This Summer, eight other families and I had the pleasure of meeting up via Zoom with young Iraqi leaders from IYLEP. It was two weeks full of nothing but fun! Despite the physical distance and connection issues that came with virtual communication, we host families still did our best to ensure our Iraqi participants engaged with each visit.
For me, one of the most valuable things I did with my Iraqi participants was simply to talk. It seems frivolous, but I learned how alike we are through that. We all listened to artists like Shawn Mendes and Post Malone, we all liked shows like The Queen’s Gambit, and we all had messed up sleep schedules! Teenage life felt universal. I learned they didn’t like eating breakfast, which I empathize with, but when I showed them the pancakes my family was making on a lazy Sunday morning, I think we all got a bit hungry. They loved my cats (which is unsurprising because who wouldn’t?) and enjoyed the tour I took them on of our garden. Small things like these are easy to do but fun for everyone involved. Other host families did cool activities as well!
One host family virtually took their participants to the beach! In an email they provided afterward, one of the participants mentioned how that experience helped them learn that “the sea is not that scary after all.” Another host family created an origami crane with their participants, with one mentioning how they would “treasure [it] as a souvenir.” That same host family also exchanged recipes and found they shared a common dish! So as you can see, we host families had the best time sharing big and small activities with our Iraqi participants. We planned things they could enjoy, learn from, and hold dear. Through that mutual engagement, amazing connections blossomed.
If you would like to host a family in the future, you can go to the Gulf Coast Diplomacy website, where you can fill out our volunteer form and check off the host family option. Hosting is honestly such a blast, and I recommend it to anyone considering it. Connect with international visitors, show them your favorite sites in Pensacola or at home, and leave knowing you’ve made a new friend!
– Yasmine Khabou, Host Sister, IYLEP 2021
