Just as the host country and host families becoming apart of the IFYE participant’s life, so does the IFYE participant to the lives of the host family. The IFYE has just as big of an impact on the host family as they do to the IFYE. Staying in their home, often eating meals together, and everything in between - doing the dishes, choosing who will shower first, planning the activities for the day, working through problems, watching TV in the evening, completing daily chores, preparing something to eat, deciding what time to wake up in the morning; the host family is always there. All the little moments are shared along with the big moments, and you both learn together how those moments affect your individual lives. As an IFYE you truly become a part of the family and live their daily lifestyle with them (with a mix of site seeing of course). And this daily life goes on. Events and milestones don’t stop when an IFYE arrives to a host family. The IFYE is there and gets to go through those milestones with the family. After time with your host family and building up experiences with little moments, you begin to realize how big the milestones are to the host family, and they start impact you in a similar way. You get excited for the accomplishments of host siblings. You cheer them on, want them to win and have a good time, because as the host family they are also doing the same for the IFYE. Being a part of many host families with different jobs, interests, and ages of people in the family offers a wide variety of milestones to get to experience.
Some milestones of my host families I experienced
Birthday cake for breakfast
While away I have also experienced milestones of my own. One of them being my birthday. Leading up to my birthday, I wondered what it would feel like being away from home. I would have mixed feelings about it; first thinking it will not feel special at all because I won’t get to celebrate how I normally do with my family and friends, then thinking how it will be so unique to spend a day celebrating with my host family in Austria. I wondered about what we would do to celebrate since I was so much older than my host siblings and there was always the farm to tend to - both things that do not exist for me in my life at home. I began to ask my host family questions about typical birthday celebrations in Austria. My host family also questioned this milestone for me. They would ask me what I normally do to celebrate, the foods I like to have, activities I like to do. They even asked me if they should plan a surprise party! (how could I say no). I went to bed the night before my birthday with the plan in mind of having a surprise party. When I woke up the next day, a surprise is definitely what I received. I went out to breakfast and started making my coffee as usual. Then suddenly my eight year old host sibling was walking in with a great birthday cake and singing ‘Happy Birthday’ (in English then followed by the German version). We proceeded to have the birthday cake for breakfast - the best and only way to start your birthday in Austria. After a morning of coloring and summer activity books we had lunch at home, then went to a nearby village to spend the sunny afternoon at the swimming pool. We had fun together going down the slide, off the diving boards, and racing under the water. I also received many birthday wishes & messages from home and also from past host families in the previous weeks. The day reminded me of birthday parties I would have at home when I was younger - also loving the swimming pool like my host siblings do. It reminded me of home but yet will always be its own unique memory.
Day at the pool