Home stay experience by one of our ambassador

Homestay experience from a student July 5th Monday

To all of the families back home:
My name is Darwin Nelson and I come from a simple family. I am glad to have met the Rasmussens, my home stay family. When I first came off of the bus into the frigid air to unload suitcases from the bus, the lady I first met was so kind and welcoming. I did not know then that would be Mrs. Rasmussen herself. I assumed that she couldn’t be since I figured it was unlikely for me to stay with the home stay director. As I waited for the first names to be called off, I became dismayed when the first five boys’ home stay families had not yet arrived. These poor souls were relegated to stand in the “homeless” corner in front of the bus. I felt a little better when finally Aaron, one of the other boys, actually had his family arrive on time. As my name is called, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had the director as my home stay family. I didn’t mind personally, as I could tell from my first impression that she was a very kind lady. Her son, Ryan, was tall and quiet. After the half hour we waited for the other families to arrive, Mrs. Rasmussen, her son and I drove back to their home in a city, which I cannot spell correctly. Their home had a very modest front yard, so modest that they posted red reflectors, or cat’s eyes as they’re sometimes called, on their mailbox to make it easier to find their entrance in the dead of night.
The home was well lived in, with various trinkets and objects scattered about the living room. The boys Ryan and Michael, 15 and 17 years old respectively, had many toys. And by toys I mean the good ones; they had a racing seat for games, a large flat screen for their Xbox 360 and Modern Warfare 2. What I liked personally was their cute little cat. I have one myself. After the father Steve and Michael came home, the family treated me to a dinner at a Thai restaurant. The food was amazing and they graciously offered to pay for my share of the bill. We then packed our things and headed off to Hampton Downs, where the family has an apartment rented adjacent to the Hampton Downs race track. Of course I asked why and the father has a race on Sunday. I was impressed; rarely do I see actual racecar drivers. Upon arrival, I could barely make out the racetrack through the fog, but I had to prepare for bed. But, I watched a classic James Bond movie (The Man with the Golden Gun) with my family before so.
The next day, Saturday, the family took me out to a nature walk in a park, which has a name that I cannot recall. I saw a model dam used in the olden days and went up a hill to a location called “Outlook 76” and I was treated to an amazing view of the Mountains, Forests, River, and… a very large power transmission tower. The tower was an eyesore but the pictures I took look great. We went back down and shopped around the street venders in downtown Thames. I wasn’t too interested in any of the merchandise but the mother bought some cheese for cooking later that night. When we got back to the apartment in Hampton Downs later that night, I had some cheese crackers and soup for dinner with the family. We watched another movie (Employee of the Month) that night. I loved that movie and had a great many laughs with the Rasmussens.
Race day, Sunday, came cold and foggy that morning. I had some cereal with Ryan and Michael. When the fog began to clear, Mrs. Rasmussen, Ryan, and I went down to meet Michael and Steve who were already in the pit stop. As I stood out in the cold and watched them change tires on a car, the announcer came on and stated that the next will start shortly. Mrs. Rasmussen, her son and I went over to an outlook and watched as Steve went round the corners. He didn’t win the first race, but after we went back inside to keep warm we saw he had won his last one so he came home in a happy mood. I loved how one of the races included 30 go-karts going like 150 mph around the racetrack. They definitely were making some noise on that track! We had a quiet dinner and we all went to bed.
The next morning, I had to say goodbye to the Rasmussen and I left them a small memento of my stay so they won’t forget about me. And I definitely won’t forget about them. I miss the Rasmussen already and it’s only been a few hours. I hope everybody else does too.


We are heading to the airport tomorrow and flying to Australia. I will write the blog ASAP. I don’t know about internet access yet. I will call my husband and have him email all of you when we arrive or Marlene will post it on the blog.

We will talk soon
Connie