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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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Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor 🇺🇲 (BRIDGEUSA)
60+ years of building International friendship + cultural understanding by through teaching exchange 🌎

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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! 

#J1 #bridgeusa
“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

#BridgeUSA #j1
Site Visits are underway! Amity’s School Liaiso Site Visits are underway!

Amity’s School Liaison Officer, Mrs. Gibbons-Bullock, conducted the first Site Visit for the 2025-2026 School Year with our teachers placed at Pendergast Elementary School District located in Phoenix, Arizona!
“We’re the interns at Sonia Sotomayor School i “We’re the interns at Sonia Sotomayor School in South Dakota, coming from Spain, El Salvador, Chile, and Colombia. Our first week has been unforgettable—full of learning, excitement, and gratitude. We’re so happy to be on this journey together and to be part of such a wonderful community!” 

Welcome to all our new interns and teachers! We wish you all a successful school year! 

#brideUSA #j1
🎉 Orientation Season Has Officially Begun! Yes 🎉 Orientation Season Has Officially Begun!

Yesterday, Amity’s Executive Director, Jim Price, had the pleasure of meeting our newest teachers joining us through the Spanish Ministry in Tulsa, Oklahoma. What an inspiring way to kick off the year!

We’re thrilled to welcome all of our new participants to the Amity family. 

If you’ve just arrived, we’d love to see your journey—tag us in your photos or feel free to send them our way, we’d love to feature you on our social media!

#BridgeUSA #j1
We would like to recognize Mr. Morales’ for bein We would like to recognize Mr. Morales’ for being awarded Teacher of the Year! 🇵🇭Congratulations on all of your achievements and this amazing recognition. We’re so happy and proud to have you as a teacher in our program! 

Below is what Mr. Morales has shared with Amity Institute regarding his award: 

“I’m honored to share that I was selected as Teacher of the Year at Harvest Preparatory Academy and have been nominated for the city-wide Teacher of the Year award.

This recognition would not have been possible without the incredible opportunity and support provided by Amity Institute. As a cultural exchange teacher, I’m deeply grateful for the chance to grow, connect, and contribute meaningfully to my school community.

I’m also proud to share that I was chosen to deliver the keynote address to our graduating seniors.

On a personal note, my wife Hannah continues to grow in her role as District EL Coordinator, and our son Caiden is thriving—he was recently selected to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at his kindergarten graduation.

Thank you again for making this journey possible for our family.”

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