By Amanda Estes

Staff Writer

    Betsy Ring’s 11-year-old son and 12-year-old
daughter were both born in Japan, but the family moved to the U.S.
before her children had a chance to learn anything about the country or
the culture. When Ring looked into being a host family with Southern
Maine Community College’s (SMCC) international student exchange
program, and came across Takeshi- a then 20 year old young man from
Okinawa- she said she “felt so fortunate” to have found a student from
Japan, who liked baseball and being outdoors as much as her family
does.

    “I knew as soon as we met him at the airport that we
were going to be pretty lucky,” Ring said on Tuesday. “He quickly
figured out we’re pretty zany.”

    Takeshi spent the last year in the Ring home and
when he asked if he could stay a little longer, Ring said their
response was “please do.”

    According to Debra Andrews, Director of SMCC’s
Center for Global Opportunities, Ring’s experience is typical of those
families or individuals who open their homes to international students.


    “The families who do it get far more out of the program than they ever imagined,” she said.

    SMCC is currently looking for area families to host
international students for a semester or for a full academic year. This
fall, students from a diverse group of nations including the
Netherlands, Russia, Japan, China, South Korea, Switzerland,
Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Germany will arrive at SMCC to pursue various
areas of study.

    While they are in Maine, some students will
volunteer with area schools, the South Portland Community Center, South
Portland Boys and Girls Club and other community oriented programs.

    Andrews, who has been a host mother for four years
and most recently for a female student from Ukraine, said she would not
discourage any interested families from speaking with her even if they
do not live within walking distance of campus. She encouraged families
who live near bus stops or who would be willing to provide
transportation to contact her and she said many students ride bikes to
campus or carpool.

    “My definition of families is very broadminded,” Andrews added.

    She referred to a man in his nineties who hosted a student from Germany for a year.

    Abby Huntoon of South Portland said hosting a
student allowed her to “inadvertently mother and have kids around.”

    Huntoon became involved with SMCC’s program after
hosting a high school student from Kosovo. The experience proved to be
a positive one and since then she has hosted two female college
students, one from Russia and one from South Korea.

    “It’s a nice way for me to enjoy someone exploring a
new culture and kind of growing into adulthood,” she said last Friday.
“They’re mature, but still kind of figuring things out.”

    Huntoon recommended that interested families not
have certain expectations, but “just be open to who the kid is.”

    “You may form an incredible, forever bond and you may not,” she said.

    She recommended that families appreciate the student
for who he or she is and do their best to offer a positive experience.

    Looking back on their experiences as students in the
program, Andrea Keller of Switzerland and Jaap Berghuijs of the
Netherlands both said Andrews made a good match with their respective
host families. Keller, who took classes within SMCC’s Liberal Studies
program, said she emailed back and forth with her South Portland host
family before she came to Maine.

    “I was anxious in a positive way,” she said on
Monday. As it was her first trip to the U.S., she said it took some
time to adjust to the family’s habits and traditions, but within two
weeks she felt completely comfortable.

    Keller said the family was also hosting another
student from South Korea at the same time so “they really knew what
they were doing.” Becoming a member of the family, she said, was a
natural process.

Berghuijs, who also concentrated on Liberal Studies, said his host family had three boys, ages 10, 13 and 15.

    “They’re crazy about sports and so am I so that was definitely a good match,” he said on Monday.

He said living with a host family definitely helped his English skills and it also helped him navigate American culture.

    “Its not that we had big lectures every night, (but)
if they did something different than we do back home, we would talk
about it,” he said. “Everyday, I learned something from them.”
Berghuijs said he also taught the family how to speak some Dutch.

Berghuijs was heading home within a few days, but he said his host
family was already planning a trip to his country next summer. Keller,
who will stay in Maine until August, said she was sure she would stay
in touch with her host family.

Ring said Takeshi, who played baseball with her kids nearly everyday, will be a member of their family forever.

    “We are just going to be devastated when he leaves,”
she said. As he pursues a career in international business, she said
the family hopes to have a future reunion.

    Families and individuals interested in being a host family can contact  Andrews at 741-5791.