Melissa's Experience

I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to host an exchange student from South Africa. I hosted Tadi! We had been emailing, texting, and snapchatting since I found out that she would be staying with me. At the time, I felt like their trip was so far away, but it came up so fast. I was up late cleaning and in denial that Tadi and the other students would be here the next day. I was so excited and anxious to meet them at the airport. Tadi and I were instantly connected and we welcomed her to our family.

Even though the trip was short, Tadi and I learned so much about each other. We went to the Cardinal’s game, P.F. Changs, the Snow Factory, my college registration, Zia’s Italian restaurant, the Zoo, Ted Drewes, Quick Trip, and West County mall. Tadi said that she doesn’t normally like ice cream, but I made her go to Ted Drewes and didn’t give her a choice! She said that she loved it and it is the only ice cream she likes. She wants to open one in South Africa! I normally hate shopping, but we spent hours at the mall because she loves to shop! She loves hats and bought about four while she was here. We laughed and had so much fun. She told me she cannot shop with me anymore because I tell her to buy everything! She even had to buy a second suitcase just to fit the things that she bought!

My favorite part of the trip was just talking with Tadi and all of the other students from South Africa. I love their accents so much and I felt like I was starting to pronounce my words like them. We both thought it was funny how we say different words but mean the same thing. For example, we call it the trunk of the car, but they call it "the boot". They call fries "chips", and they call a barbecue a "braai". I learned so much from Tadi and I hope she learned a lot from me. Tadi is the head girl at their school and I felt special to be her host. I also found it very interesting how similar but also different we both are. I just loved having the opportunity to get to know students from another country. I miss them so much already. I hope Tadi and I always stay connected even though we live in different countries. I hope to visit her in South Africa one day!