PAX - Program of Academic Exchange is a program of PAX Laurasian Exchange and is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program sponsor.

Kazakh hits the ground running in Minnesota

We are the Boeck family from Minnesota. We host Yenlik from Kazakhstan. Right from the happy arrival at the airport, we started late out of the gate this year. Yenlik arrived at the end of September while most exchange students arrive in late August.

It’s been a bit of a wild ride so far, with a rush to school and last-minute preparations. She jumped right into cheerleading at Triton High School, but that’s not all. She joined BPA and the student council, too. Just like everything else, she has hit the ground running. Last week she even helped us prepare borscht with the help of a recipe from her mom. It was a great experience trying something completely new.

Yenlik attended her first Minnesota Wild hockey game the other night, when the Wild hosted the Vancouver Canucks. The game ended in a 4-3 victory for the Wild in overtime, so it was great to be there when they pulled out a victory. It was her first hockey game ever. 

We enjoyed a visit to Sever’s Fall Festival last weekend and followed that up with a visit to Minnesota’s largest candy store in Jordan, MN, on the way home. And now, Halloween has come and gone. Everything is a whirlwind, as we are learning to function as a new family unit while experiencing some things along the way. It's going to be a fun holiday.

—The Boecks (MN), host family of Yenlik (FLEX, Kazakhstan)