CHI host mom Nataly, from California, shares her experience hosting a 2011-2012 Academic Year Program student through CHI.
Last year I hosted a girl who changed our lives, she helped me understand that every child has a different need in parenting, she showed me that two people who were from different parts of the world can love each other as mother and daughter even if they have a mom or a daughter already. She taught me without even realizing how to be a good mother, and helped me get to know myself as a mom.
She reminded me that there is enough love to go around if you want to give it. She was with us through one of our toughest year and she became a part of our family. She showed me courage in a new environment is easy when your heart is open, and taught me that a good heart goes a long way and can overcome any obstacle. She reminded me that strength can be learned and that determination is a skill that can be acquired. So when people ask me why I host and its all free, as in I don’t get paid, and why would I do it? They are missing the point. Hosting a child will give you back more than you can possibly measure. It is a gift in and of itself. It is a great fact that in giving we receive so much more.
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ~Winston Churchill
