About me:

54 year old Female from Rome, Italy I have 3 kids, one in high school, one in college, and one in university. The high school one came home almost in tears begging me to host an exchange student just like our neighbor did. We thought deeply about it and managed to connect with a Korean family through this platform.

My children saw the pictures and read the bio and they said, “Mom, we love him.” They would not give up on asking me to please do this. So, I didn’t make any promises but said I would look into it the next day. I have always trusted my kids’ judgment.

So the next day, I made a few phone calls. I asked several questions about the exchange student and since this was my first time as a host parent, about my responsibilities and obligations. Alessandro and I decided to do it.

Jong-dae from a small town south of Seoul eventually arrived. Once I met Jong-dae I knew I had made the right choice. He was such a sweet, smart, and fun young man. He was the perfect fit for our family.

He brought us closer together by doing fun things together that we as a family had neglected to do. We had fun late night talks full of laughter. We learned a lot about his country and before we realized it we were creating a relationship that would stay with us for a lifetime.

Jong-dae’s parents would send him snacks and candies from his country and he would let us try them. My son Leonardo and him became best friends. Jong-dae’s family sent Leo a t-shirt from Korea which meant a lot to him.

He participated in soccer and we were able to attend some of his games. Because of some circumstances with Korea’s school year, he only got to be with us for 2 months.

It was an awesome 2 months and we created the best memories that my family will treasure forever. I am so happy I made the decision to be a host parent!

The hosting experience was great; as a family we'd love to do it again.