(no subject)

[rivka]

curiousangel and I have just signed up to host an exchange student from Spain this summer. She'll be here for the month of July. A friend of ours from church is running the exchange - finding host families, organizing activities, and teaching English classes during the day. Because she's the one organizing it, most of the host families will be people we know from church.

Our student is 19, which is a little older than I expected. She's a first year university student in computer engineering, and her English is pretty fair - at least, judging by the little essay in her application. She's from Oviedo, which looks to be a mid-size coastal city in northern Spain.

I hope she likes us.

We're not supposed to treat her like a guest - she's supposed to experience "typical American family life." (Do you think we have a typical American family life? It seems unlikely.) At the same time, though, Erin (the coordinator) is organizing some great activities. Some of the other families are planning a camping trip to Assateague Island, off Maryland's Eastern Shore. We're going to have a big cookout and a Fireworks Expotition on the Fourth of July. There are so many things that would be fun to do!

In other news, last night I had what I can only describe as a blinding flash of the obvious. I've been longing for a vacation - I mean, my weekend away with Bill was really nice, but it was just a weekend. I don't think I've taken a real vacation (longer than a weekend) since we went to the Florida Keys in the spring of 2002. (I don't really count Christmas with my parents or Thanksgiving in the ICU waiting room in Memphis.) So I've been longing for it, and I have more than six weeks of accumulated vacation/holiday paid time off, but of course we haven't been able to afford to travel.

So here's what struck me as I was lying in bed last night: there's not a reason in the world why I can't take a week off just to stay home and relax. I could visit museums in my neighborhood, and go hiking in the state parks, and sleep in every day, and read, and watch movies, and get to some things around the house that are always waiting for when I have time. It sounds lovely, doesn't it? I'm thinking maybe the second week in May.

Comments

[redbird]

That sounds like a lovely vacation plan.

I have no idea what "typical American family life" is supposed to be: no one experience is "typical", of course.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

The stay-home vacation sounds like a great idea! Especially if you remind yourself that you can do it again; you don't have to fill the days up with Activities when you feel more like sleeping or spending all morning reading the paper or something. (That is an advantage over a travelling vacation, where I am more likely to cram in too much because of the cost of getting there.)

I think maybe I should plan a few days like that later this month.

[starstraf.livejournal.com]

Closing the circle I see - my friend Jeff's daughter is returning next week from a semester in Spain staying with a host family.

[dedoc.livejournal.com]

One of our first Japanese exchange students was with us less than 48 hours before John and I took him to a SCA weekend near San Diego...

so I wouldn't worry overmuch about your July being typical, or no.

As to your vacation plans... I think it's a wonderful idea. Good on you!

[mittelbar.livejournal.com]

Omigawd. That sounds like a faaabulous vacation.

If you're up for a half day or something at a museum, maybe we can make up for our freaked-out weekend last month.

You are the brave ones, to have a houseguest for a month. She'll like you!

[therealjae.livejournal.com]

I am alllll for taking a vacation and just staying home, or exploring your own city. It's not as if there's not plenty to do in Baltimore! Good thinking.

-J

[kiya]

Oh, Assateague. Mmmm.

My aunt Chris would rent a cabin every summer on Chincoteague and we'd go (her, sometimes uncle Jim, her kids, and me) for a week or two, putter around the island, go to the beach on Assateague and look for ponies and make sand castles . . .

I wonder if the really good ice cream joint still makes the really good ice cream. It's been over fifteen years, but places like that may be immune to time.

So Assateague is definitely part of my typical American family life. ;)

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Vacations at home are terrific. The first year after I bought my house, that's the only kind I took, and I loved them to pieces.

One suggestion, though: You might want to tell the folks at work that you're going away, or if fibbing sits ill with you, that you won't be answering the phone or e-mail. Even the best intentioned co-workers can't seem to resist the "Oh, well, she's in town so she won't mind answering this *one* little question" impulse ...

[rosefox]

I must of course recommend that you find copies of Marguerite Henry's books about the horses of Chincoteague and Assateague.

How are you planning to handle poly-outness with her, IYDMMA?

[nex0s.livejournal.com]

i just wanted to second this. i adore at home vacations, but defintely tell folks that you are going away so that they actually let you *have* your at home vacation.

n.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

How are you planning to handle poly-outness with her, IYDMMA?

I'm not prone to Making Statements about things like this. I intend to introduce wcg as someone who, for all practical purposes, is a member of the family. The fact that our relationship involves sex will really be none of her business. Our relationship in public space tends to involve mild displays of affection (hugs, hand holding, brief kisses-of-greeting), which I don't intend to stop doing. None of my other partners live near us, so she's unlikely to encounter them.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

If she goes home thinking that Americans have this really cool "poly web" custom, what a pity we don't have it in Spain, I can't see that this would hurt anything at all.

[mouseman.livejournal.com]

Or be sneaky and tell them you're not going to give them contact information for where you'll be.

[mouseman.livejournal.com]

So here's what struck me as I was lying in bed last night: there's not a reason in the world why I can't take a week off just to stay home and relax.

One possible way to handle this is to treat yourself as an out of town guest, and take yourself to some of those things that you only go to when out of town guests are there, but based on things you like. Just sayin'.

[pixel.livejournal.com]

"The exchange program sounds cool. Artscape is the 16th-18th so that is something else to show her. On that note, does this change your wonderful household's availiblity as the haven for the CT artcar invasionary team? It'd with 75% certainty be 3-4 of us.

As for your vacation, that sounds *wonderful* and I find myself insanely jelous. Would there be a small chance of your being interested in kicking it off by a visit from a certain kitten the second weekend of May (assuming several factors of car & work fall the right way)?"

[rivka.livejournal.com]

On that note, does this change your wonderful household's availiblity as the haven for the CT artcar invasionary team? It'd with 75% certainty be 3-4 of us.

She's going to be sleeping in our larger upstairs bedroom. The smaller one will be available, with a double futon, and there's always the couch. And the floor.

Would there be a small chance of your being interested in kicking it off by a visit from a certain kitten the second weekend of May (assuming several factors of car & work fall the right way)?"

(It turns out I'm going to be taking the first weekend instead, because I have a training on the 14th that I forgot about. But that's not important right now.) If you mean the weekend of the 8-9, yes! Hell yes! If you mean the weekend of the 15, then alas, we're going to Delaware.

I would love to see you.

[pixel.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, that's the weekend I mean, I have a wedding the weekend of the 15th.
This is dependant of course on funds, on replacing the transmission & starter in the Cadillac(have parts, need to do), on convincing work that I am not working that Saturday, on the Cadillac not developing any new problems before then...
You get the idea. But I am hopeful."

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

yay, exchange student hosts!