Letter from a Host Family

Hello Mary Kay!!!

I wanted to send you an email and let you know how blessed we feel to have been part of your exchange program for the last four years.  Our family is truly blessed with the students who have stayed with us!! This year was no exception.  Nano (Fernando)  was amazing to have with us for the month.  He was joyful and full of grace all of the time (even I am not that:)).  But more than that he truly wanted to make a connection with our children.  Our boys are 12 and 10, not exactly the same age as him, but he did a great job finding things to do that they would all enjoy doing and could do.  I thank God for soccer and swimming...he spent so much time talking with them while doing these things.  He encouraged our boys to do better all the time and I am forever grateful.  Most important to me is that he became more than just a student to our family, he became family!  We stay connected through social media, often times daily but for sure weekly.  We use it to  send pictures back and forth and our youngest sends Nano weekly video messages.  He is truly part of the family and deeply missed.  I tell you all of this so that you can know what a difference your program makes!  We are forever changed and I am grateful.
One last thing I want to share.  We had the unique experience of Nano actually knowing one of our previous students, Maria.  We were super surprised when he was in the living room one day looking at pictures and he said "I know Maria." (a former exchange student) We all thought "Wow! How cool!"   Then last Friday, I received the attached photo from Nano!  A picture of him and Maria with the follow text "A photo for the Wienke family!"   I can not explain how cool that was to receive and the fact that when he saw her he thought to do that for us!
Thank you so much for all you do!  Thank you so much for continuing to do this program!  Thank you so much for serving these kids this way!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

God Bless,

Jessie Wienke

California's Online Visitor's Guide

California's Online Visitor's Guide

Una pregunta de mandar turrón a EEUU

Buenos días Mary Kay: 

Soy Victoria, la madre de Daniel que fue con vosotros a Chicago el año pasado. Ante todo darte gracias por la magnífica experiencia que ha supuesto para Daniel dicho viaje. Lo pasó genial y la familia fantástica.

Queríamos tener un detallito con ella por Navidad y aquí surge mi pregunta. ¿Cual sería la mejor forma ( relación calidad / precio ) de enviarles un poco de turrón a la familia? Nos puedes recomendar alguna compañía de transportes para ello. ¿Ponen muchas pegas en la aduana? ¿hay que pagar tasas?

Muchas gracias por tu atención y Felices Fiestas. Te recomendaremos siempre.  Un abrazo

Buenas tardes Victoria,

Nos alegra mucho saber de Uds. y que lo pasó tan bien Dani en Wisconsin.  

Al no ser ni fruta, ni carne, no hay problema, ni tazas ni nada, el coste de mandarlo. Creo que Correos es el más barato.  

Felices Fiestas!!!

MK Educational Services

Email de una de nuestras familias americanas

Un email de una de nuestras familias americanas...

This has been such a wonderful experience for our family :)

The boys & my daughter absolutely loved the WASC camp :)

We will miss them so much:(

You & your husband are doing such a wonderful thing giving all these students a chance to come to USA.

I would be interested in a few yrs having my daughter Jasmine come to Spain & experience there way of life & culture:)

Thanks to you & your family to help make this happen:)

Good blesses each of us with unique gifts.  I think you use your special gifts from him in such a beautiful way.  So un-selfish :)

Best of luck to you as you continue to share your gifts & your heart with the world.

Warmest regards
-Ann Elliott

Referencias desde León

Buenos días Mary Kay,

 

Por favor perdona este tiempo sin haberte dado las gracias "from the bottom of my heart" por la estupenda organización, atención y cuidados a mi hija en su experiencia americana, asi como por la maravillosa familia que la cuidó, mimó a mi niña.

No quiero dejar pasar más tiempo sin de verdad agradecerte profundamente todas tus atenciones para con nuestra hija. Gracias mil, a ti y a toda tu organización, en especial a Vero. Prometo ser una fiel embajadora de "MK EDUCATIONAL SERVICES" y de todo su equipo. Una vez más, y gracias, gracias, gracias  for ever and ever again....

 

Un fuerte abrazo,

Anabel

GOING TO AMERICA and the WASC Experience

By: Luis Fernández González-Irún

Going to America was such an incredible experience and not only because I learnt a lot of English but because I experienced another way of living. Everything is just so different in so many ways. In my opinion, you can read as much as you want of a culture, it will never be the same as having experienced it. You need to experience America from the inside, I assure you that nothing will make you feel more American than eating a huge burger at Culver’s or an All you can eat breakfast at Denny’s. The month that I spent with my American family was one of the best ones of my life. I had so much fun and that’s the thing you learn English without noticing.  I treated my host family as my own, I love them so much! I remember spending afternoons just chatting with my American parents or going to a grocery store with my American mum, I loved going there.  They are huge and they have everything! There must be at least 10 kinds of chocolate ice-cream. My American brother and sister were the best.  My brother and I were inseparable and there was nothing like singing Country music as loud as we could in my sister’s car. I also made so many new friends, we did many things together.  We went camping (where we got bit everywhere by mosquitoes); we also went to a theme park in which I rode the biggest roller coaster and of course we ate so much junk food. I had I blast! I miss them so much, I can’t wait to go back!

WASC EXPERIENCE

So many people have asked me what WASC is like.  There are no words to describe what happens there, it’s almost magical. Even though it only lasts 5 days, you are bound with the people over there like you knew them for years.  It’s kind of like a safe place where you can open up. What I liked most was that we learnt a lot without realizing it and were always having a lot of fun. We did a lot of activities that might look silly at first, but helped us learn to respect everyone and make everyone feel respected, how to work as a team and how to listen to each other’s ideas, in other words, how to be a leader. WASC changes you, it gives you a different perspective in life, it makes you want to be better. Going there was one of the best things that could ever have happened to me.  I made some of my very best friends over there. So I want to thank all the people that make WASC as awesome as it is and I also want to thank Mary Kay Maas for showing and encourage me to have gone there.  WASC is an experience that I will always remember.

¡Que más podemos pedir!

Estimados Mary Kay y Diego,

Ya anoche nuestro hijo Manuel contactó con nosotros para comentarnos que se  encontraba en casa de sus primos en Iowa.

Os agradecemos vuestras atenciones y vuestro trabajo.  La estancia con la familia Esser, en Waunakee no pudo ser más placentera, con toda la disposición hacia Manuel.  En todo momento trataron de complacerlo y de hacerlo sentir un miembro más de la familia Esser. Les hemos manifestado nuestro agradecimiento hacia ellos e invitado a nuestra casa.  En todo momento hemos sentimos que han transmitieron todo su cariño a Manuel.

¡Que más podemos pedir!

Un abrazo.

Manuel y Bernardita