Who am I and who are we? I reference “I’ and “we” and “us” all the time and you might be asking who are these people? Who are the Crazy International Family? Well I am here to introduce myself, which I probably should have done a while ago.
I am Heather, my husband is Matt, our dogs are Molly and Sam, and our cat is Goober (because she is the silliest cat).
The international part (the exchange students that have changed our lives for the better): Martina from Italy, Anna from Germany, Alicia from Germany, Anna from Norway, Sofia from Italy, and Dea from Switzerland. And we have two new students lined up for next year 2020/2021. Not only are these girls all our family but their bio-families are too, we love to meet everyone and try to welcome as many into our home as we can. And we cannot wait to go and visit everyone in their hometowns as well!
So more about me. I am currently working as an IEC for EF (Education First), our chosen exchange organization, and blogging on the side. Both are semi-part-time jobs. The rest of my time is split between cleaning house, taking care of animals, reading, washing tv/movies, errands and such, and of course taking care of our girls.
I majored in history at Old Dominion University and worked in travel for a bit.
We love traveling, but haven’t had a chance to do it lately (other than in-country things with our students). I guess we paused our traveling to bring the world to us via teenagers. Haha.
I LOVE the ocean. Salt air is pure therapy. I could sit on a beach all day everyday and just watch the waves and little sand pipers run up and down the tide line. I love beach culture, the relaxed atmosphere with good food and drink in hand. Luckily we live pretty close (though not close enough by my standards) to several beaches so I can go check in whenever I need some beach vibes.
I love reading, I read most types of books (except romance—no thank you). I’ve created a challenge this year to finish at least 4 books a month, we will see how it goes. I think it is my way of trying to curb my tv addiction. Current read: The Sun Down Motel (a thrilling ghost story).
Also I am addicted to tv haha. I do watch a lot of tv, it’s probably in-line with the rest of America and it just feels like so much. I also enjoy going to the movies and live theater. New show favs: The New Pope, Avenue 5, 9-1-1 Lone Star.
I am sarcastic. I love coffee and wine in equal measures. I like to laugh, I hate crying (you will never find me watching/reading something with the aim to cry). I love dancing to loud music in my kitchen (it is a family tradition). Tacos are my favorite food, pineapple does not belong on pizza. I follow a keto diet for health reasons. I am into mythology and ghost stories. I love all animals and I try to protect the earth the best I can.
That is me a page-long nutshell. You’ll notice I am just like everyone else so if you think you need to be special to host exchange students, you don’t. We like average people and the students want an average American family to experience the real American life. So if you are average like me and want more information on hosting contact me!