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“But, how can he be your son if you’re not German?” – Our Amity Hosting Experience, by the Perchyshyn Family

February 25, 2020 by guest Leave a Comment

The following essay was written by German Intern Fabian Stassek’s host family, the Perchyshyn Family of St. Paul, Minnesota. The Amity Team thanks the Perchyshyns for sharing such an intimate glimpse into your life as hosts.

 

 

“From August of 2019 to January of 2020, we had the privilege of having a 23-year old Amity Intern from Speyer, Germany become part of our family. His name is Fabian Stassek. My son, Gunther, age 13, also known as Gunny, attends a German Immersion school in St. Paul, Minnesota and Fabian worked at the German school from the end of August through the middle of January 2020. 

Fabian soon showed his easy-going and fun essay writers nature by always being willing to play card games, sports and go on family trips with us. He loved anything active, new or social. His English was very good and he would speak to my husband and myself exclusively in English. However, since my son knew German, Fabian and Gunther would converse in German.  

Since he liked sports, we took him to a minor league baseball game at Saints Field, to see one of Minnesota’s favorite teams; The Saint Paul Saints. We also invited another Amity Intern to join us and he did. His name was Fabriz Abeln. 

It was a beautiful summer night, a great night to watch baseball. Fabriz, Fabian and Gunther were sitting close to my husband and myself, but a few rows away. We didn’t know this, but they spent the evening speaking in German. My husband and I took a break from the game to get a snack. We overheard a couple people talking about the “Germans” who were sitting by them. I didn’t think much of this until those same people talking about the Germans were seated behind us. They were talking about our group. 

I turned around and asked the lady if she was talking about that group. I pointed to Fabriz, Fabian and Gunther. She said that indeed, she was. I told her that one of them was my son. She was shocked. “Really?” she asked. “Are you German?”  

I told her I wasn’t, at least not more than 10 percent. She wondered how my son knew German and I explained that he went to a German Immersion school. She said, “Well, it’s working. I thought he was German too.”  

Fabian and Gunther spoke German almost exclusively while he was here. Fabian was able to practice his English with us and our son got to practice his German with Fabian. They had a great time playing baseball, basketball, skating in the winter, skiing at Afton Alps and sightseeing all over Minnesota. It felt like we had a bigger family and a more active one. We have two adult daughters who live in the area and Fabian got to spend time with them and all of us, especially on holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year.  

We had a wonderful experience with Fabian and feel like our family grew in so many ways. He learned English and American culture and we learned German and more about the culture of Germany. My son learned to be more self-sufficient, by watching Fabian and seeing how he did homework, cleaned up after himself and made meals. Fabian liked the food here, except the bread! He was not a picky eater at all, but American bread does not compare to German bread.  

Perhaps the best part of all is that we have a new family member in Germany now and our world got bigger, especially for my son. He’ll be traveling to Germany in May with his classmates and teachers and he may have a chance to reconnect with Fabian. We hope to travel there next summer and visiting Fabian would be a top priority. It’s a magical thing to have the world get smaller while your family gets bigger. The learning is incidental.  

Thank you AMITY for being part of the educational landscape at my son’s school.”

 

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This experience changed my life! Now, I have more dreams and some other goals. I'm so thankful for everything that I've learned. I want to continue growing as a human and as a teacher. The Amity program is one the best things that ever happened to me." - Michelle, 2018-2019 Intern

We have been working with Amity for several years. Learning about different cultures, communities, traditions, music, arts, dances and more, helps our students to see the world as a global place fostering diversity and respect. Having a second adult in the classroom helps our teachers to be able to have more individualized attention to students and work on small groups. Amity has been a wonderful organization to work with, reliable and accessible, bringing highly qualified young people to work in our school."- Maria Buceta Miller, Amity School Coordinator, John Stanford International School

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Intern Alumnus Spotlight: Elhadji Abdou Sarr from Intern Alumnus Spotlight: Elhadji Abdou Sarr from Senegal 🇸🇳

Mr. Sarr participated in Amity’s Intern Program in 2023-2024 and recently reached out to us to express his gratitude for the program along with sharing what he has been up to! 

“I wanted to take a moment to express my deep gratitude for the incredible opportunity I had through Amity Institute to work at Academy Lafayette in the United States. It was a truly enriching experience that greatly shaped my personal and professional journey.

Since returning to Senegal, I have continued working with children by teaching English to young learners. Inspired by the methods, creativity, and cultural exchange I experienced in the U.S., I have developed engaging English sessions tailored for kids here. It has been both rewarding and exciting to apply what I learned during my time with you.

I’ve attached a few pictures of my students and some of the activities we’ve been doing. I hope this gives you a glimpse of the positive impact your program continues to have—even beyond borders.

Thank you again for your support and for believing in global exchange. I would be happy to stay in touch and share more updates in the future.

Warm regards, 
Elhadji Abdou Sarr”

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Another wonderful site visit at Star of the North Another wonderful site visit at Star of the North - East Bethel Campus! Mrs. Gibbons-Bullock had a lovely time visiting our teachers and meeting with the Executive Director, Mr. Rabeaa. 

Fun fact: they have a garden at the school and they share it with their teachers! 

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Amity Intern, Sergio, sharing his culture with his Amity Intern, Sergio, sharing his culture with his students! 🇪🇸

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Amity’s School Liaison Officer, Mrs. Gibbons-Bul Amity’s School Liaison Officer, Mrs. Gibbons-Bullock, had the pleasure of visiting our teachers placed at Escuela Exitos, located in Minnesota! She enjoyed spending time with the Principal, Mr. Vanegas, and spending some time with each teacher! 

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“We are so lucky to have our Intern, Alex, from “We are so lucky to have our Intern, Alex, from Spain!” 🇪🇸

-Mr. Rios, Language and Immersion Coordinator

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