Our summer with Jennifer

I just sent my 6^th child back to her home in Taiwan. It’s true. I’ve had a 15-year-old daughter for the past 6 weeks. Her name is Jennifer— or at least that is what she was called while she was here. I couldn’t have predicted what it would mean to have a foreign exchange student in our home, but in having her here our family has learned several things:

1. I learned how to speak Chinese! Well, sort of. I now know the words for cantaloupe (Jennifer’s favorite), watermelon, horse, mosquito, hello, thank you. With Chinese, it is all about inflection. Jennifer often giggled at my poor attempts at her language and I learned that my mouth is quite incapable of properly formulating Chinese words.

2. Americans put far too much sugar in and on everything! Poor Jennifer had to choke down sugary breakfast cereals, pancakes w/ syrup, cookies, brownies, fruit snacks, candy, etc. The “healthy lifestyle” I thought we lived easily (and sadly) falls into America’s overly-sweetened mainstream.

3. Jennifer attends 10 hours of school each day, 7 days a week. That’s every single day folks. 10 hours. After she told us this (and after picking up our jaws from the floor) my respect for the dedicated and educated Taiwanese people grew immensely. Case in point: One night, after playing a game of Monopoly w/ her, each of us needed a calculator to tally our points, except for Jennifer. Counting it up in her head was simple enough for her. Still, Kendra reminds me daily that she DOES NOT want to live in Taiwan—too much school for her I guess.

4. Though she said she was shy, she really made the best of this American experience. She wasn’t afraid to step out of her comfort zone and try new things. To name just a few: church, girls camp, American food, hiking, camping, roller coasters, boogie boarding, cooking, sleeping in her own room and bed, dancing w/ the Xbox—heck, she even pierced her ears while she was here!

5. Other things that were amazingly new and wonderful to her: blond or red –headed people, blue eyes, can openers, macaroni and cheese (her new favorite!), painted fingernails, homemade pizza, babies (particularly our Baby Ty!), trampolines, high school lockers (who knew?), American movies, driving in a car (not a bus or scooter) everywhere we go, going from having no siblings to 5 rambunctious kids!

6. And then there are some loves that transcend any language or culture, namely Justin Beiber.

7. I was blown away by the selfless nature of Jennifer’s parents. Not only did they send their only child to a new country and a family they didn’t know, but after seeing how quickly Jennifer’s English was improving, her mother begged her to stay longer, knowing that any time here will only benefit her. They also have been so giving, showering us with handmade gifts from the heart. Did I mention how incredibly artistic Jennifer and her mother are? Jennifer taught my girls how to make a toy cat out of a baby sock and my boys how to fold the best paper airplanes in the world!

8. What I didn’t expect was how much I would grow to love Jennifer in the short weeks that she was here. She is a sweet, loving, patient girl who never complained about anything (except for the cinnamon in the French toast—can you believe she doesn’t like cinnamon?). Saying good-bye to her at the airport tugged at my heartstrings and we both blubbered like babies. Though she is halfway around the world, there has been a bond created that won’t be broken and I am quite certain that we will see her again.

Thank you, Jennifer, for spending your summer with us and enduring the craziness of our home. We loved having you and until next time, “kan ni yihou”.