So first things first. I decided to change the title of my blog. Though this will still chronicle our life through TTC, right now I'm more focused on blogging about our journey as host parents. Our TTC-ing is on "hold" for now. And I use the term hold loosely. Meaning we are not actively trying yet not preventing any miracle that should so happen. Today is CD 67 and still no signs of AF. I took a HPT on Mother's Day for shits and giggles to see if maybe I was lucky enough to see a BFP, but kept my hopes at bay. Slight disappointment at seeing the BFN, but nothing major. No overwhelming sense of hopelessness like other times in the past. I know those feelings are still in the pit of my soul, but hoping our new journey will keep my mind off those feelings for a bit. In fact, the only reason I knew those feelings were still there, was because when catching up on my YouTubers' videos and seeing so many new pregnancies I just broke down and had a cry fest. So unexpected and I surprised even myself. So yes, the desire still runs very deep in me. Needless to say, I'll probably be staying off YouTube for a while. I still haven't activated my FB yet. I will admit, however, that I have a time or two snuck off with DH's phone to check on certain friends' status updates with his FB app. Hahaha. Just don't tell him ;) I'm invited to two baby showers next month, one being my BFFs and I'm kind of nervous to see how I will react. I've been pushing thoughts of babies out of my mind for a while. We'll see...
Now we are getting ready to be host parents. And we are SUPER EXCITED!!! I can't even begin to explain how much I/we have been looking forward to this. I need this and I think we will be good at it. Earlier this year we applied to host an international student. A good friend of mine posted on FB that one of her community church members was looking for new host parents for the upcoming school year. I jumped at the opportunity. Not only had I considered it myself when I was younger, but last year when one of my training instructors at work would share stories of her student, I knew it would be something I would be interested in doing if it ever came up. And lo and behold I see that post. I eagerly replied and got the information for applying, but I still needed to discuss it with DH. After our discussion, it was pretty easy for him to jump on board. He knew we had the room, the finances, and the desire to be host parents. I guess my desire was a little stronger because I wanted to host TWO students... lol! Call me crazy, but I think it's the right thing to do. I've always wanted a big family. I can imagine how nervous one student coming from a different country and living by themselves in a stranger's home can be. Homesickness is prevalent among the students and I hope by having someone their age and with the same understanding, it will help ease their minds a little; help them settle in a little more comfortably. Originally I wanted a sibling group, but the organization we are going through only allows double hosting of students from different countries.
We were on top of everything and got our paperwork done as soon as possible. Any communication we had with our Area Rep, we were prompt to reply. In fact she even commented that she wish all host parents were as quick and thorough as we were. They did background checks on us, interviews, and home visits. We passed with flying colors. Then they sent us a couple of student profiles for us to choose from; someone that could blend well with our family. Since it's just the two of us, we were pretty open minded. I knew this could be a learning experience for both us and the students and I wanted someone completely different from our own culture, yet someone who had the same interests as us. We ended up choosing one girl from Germany and one girl from Thailand. They will be sharing the same room, so we had to choose the same gender and close in age. S is from Germany. She is 15 years old. And G is from Thailand. She is 16. Two of my nieces are 13 and 14 years old, and we spend a lot of time with them, so we kind of know what to expect. Plus they will be able to befriend them and help them adapt. We did some serious redecorating and moving around furniture to accommodate them. We turned our guest room into a double occupancy bedroom for the girls.
This is the guest bedroom from one angle.
And the same angle but now switched out for two twin beds and put in the nursery rocker. Maybe they can use it in the meantime.
Guest bedroom from a different angle.
Same angle. Switched out old tube TV for new flat screen with DVD. Extra storage space that was supposed to be for the nursery.
We also were debating whether to give them each their own room since we have a three bedroom house. But instead decided to convert the "would be nursery" into a home office/study and mini gym since that's where we have stored the elliptical. Here is the before.
And after. We finished painting the room and put in two desks. Desktop computer is from guest room. But I hope they bring their own laptop, since it is sooo slow. We barely even use it.
Some things are mismatched, but we are trying to be economical. It serves its purpose so no biggie.
I've been updating a list I started since we first applied. It's a list of all the things we can show them or take them to while they are here. And it's slowing getting longer and longer. I hope to give them the best experience possible. We even scouted out our favorite Thai and German restaurants. I hope they are as good and as true to the girls' own countries. Eating here ourselves, we realized how DIFFERENT each country's cuisine is. Thai food is HOT and SPICY. German food is a lot more subtle (I hate to use the word bland) so I wonder what are the girls' thoughts. I hope to learn as much from them as they from us.
It's so fun using the word "girls". As in "When the girls are here..." and "I think the girls would like this..." We've been telling our friends and family about them. They all know that our lives will pretty much change after the summer. Instead of just the two of us coming, there will be four of us. Reservation for four please.
There was a time where we weren't sure whether we would even get one girl. The school's paperwork was lagging behind and they even lost one girl's paperwork in the shuffle. We had to get our local school's permission before the girls could attend. And the organization would only allow students to attend their host parents' local school. I was afraid if the school dropped the ball or refused to sign off on them, we would lose both girls. On top of that, we were getting updates from corporate office that our school had passed the deadline. It was touch and go... but we were staying hopeful. I actually just got word yesterday that both girls were approved and we were able to move forward with the process. They had us fill out the application online again since the deadline had passed and we had to re-apply. It was a small frustration, but with big rewards. Our next step is to start communication with the girls. Get to know each other a little before they come here. We are just waiting on word form corporate. The school registration is in August and we will need to get them registered. S is going to be a junior and G is going to be a senior. I wonder what that's going to be like. Prom and graduation? Hmmmm....
So two teenage girls... Can you believe it? I told DH that hormones will be crazy around here in the coming year. He will need to buckle up. Three women are a lot to handle. Wait till we are dealing with teenage rants and drama on top of PMS and menstrual cycles. OMG what have we gotten ourselves into? LOL. We shall see... Cheers to new changes.
So exciting, glad I dropped in to read the blog!
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