By Tonya Duncan, Mountain States Regional Adminstrator
The Chinese Proverb “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” hung at the doorway of the Maddix home. This was the last thing they saw before they left their home every day and rings true for their story.
After hearing of a neighbor who hosted a foreign exchange student, The Maddix family decided to take the first step to begin this journey for themselves. They felt this was the kind of experience that would help their own children become more well-rounded. The first of many to cross their doorway, they welcomed Freddy, a girl from Germany to their home. Amanda from Norway, Jerry from China, and Oleg from Germany followed in Freddy’s footsteps.
Many ask “why?” What does a host family get out of hosting an exchange student? Well, the Maddix family say THEY have grown and learned so much from each of their experiences. Every student is unique as is every hosting experience.
One of the first things they discovered they enjoyed was sharing their country, their community, their culture. They shared the beauty of Utah by exploring our National Parks and traveled beyond Utah into neighboring states. They watched their students become a part of the community - getting involved in school activities, making friends, and getting to know people very different than what they were used to back home. They discovered the joy of bringing diversity into their local community. They shared culture which isn’t just about American culture, but about personal family culture as well. The Maddix Family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and their religion is a very important part of their lifestyle. They were pleasantly surprised how respectful each student was about religious differences. For the Maddix family, their religion isn’t just about their beliefs. Their church community is part of their family culture and community.
The second thing they have really enjoyed is realizing their personal growth and how each student became family. The Maddix Family has a motto when it comes to hosting – treat your student like a guest until they get in the car at the airport, then treat them like family.
You might think everything will be fun and perfect when hosting. But, as in every family, nothing is perfect. There will be struggles that come with learning. Reality is the students are teenagers, so if you are not calling them on things sometimes, you are probably doing something wrong!
A funny story they shared about mistranslation and how you come out the other side started with their own children and was passed to their exchange student. As siblings do, their youngest son often called his older sister a “jerk”. So, for the first couple months, their student Jerry thought his host sister’s nickname was “Jerk”. Their daughter wondered why Jerry would call her “jerk” when she did nothing to warrant it. The story did not come out until the end of the year when Jerry shared it at a student event. It has since been held close as a fun family memory.
Besides feeling that every member of their family has learned to be a better person, they feel that each student gave them something else by sharing their lives with them.
From Freddy they learned the importance of setting goals and working hard to reach them. She always tried to do her best at everything she did. For example, she sought out the difficult classes in school rather than taking the easy way out.
From Amanda they learned the importance of creating a bucket list, and then going about crossing things off of it. Amanda had one to ensure she did not miss out on experiences while she was here. The family did their best to help her cross off as many as they could. An important one to Amanda was visiting Four Corners Monument – one the family did not put as much value in. But they took her and it turned out to be a wonderful family experience.
From Jerry they learned the importance of family time. Jerry expressed his appreciation of Family Night and when he left he told them that he felt like they loved him and that he was part of their family.
From Oleg they learned the importance of balance. Oleg was well rounded and knew how to balance work, fun, friends, and family. He brought his best to everything life offered.
The Maddix Family feels they have been blessed to be a part of helping their students achieve their dreams. And now that they are family, they have the opportunity to continue to watch them grow into their dreams!