1998-1999 Arnaud AFS Exchange Student

Prologue

We had thought about hosting an exchange student and some of our friends had also considered it. However, when we talked to our children about having a foreign teenager live with us, they rejected the idea. The opportunity arose to be part of the AFS program by being an "Aunt or Uncle". This meant we did not actually have a student live with us, but could spend some time with an exchange student, relieving the existing host family and providing us with some exposure to the student. Two of the AFS students, Arnaud (Belgium) and Lena Valgardsdottir (Iceland) were in temporary host families, Arnaud's in Edina and Lena's in Eden Prairie. We became their Aunt and Uncle.

We invited both Lena and Arnaud over to our house one afternoon. On our deck, the group of Kim, Nicholas, Arnaud and Lena could be heard laughing and having a great time. It became apparent these "aliens" were not from Mars, and watched the "Simpson's". They continued to visit with each others and friendships developed.

Lena's temporary family, Mari Herman (Eden Prairie), decided that she wanted to have Lena stay permanately with her.

Arnaud's temporary family, the Majors (Edina), who just had a baby, were planning a trip. They asked if Arnaud could stay with us. Upon the Major's return, Arnaud told us he really wanted to stay with us. We said we would like to have him stay with us permanently, and he would have to inform the Major's of his desires. The Major's also were taking Arnaud with them on a trip to Florida. Arnaud faced a dilemma of how to tell the Major's of his desires, and not offending the Major's on the upcoming trip. When he told them of his desires to be with a family who had teenagers, they reluctantly agreed. Arnaud moved to our house in October.

Why Arnaud?: Usually a host family selects a student from a written application and interview reports from the student's native country. In the case with Arnaud, our entire family had the opportunity to meet and to live with him, and he with us, before the decision was made to host Arnaud permanently.

Arnaud's AFS Application

Cover page

Self-description- page 1Self-description- page2

Application photo- page 1

Application photo- with cousins at Christmas

Application photo- with brother Jerome

Application photo- sister Julie

Application photo- mother, Francoise, and
father, Luc

Application photo- father, Luc, playing billards on terrace

Application photo- high school in Brussels, College of St.Michael

Application photo- home in Brussels

Application photo- in bedroom

Application photo-with friends on holiday in Switzerland
From left: Denis (friend), Corentien (friend), Tanguy (Denis's brother),
Jimmy (Tanguy's friend), Nasl (Denis and Tanguy's father)

First days with our family

Arnaud joins our family.
Mary, Kim, me, and Nicholas, Jr.

His new home with Bo, our dog.

Our new "son".

Arnaud's 18th Birthday
October 21st

A nice cake to celebrate.

Halloween

Carving pumpkins with Lena (Iceland) and Kim

Kim starting to make up Arnaud for Halloween

Sebastian DuBois (France) looks in on the transformation

The finished product

A man shouldn't look so beautiful

Tim Cogswell ready to defend a young "lady's" honor and country.

What about me?
With my bug head.

Fun Times with Lena

Lena Valgardsdottir (Iceland) was also in a temporary home when she arrived,
which later became a permanent home with Mari Herman in Eden Prairie .
Lena spent a lot of time at our family.

Como Park Zoo
First zoo for Lena. Iceland has no zoos.
Teri Christensen, my daughter, Kim, Lena, and Arnaud

Just being together at our house.

Lena can handle herself.

Lena and Kim, a devilish pair

Christmas

Christmas Eve

Santa Claus came and brought presents

Moaning after stuffing ourselves with a Christmas feast.
Moaning while rolling on the floor was found to aid digestion
and has been traced back to Roman times.

Chicago

For the New Year's weekend, Nicholas, Arnaud and I went to visit my mother in Grayling, Michigan. Our trip took us from Minneapolis through Chicago, to Grayling, and returning via the Northern Peninsula of Michigan in what was one the worst winters ever.

Arnaud from Belgium could not believe we had driven so far, and were still in Wisconsin, let alone another country. being from Belgium he was used to being in another country within a few hours or in an area where people spoke a different language or dialect within minutes. The United States was a BIG place.

Chicago

In the Windy City

Atop the Sears Tower

Grayling, Michigan

Arnaud, Nicholas, and Gregory, his cousin from Detroit, set out to go snowboarding, only to miss by literally inches one of the worst accidents ever in Northern Michigan. They happened to be the first car hitting the "Whiteout", skidding off the Interstate, and avoiding the worst of the 100-vehicle pileup. I was in he Grayling Hospital at the time, visiting my mother, when the hospital went into a "Condition Red". Chaos regiened.

Whiteouts are caused by the sudden appearance of a snow squall.
One moment the sky is clear, the next you can not see 10 feet.

Some of the wreckageOur car off the road. Had to be pulled out with a winch.
Boys continued on with their snowboarding.

Kim's 17th Birthday
January 7th

It is not just a birthday with Kim. It is a festival.

Steve Christensen, Teri's husband, Teri, my oldest daughter, me, Kim, Lena, and Arnaud.
Cake and presents. Everyone loves birthdays.

Stepping Out

Dressed to the "Nines". Ready for a dance.
Sebastian DuBois (France) and Arnaud

Recarpeting

Nicholas' bedroom and the lower hallway needed new carpet.
Instead of hiring someone else to do the job, well we hired them.

First to remove "stuff" from Nicholas' room.

Taking up the old.

It is hard work.

Bringing in the new.

Household Security

No comment.

No comment.

Quiet Moments
Everyone needs a little time to themselves.

Doing homework

Playing with Bo

Reading on the deck with Kim

Nicholas' 21st Birthday
June 8th

Simon Forclaz (Switzerland), Arnaud, Kathryn (Denmark),
Sebastian DuBois (France), Nicholas, and Kim

Senior Prom

Arnaud and his prom date, Kathryn

Double Dating
Kathryn, Arnaud, John Cody (Kim's date), and Kim

Prom Dinner

Graduation

In graduation gown. A happy student.

Leaving the graduation ceremony, an emotional host mom awaits.

Graduation gifts.

South Dakota Trip
June 14-18, 1999

The AFS Edina Chapter, another AFS student, Daniela, we pickup in South Dakota, and some adults went on a tent camping trip to the Badlands, Custer State Park, and Mount Rushmore.

Front: Romina valdes Hernandez (Chile),Christina Visentin (Brazil),
Sebastian DuBois (France), Tomohiro takabe (Japan)
Rear: Jed Hepworth, Daniela Artuso (Italy), Robin Hepworth,
Arnaud (Belgium), Jesualdo Hernandez Barbosa (Venezuela),
Nick Shuraleff, Jr., Jakob Mauritz (Germany), Wolfgang Mauritz, Nick Shuraleff, Sr.

Primevil Creatures.
Jakob and Sebastian

The Three Amigos
Nicholas, Sebastian, and Arnaud

They want to be alone.
The boys' tents across the stream, far, far away.

What get up?
It is only noon!

On top of the world (toilets) at the windblown prairie stop
overlooking the Missouri River.
Nicholas, Jakob, Arnaud

Departure

Saying "Goodbye" is never easy,
especially when you don't know if you ever will meet again.

Last family photo.
We all changed for the better.

Good friends.
Sebastian, Nicholas, Arnaud, Kathryn, and Kim at departure point.
Bus would take students for final departure from Chicago O'Hare.

Sebastian DuBois, face half shaven.
His girlfriend showed up two minutes after the bus departed.

Lena with Kim

Saying goodbye to their "brother".

When you have to leave the one you love.
Arnaud and Kathryn

Post Script

Arnaud returned to Brussels and enrolled in a business university. When the teacher asked Arnaud how English businessmen greet one another, he responded with "What's up?".
By being the first exchange student, Arnaud set the stage for other students to come and our desire to have others join our small family..