Dear Students:
Your arrival in Minnesota is coming soon!! We are ready for you and looking forward to meeting you face to
face. We are already studying your photos and trying to learn your names.
Your hosts are now preparing for your arrival. Just like you, they are nervous and excited.
Your host has been carefully chosen for you. We only choose people we know, who are kind and patient. Do
not worry that your English won’t be good enough. Your host is prepared to be patient and help you improve
your English. But work as hard as you can now to learn as much as you can before you come, because
everything you learn will be helpful during your time in America.
Sometimes students wonder how we match them with hosts. We would like to tell you. After receiving your
questionnaires we compared them with the questionnaires from the hosts. Then we matched them. So,
for example, those of you who said you like children were, in most cases, matched with families who have
children. Those of you who said you don’t like children were usually put in families without children.
Please understand that we are not able to match every request. We only have as many hosts as there are
students. So it is possible that you may find your host to be a little different than what you expected. For
example, you may have requested a family with children but in some cases there were not enough families
that had children. So you may not get a family with children. We are sorry about that!
The most important thing is that you think of your host positively, with a sense of flexibility and adventure.
If you have a family with small children, don’t be upset that there may be a lot of noise. Rather, be glad
you will have many little English teachers who will be happy to speak with you. If you have an older, retired
host, don’t worry that your homestay will be quiet and boring. Rather, think positively about all the years of
experience and wisdom your host can share with you.
Your homestay experience will be wonderful and it will be something you remember for the rest of your life.
Make the most of every minute you spend with your host.
You will soon know who your host is. Please write an e-mail to your host today. Your host is doing the same
and you should receive an e-mail soon. Some hosts may be on vacation, or don’t use the Internet very often,
so if you don’t get a reply right away, don’t be surprised.
If you have any questions, please ask your professor or you can ask us directly. We are here to help you and
make this a wonderful and meaningful learning experience for each one of you.
We can’t wait to meet all of you face to face!!!
See you soon!
Mark & Sharon Norlander,
St. Paul Intercultural Institute Directors
norlander@prodigy.net