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Neighbors | Submitted.German foreign exchange student and her host family went on a walk through Mill Creek Park. Pictured are, from left, Terri Windsor, Ian Windsor and Mona Steinle. Potential host parents do not need to come from any certain backgroud nor need to be married; they only need to pass AFS's screening process and a background check.
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Neighbors | Submitted.Mona Steinle's host family wanted her to get a taste of life in the Mahoning Valley. She is pictured at the Canfield Fairgrounds.
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Neighbors | Submitted.The 2017 Northeast Ohio AFS students got to know each other during an overnight stay at Camp Whitewood in Windsor, Ohio. The students come from countries all over the world, including Pakistan, Portugal, Thailand and Peru.
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Neighbors | Submitted.Terri Windsor hosts German student Mona Steinle through the AFS program. Steinle attends Poland Seminary High School and plays for their soccer team. She says the school and team have been very helpful and kind. Pictured are, from left, Kayla Windsor, Steinle and Terri Windsor.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Terri Windsor, Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana County Chapter Chairperson of the North East Ohio Area of the AFS Intercultural Programs, and Mona Steinle, foriegn exchange student from Germany attending Poland Seminary High School, posed for a photo at the Poland library. Windsor is the host parent for Steinle.
by ZACK SHIVELY
Mona Steinle came to Poland on Aug. 11 from Germany through the AFS program to study at Poland Seminary High School.
AFS offers exchange programs for students in other countries to come to the USA and vice versa. The Northeast Ohio Area Team of AFS has brought students from 20 different countries, including students from European countries like France and Finland, Asian countries like Japan and Thailand, and a student from Peru.
The program allows the students to live with a host family in the area. Terri Windsor, the Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana County Chapter Chairperson, hosts Steinle.
For Steinle, the program fulfills a “longtime dream“ to visit another country. The transition has not been too difficult for her since many people in Germany speak English. In situations where she has trouble communicating, she, as well as all students in the AFS program, have translators on their phones. She has had fun picking up American slang, too.
She compared and contrasted Germany to our area. The amount of cars and drivers amazed her since more people ride bikes and walk in Germany. She said most of our fast food restaurants are in Germany, but she finds them better in Germany. Small differences, such as the size of shampoo bottles, surprised her as well.
The Poland community has treated Steinle very well since she arrived. The teachers at Poland Seminary High School have accommodated her and helped her. The soccer team welcomed her to the team and gave her some Poland clothing.
The AFS students had an overnight stay at Camp Whitewood in Windsor, Ohio, where they got a chance to get to know each other better and play games.
The students will have other events with each other, such as the Christmas party in December. They will also take trips to New York City and Washington D.C in April.
AFS welcomes many people to host exchange students. Host parents do not have to married and can come from any background. They only have to pass AFS’s background check and screening process and treat the students like part of their family.
Once approved, the families can contact the students through emails, letters and Skype. Both parties receive information on the other through packets created by AFS.
Families can host students for either a semester or a full year. Those not willing to commit to a full semester but still want to help AFS can host children for a couple of months. AFS refers to these families as “welcome families.“
Windsor hopes to get more students within the tri-county area involved with this “wonderful program and learning experience.“ Currently, the Mahoning Valley only has three foreign exchange students, Steinle of Germany in Poland and Jessica Christen of Switzerland and Nicolas Lupi of Italy, who are both in Struthers.
Windsor first got involved with AFS while in high school in 1979 when she studied in Norway. She still stays in contact with her host family. She found the program great because she got to learn about a different culture through first-hand experiences. She finds hosting students equally rewarding for the same reason.