"The pleasure of hosting Christina was all mine"

I had the delight, honor and privilege of hosting an amazing young woman from Zimbabwe in January. Christina and I were chosen randomly as guest and host, but it proved to be a perfect match.

Bonnie and Christina on the evening of students’ “This I believe…” speeches.

I had never met someone from Zimbabwe and had no idea what to expect. I knew that she would be an outstanding young woman who had already achieved a great deal in her education, in working in her community and in her personal growth. She was chosen to participate in the FIUTS program after all. It is a daunting and demanding process to be chosen and one must have worked hard to be eligible enough to apply. As I got to know Christina and her story, I was even more impressed by what she had to overcome to travel so far from home.

As soon as we met, her warmth was evident. Upon greeting me, I was wrapped in a big hug and a bright smile. She brought one small bag of belongings with her to my home and our first stop was the grocery store. I'm not really a meat eater and she particularly said she preferred to eat meat so we immediately had to find appealing alternatives for both of us. Turns out, she really liked my cooking and she happily ate all that was offered. 

Christina at the final presentation night sharing her project to empower youth of Mbare, Zimbabwe, her hometown.

Hosting a student is still a learning experience for me. For instance, I have a car so I don't rely on the bus system. I showed Christina where to catch the bus and we walked the route there and back from my house. But, while she told me that we have a great bus system, she wasn't familiar with the ins and outs of traveling on a bus and requesting a stop. Once, she had to walk back quite a distance because she was expecting the bus to stop at every stop and it doesn't...unless requested. 

By the time Christina reached middle school, she was already actively participating in the running of their household. Honesty, this isn't too different from my upbringing. I, too, had to do chores everyday after school. The kind of responsibility inherent in her family life clearly prepared Christina to be helpful, generous and accommodating. This is evidenced in her vision for other girls in her community. She wants to work to ensure that they have educational opportunities not circumscribed by the economics of their lives. It is also evidenced by her being a lovely guest in my home...helpful and reliable and cheerful.

Christina presenting her work to Zimbabwe-born Wanala Bifwoli of Mikono Coffee and FIUTS Education Programs Specialist, Nada Ramadan.

I had friends over for dinner and Christina showed us some dance moves from her hometown. We went to a friend's house for lunch with others in the FIUTS group. They were blown away by my friend's art-filled home and her knowledge of the history of how enslaved Africans were part of the origins of our country dating back to 1619. Christina is familiar with shopping at thrift stores and we took great advantage of that while she was with me. We went to the zoo to enjoy the Zoo Lights. She particularly mentioned that she had never seen penguins and it happened that the penguins were the only creatures on display that night (we didn't look in the snake house). She wanted to see snow so one of the other hosts took several of in her group to the mountains. A few days later, Seattle weather cooperated and brought snow to all our young African guests.

Christina worked hard to prepare each day for the FIUTS program and when I went to the evening of presentations on “This I believe…,” I was moved almost beyond words by the stories and visions each young person told. I truly believe the cohort of young people from Angola, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe are the future leaders of southern Africa. I know I will see Christina take her place in that group of future change makers. What a spectacular and hopeful opportunity to meet someone with such a bright and shining future! 

The pleasure of hosting Christina was all mine.

Bonnie Thompson Norman
FIUTS Homestay Host