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No Higher HonorNo Higher Honor

Russian FLEX student Anastasiya Khlopina was able to meet one of the most powerful women in America when Condoleezza Rice was in Alabama to speak to the Birmingham Business Alliance. During the luncheon Anastasiya attended with her host father, she had a brief conversation in Russian with the former Secretary of State. She recounts, "Dr. Rice made a significant impact on me with her speech on American society, democracy and current problems. But most of all I was inspired by who she is. She is an excellent example of great achievements through diligence, education and faith. This encounter made my stay in America even more exciting than I could imagine.”

Discovering BaseballDiscovering Baseball

After his first baseball practice in Kansas, Mizouni Ben Amor declared, “I love this game! Since the beginning of the year I wanted to play baseball even though I didn’t know anything about it. The game is new but not hard to learn. Thanks to the coaches and my teammates, I am learning a lot about baseball.” Soon the YES student will be returning to Tunisia where he hopes to start a team so he can introduce the game to his friends.

Working at the Mississippi Capitol Working at the Mississippi Capitol

Anastasiia Alekseienko (Ukraine) and Gio Rostomashvili (Georgia) couldn’t believe their good fortune when they were chosen to serve as pages for a week at the Mississippi State Capitol. Representative Steve Holland sponsored the two FLEX students for this program where the teens gained first-hand experience in government by helping out in the legislative offices. Pictured with the students are Representative Holland, host parents Sissy and Joe Lukas, and PAX Area Manager Mary Payne Hairald.

Kyrgyzstan Came to Us”Kyrgyzstan Came to Us

The Chambersburg, Pennsylvania community didn’t have to travel half way around the world to get an education on Kyrgyzstan. FLEX student Aikanysh Kurmanalyevna brought the culture and customs to them with a series of presentations and delectable meals.

The Family that Runs TogetherThe Family that Runs Together

“I did the Color Run with my family in April in Knoxville, Tennessee. Before the race, we were very clean with our white t-shirts and our cool sunglasses. When we finished the five kilometer race, we didn’t have white anywhere!” Izaro Bedialauneta from Spain exclaimed. The teen is pictured on the left, covered with the colored powder that peppered the runners. “I had the blue paint on my hands for three days! I will miss moments like these.”

Proud to Be a Kazakh KerbyProud to Be a Kazakh Kerby

“Since we’ve been sharing our cultures with each other, I've been amazed by how my host family appreciates and loves the history of my country, Kazakhstan. Now my dad calls himself Kazakh Khan Richard First and my mom says salem, which is “hello” in Kazakh. My host sister, Julie, accompanies me when I play my national songs on the violin and now everyone who goes near our house sees a big Kazakh flag!” writes Akmaral Kamaliyeva. The FLEX student sends her Virginia hosts this message, “I love you and I am proud to be your Kazakh Kerby!”

Korean Pig Feet —Surprisingly Good!

Hyungyung, our foreign exchange student from South Korea had her birthday on December 26th. We celebrated by going to an authentic Korean restaurant. Although we had experienced several Korean dishes that Hyungyung had prepared, this dining experience was a treat for all. The only non-Koreans in the restaurant were us. We were the foreigners and Hyungyung was right at home. Hyungyung enjoyed chatting with the waiter and telling us about her favorite foods. It was a BBQ style restaurant with the charcoal grill right in the table. You order your meal and they bring you a bowl of rice, raw meat, and many side dishes. It is your responsibility to cook your own meat to your desired temperature. Before we enjoyed the main courses of samgyupsal (pork belly), bulgogi (beef), and chadolbagi (thinly cut beef), we ordered an appetizer, jokbal, which is pig feet. Never in my life would I have dreamed that I would love pig feet wrapped in a lettuce leaf with a very salty sauce. I had to make myself stop eating it to have room for the main dish. The food was delicious but the best part was seeing my two children embrace the experience. They tried many new foods and wanted to learn Korean words such as “thank you” and “where is the restroom”. I'm sure if Hyungyung wasn't in our life we would have never sought out this restaurant and had this experience. On the way home, the children talked about other ethnic restaurants we should try. Thank you, PAX, for helping make this possible.

The Payne family, hosts for Hyungyung Lee (South Korea)
Indiana

Came as a Stranger, Leaving as a Son

We have been hosting Zaid, our new son from Jordan, this past year. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know him and what makes him excited in life. He has filled our house with much laughter, joy and excitement! Everyday he makes us feel special by giving us hugs and telling us how much he loves us. As for what we have learned, he has taught us so much about the Muslim culture that I’d never heard before. I feel much more at ease about what he is praying and what he believes in. I was also able to ease his mind on what Christianity is all about as well. We feel like the walls have come down. Our house is a place where we can freely share our religions without judgmental attitudes getting in the way. I have learned that so many things are the same between the Muslim and Christian faiths. The best part of getting to know Zaid is sharing his love for life. The positive energy he brings to our home is incredible. I know our love for him will continue to grow long after the exchange year is over. You can’t help but love this guy! He came as a stranger but is leaving in June as our son. One more thing I have learned is that there really is green grass growing in Jordan! It’s not all sand and desert lands!

Myna Horst, host mother for Zaid Shawabkeh (YES, Jordan)
Pennsylvania

From Russia with Love

We never dreamed we would ever be able to host a child from another country, but we gave it a shot! Rostik is a high-spirited, happy go lucky and very funny young man. He has become good friends with our son Justin, and he has made many other friends in school. Rostik definitely has a love for people! He loves to make people smile, help wherever and whenever it is needed and he loves little children. We think of Rostik not as our foreign exchange student, but as our son from another country. We are so very grateful that Rostik’s natural parents supported him and gave him the chance to come to our country! But more so that he came to our home! Thank you, PAX, for your program and to my sister Cheri, who introduced our PAX coordinator, Trudy Krintz, to us! Without all of them, we would never have been able to have Rostik. We have been so very blessed to have Rostik in our home and to call him our son. He has truly been a gift from God in our lives.

The Justice family, hosts for Rostislav Baklakov (FLEX, Russia)
Indiana