PAX Press Oct. 2020

PAX Press Newspaper Web Cover October 2020 - Blueberry Picking

PAX Press Kicks Off Its 26th Year

To the new readers among you—welcome! For 25 years, PAX Press has been sharing inspiring stories of international families, cultural exploration, and of course curious and courageous teens. In many ways, this—the first issue of the 2020/21 program year—is like the previous 25. That said, as with just about everything in 2020, in some ways it is necessarily different. But what really stands out about this issue has nothing to do with COVID-19.

Long-time readers may find the October 2020 issue comparatively substantive. Naturally, we like to have a lot of fun with the typical issue—feelgood photos and funny videos are hallmarks. But if you consider the first three “full-length articles,” you have advice from former families, an alumna who shares personal and painful stories while discovering her passion for activism, and newly arrived Elise who invites you inside her head throughout the course of her long trip to Texas. Elise’s article is a particularly insightful (and delightful) read for those interested in how it feels to begin a new life as an exchange student. A very well-written piece, the young lady must write exceptionally well in her native French…we hope to hear a lot from her this year.

We also have more alumni contributions than ever before. “PAX Alumni Become Social Media Mentors” details how a sizable contingent of former PAXers is offering up great advice to the 2020/21 class via our Facebook and Instagram accounts. Having reconnected with so many alums, we naturally also love hearing and sharing their post-PAX updates. As you would expect, some are quite impressive.

Finally, we have all those heartwarming welcomes, initial impressions, and settling in stories that are all but the antidote for what has been a rather cruel 2020 for much of the world. Fear not: Carla (Germany) and her host family have been picking blueberries, putting out good vibes whilst biking, going on ferry rides, feeding farm animals out the car window, discovering the magic of S’mores, and all sorts of other simple pleasures you won’t find in the average 2020 news cycle. Read all about it in “A Busy Start to a Washington Exchange Year.”

Marion, Emily, Raul, and other members of their Indiana cohort (featured immediately below) have also been enjoying some old-fashioned American fun. Thanks so much to these students and to all the host families, coordinators, and other members of the PAX family who submitted such inspired stories. We hope you enjoy the first issue of the publication’s 26^th year!

—The PAX Press team