Molly's Experience

Being able to have the opportunity to be a host student has been one of the best experiences I have had. I got the chance to host Aashna. She was a kind, outgoing girl who I had so much fun getting to know. While her time here was way too short, we had great memories that I will never forget. From going to the Arch to the City Museum to seeing Lion King at the Fox to the baseball game to all of the food we ate, we truly became great friends and had many laughs. This experiences has taught me so much, not only about myself, but also about South Africa and their culture. One of my favorite parts was just being able to talk to Aashna and the rest of the South African students about the similarities and differences between the US and South Africa. Over the time Aashna was here, we became very close. I already miss her and all of the other students so much. Hopefully I can make a trip to South Africa soon!!:)

Rebecca's Experience

This has been one of the best experiences I have had at Ursuline. I was hosting Mbali, and we had been texting for a couple months before she got here and we were already close friends when she arrived. Mbali and I got to do so many things in St. Louis, such as the Zoo, the Art Museum, we went to the Loop, the Chesterfield Valley and more. But no matter what we were doing we were always laughing and having fun. The trip was so short for them but I know for me I have enough memories to last a lifetime. By the end of the trip Mbali and I were already planning when I should come visit her in South Africa.

Caitlyn's Experience

I was so happy to get the chance to host Jade! I knew nothing about South Africa and couldn't imagine what it would be like to host her. I anxiously waited for the day she would arrive but as soon as we met at the airport we immediately became friends. I knew then that this week would be amazing. She was so fun to be around and I learned so much about her and where she is from. Jade helped me open my eyes to other cultures and explained some of the differences we have such as words and proportion sizes! I loved hosting her and miss her already along with all the others I got to meet. I hope we stay in touch and I get to visit her soon in South Africa.


Although their trip was short we got to do lots of things. We went to the cardinals game, Ted Drewes, Forest park, the zoo, Lumiere park, the Snow Factory, Fitz's, Crushed Red and the mall. However, my favorite times were when we would sit in our room and just talk about our lives together and laugh at each other's accents. We would compare our schools, boys, and friends and we were able to become very close. She was no longer just a host student that I only knew from snapchat and Instagram, but became my sister for a week. I will forever remember this week and cherish our memories. I hope to do this again soon because my family and I loved having Jade stay with us!

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!

Katie's Experience

Wow…they say time flies when you’re having fun. From the moment we picked up our new friends from the airport, to the morning we dropped them back off, our days were filled completely. We were able to see so many fun things around St. Louis...and for me and Dimpho Kansas City too!!

To describe our trip in one word… FOOD. Apparently Americans eat SO much food?? And our portions are huge?! Who knew??? At the many food places we visited, such as Imo’s, Zias, Andy's, Ted Drewes, Mom’s Deli, Gate’s BBQ, and so many more….they were beyond surprised by our portions. I also realized that they are so good at trying new things...at every restaurant they were not afraid to order something new and try so many new foods.

This was such an amazing week, and I am so grateful that I was able to experience something like this. We bonded so much in the short time that we had together and did so many fun things while she was here. It’s amazing that we could become such good friends in just 7 short days.

Maureen's Experience

I have heard the quote, “We don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason.” I think this quote exemplifies the how I feel about the bringing of Kelly and the rest of the South African students into my life. Hosting a student from South Africa has taught me many amazing things. It has taught me that the Fourth of July is ONLY an American holiday, many facts about living in their country, the food they eat, the words they say, and so much more. I was so blessed to be picked to host Kelly for the past week. 

When they arrived, I had yet to talk to her or hear her voice. We texted but never actually talked. The awkward beginning was inevitable yet so exciting. As soon as they came up I saw Kelly and was jumping up and down (good first impression, I know). I was ready to wear her out and she was up for it which made this week very exciting. The first day we went to the Cardinals game and Blues game. It was a lot after a 17+ hour plane ride but I wanted her to get the full St. Louis experience. Needless to say, we went to bed before eight o’clock the next night. The rest of the trip we hung out with friends, ate, shopped, and ate some more. I got to show Kelly the place I live and my favorite things to do here. 

One moment in particular that stuck out to me was going on a picnic in Forest Park. There was a lot of traffic that day and we were having a hard time finding a parking spot, soon enough we found one. As we walked to Art Hill our stomachs growled and minds raced about the anticipation of the sandwiches we would soon devour. Once we got there, it was exactly like I had hoped. A beautiful sight, with an amazing new friend, eating wonderfully delicious food. This was one of my favorite memories with Kelly, besides all of the many times she fell asleep in the seat of my car. I felt so fortunate to get to know Kelly and learn more about her culture. When it was time to say goodbye, we had a hard time. Many hugs and tears (@my mom) later, it was time for Kelly to leave. I grew close to her over the span of those days and was heartbroken to see her go. Overall this was an amazing experience and I was so blessed that I got to know such a kind, open, fun, and wonderful person like her.

Grace N.'s Global Education Experience

It was so amazing to be apart of the global education experience. I am very grateful to have gotten the chance to host Jade. It really opened my eyes to other lifestyles, languages, and cultures. We clicked instantly at the airport and from that point on were very close. I enjoyed our long rants and car rides when we would just sing for forever. I was able to take her to the mall, a cardinals game, sky zone, Ted Drews, Laumeier park, and the snow factory. My favorite memories from her visit were when she would try new american food or we would get confused with each others unfamiliar words. I took a couple of the girls to Taco Bell and they fell in love with the food. The best part of the trip was when my mom, Jade and I had a long ongoing confusion on what Jade meant when she said biscuit since we were trying to figure out what she wanted for lunch. My mom and I offered her american bread biscuits which made her very confused and after a while we come to realize that she is talking about oreo cookies. Because when they say biscuits they mean cookies. This was just one of the funny and interesting differences that we experienced throughout her stay. My parents and I got very close to Jade while she was here, though it was hard to say goodbye, we hope to take a trip to South Africa some time to visit her and her family thanks to this experience!

Grace E.'s Experience

I had an amazing experience being a host for Kiara. We had so much in common and I am so happy I got this opportunity. We did many things that I have not done in a while and it was so much fun! I loved seeing all of the things she had never seen before. We had so much fun doing all of these activities with her and I was sad to see her go. Some of the things we did were we went to the Cardinals game, Ted Drewes, the Snow Factory, the Science Center, Fitz's, and the Zoo. All of these activities were so much fun and I hope she had fun as well! I miss her so much already, but hopefully, I can go visit her soon and see what her country is like.

Madi's Experience

I'm so blessed to have been apart of the Global Education program here at Ursuline. Hosting an exchange student from the Ursuline in South Africa has been such an amazing experience. In one short week I have grown to love my exchange student, Nosi, as a sister. Over the week Nosi was able to join right in with my family. From the first day we were already laughing all together at the dinner table or teaching her new board games for family game night. Nosi and I were also able to spend lots of time together outside of school and family activities. On Saturday I was able to take Nosi shopping and I learned very quickly how much she loved to shop! It was a lot of fun showing her all new stores and helping her pick things out to bring home to her family.

I was fortunate enough to take Nosi all around St. Louis but my best memories with her were just riding in the car together or hanging out in my room before bed. She loved that I could drive and thought it was so funny that we drove on the wrong side of the road. I may have gotten lost a couple times in forest park but it was still always so much fun. I will never forget the memories we shared together and hope that one day we can make some more in South Africa!
Saying goodbye was a very hard thing to do when you have become so close with your student. I know my whole family wanted to keep Nosi longer and be able to spend more time with her. My sisters loved having her around and still ask how she is and what she's up too. I wish Nosi the best in college and am already planning my trip over to see her!

Natalie's Experience

I am so thankful to have been a part of the Global Ed program this year. Hosting a South African student was really interesting. Avril and I did a lot of fun things, like the Zoo, Forest Park, we went to a baseball game etc., but my favorite memory of her trip was when we went to Ted Drewes. She got an Oreo concrete and when they turned it upside down she was in shock. She couldn't figure out how her ice cream stayed in its cup! She didn't believe me when I told her about it on the way there and when she saw it happen, she was at a loss for words. It's kinda funny how something so normal for me is so strange for her and the rest of the students!