them in order to take up residence in another person's point of view. During the cultural learning stage, biases and disbelief generally give way to respect, deeper understanding and a blooming international friendship. Experienced host families say that discussing cultural differences with an exchange student means communication in a new way that's entirely new. It's not like debation political issues with a freind, selling a new idea to one's boss, explaing in abstract concepts to a child or clearing up some misunderstanding with your spouse. Talks with an exchange student about cultrual differences means doing things we rarely do in daily conversations: 1. Delving into cultural blind spots to examine biases, hidden cultural assumptions and unspoken family rules. 2. Clarifying definitions which may be based on cultural factors. 3. Putting aside our usual American way of speaking (which is often characterized by hard-hitting factural statemenst and persuasive arguments). 4 Adopting a more tentative approach and empathic attitude. Families who have developed an appreciation for other points of view have acquired expertise in what is

As Feburary and March roll around, families may become acutely aware of how fast time is passing and experience a desire to deepen the relationship as much as possible. A turning point is reached, and there is an urgency to take advantage of all that can be learned and enjoyed. As one  host mother states: "It hits you that the experience is half over; in a few short months a plane will be lifting off with your exchange student in it! Suddenly, there's hardly any time left, and there's so much you want to learn about this person. So with the clock ticking, you begin to make every minute count." To capitalize on the time remaining, special outing to historical sites might be planned, frequent trips made to the library to explore aspects of the student's culture, or Saturdays spent in the kitchen learning how to cook the student's way. At times, the dinner hour may extend late into the evening because your student has developed a knack for sparking lively discussions about cultural differences, US lifestyles or some controversial topic. For some students and families, this phase of the homestay is a time of serious introspection, growing pains and heightened cultural sefl-awareness. It is also not uncommon during these last months for students to seek their hosts' opinions and recommendations about matters that pertain to life back

"This year we are hosting Nelya from the Ukraine. It is the first time in years we have hosted a girl, so it has been quite a change for us. She is adjusting well with her host brother, Josh, and they spend a lot of time joking with one another. Nelly (as we call her), is on the newspaper staff at Salina Central High, and enjoys convering news and writing articles at her school. Nelly has visited her family in New Jersey during her stay with us and is looking forward to a family trip we will be taking during spring break. She is delightful to have around with us this year. We hope she has enjoyed this year, too, and the best of luck to her when she will return home." *LuAnne Hays "I am living with the Hays family in Salina for 6 months, and I already have a lot of good memories. The time flies so fast and sometimes it makes me sad, because I actually get used to my host family and wehave a lot of pleasure time together. Right before Christmas, we went to Colorado to visit relatives. I had so much fun there. As I like the mountians, my family took me to Estes Park, it was so beautiful there." "To tell the truth it was really hard for the first time to live with a bigger family, because I'm the only child in my family, but now it became so much fun and I couldn't imagine how I will live without a host brother when I'll come back."

My host parents are people that I always can talk to, they listen to me when I have some worries or troubles and I like to share my happiness with them, too. I really like them very much!" "I'm a student in Salina Central High school, and it became special for me. First because it is my last year of school before graduation and second I found a lot of friends, which are very nice people. I'm also involved in a lot of activities that I couldn't do in Ukraine." "I think this year is very important in my life. It brings a lot of challenges. I met new people, visited new places, and get a second, very valuable for me- An American Family!" *Nelya Prockopyk

Feb & March Birthdays!

Feb 24th Nelya Prockopyk, Ukraine Feb 29th Maryla Dubsavoa, Belarus March 7th Tae Jin Roh, Korea Hope you have GREAT BIRTHDAYS!

Star Family/Student for March Nelya Prockopyk (Ukraine) with the Hays Family

Josh, Jay, Nelya