Family awaits visitor from Brazil

PANAMA CITY — Anticipation is building in the Farrington household as the family awaits the arrival of a new addition in mid-August — an exchange student from Brazil named Ana Maria.

“She can teach me some things, and I can teach her some things,” said 12-year-old Gaby Farrington.

Gaby and her little sister, 8-year-old Audry, have been excited and very curious since their parents, Toby Farrington and Mickey Fernandez, announced the family will have a long-term visitor.

The couple decided to open their home to a foreign exchange student for the upcoming school year after Fernandez was approached by Robin Newberry, an area representative for International Student Exchange (ISE), which brings exchange students to the U.S. and places outbound American students to study abroad.

“We’re a military family, so we’ve moved a lot and experienced a lot of cultures,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez, originally from Peru, said Ana Maria seemed like a good match for her family after combing through the profiles of several high school-age students who applied for an opportunity at cultural immersion in the U.S.

She expects Ana Maria to blend nicely with the family’s active lifestyle after she arrives to begin her 10th-grade year at Rutherford High School, and she’s hopeful the experience will teach her daughters more about the world.

“I’m looking forward to learning more about the Brazilian culture,” Gaby said.

Audry said she wants to learn “how they live there and how they work and what kind of jobs they have.”

Newberry is seeking many more families like the Farringtons to host an international student for nine months during the school year.

Potential host families are admitted to the program after a careful screening process; all host families must clear background checks, provide references and pass a home inspection proving they have living and study space for the students.

Applicants are then given three to five profiles of international students from which to choose, and they submit a profile of their own so students and host families can browse multiple possibilities for compatibility. Host families are not compensated for taking in exchange students but are entitled to certain tax deductions.

ISE students looking for placement are 15 to 18 years old. They provide their own spending money, speak English and have their own health insurance.

Fernandez, who started an adult soccer league in Panama City, said Ana Maria was an easy choice after seeing in her profile that she speaks Spanish and is an avid soccer player. She said she thinks Ana Maria will benefit from attending school in Panama City because schools in Brazil tend to be more crowded and have fewer resources than American schools.

“It’s more peaceful here,” she said.

Gaby and Audry are anxious to learn about Ana Maria’s personality and hope she will enjoy spending time doing some of the same things they do, such as playing soccer, shopping and going to the movies.

Newberry said an advantage to families with children hosting an exchange student is the children learn how to share their own culture, in addition to learning from their foreign guest. It builds an awareness of their own cultural perceptions.

And the exchange program benefits students from other countries by exposing them to freedom and choices American’s enjoy, she said.

It’s even common for host families to form lifelong bonds with students after opening their homes and hearts to give them the American experience.

“The families become very attached and stay like pen pals,” she said. 

Want to help?

For more information about how to become a host family, visit www.iseusa.com.