The Hummel family has found a unique way to spread the word about the host parent experience: TikTok! With over 125,000 followers at their account @Josiewhite201, they have successfully shared with the world the value that an exchange student can bring to their family and community.
Joselyn and Devin Hummel have hosted two AFS exchange students and are eagerly awaiting their third. During the early days of their second student's year in Missouri, Joselyn stumbled upon TikTok and was inspired to share their experiences on the platform. Over the past year, they have posted all sorts of clips, ranging from funny and quirky to heartwarming and touching.
In this episode, Joselyn and Devin will share their journey of becoming AFS host parents, the invaluable lessons they've learned along the way, and the insightful advice they have for potential host parents. They will also talk about their TikTok experience and how they've utilized the platform to reach an impressive community, all while spreading the importance and value of intercultural exchange.
Guests:
Joselyn Hummel
Devin Hummel
Study Abroad with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/study-abroad
Volunteer with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/volunteer
Host with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/host
Educator Resources: www.afsusa.org/educators
Contact us: podcast@afsusa.org
The Hummel family has found a unique way to spread the word about the host parent experience: TikTok! With over 125,000 followers at their account @Josiewhite201, they have successfully shared with the world the value that an exchange student can bring to their family and community.
Joselyn and Devin Hummel have hosted two AFS exchange students and are eagerly awaiting their third. During the early days of their second student's year in Missouri, Joselyn stumbled upon TikTok and was inspired to share their experiences on the platform. Over the past year, they have posted all sorts of clips, ranging from funny and quirky to heartwarming and touching.
In this episode, Joselyn and Devin will share their journey of becoming AFS host parents, the invaluable lessons they've learned along the way, and the insightful advice they have for potential host parents. They will also talk about their TikTok experience and how they've utilized the platform to reach an impressive community, all while spreading the importance and value of intercultural exchange.
Guests:
Joselyn Hummel
Devin Hummel
Study Abroad with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/study-abroad
Volunteer with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/volunteer
Host with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/host
Educator Resources: www.afsusa.org/educators
Contact us: podcast@afsusa.org
Kate M.
Hello and welcome to The AFS Exchange. I’m Kate Mulvihill. The AFS Exchange is a podcast by AFS-USA where we open the door to hear from members of our AFS family. This is a place to have conversations, or exchanges, with AFS host families, students, volunteers, and educators.
Kate M.
By now, in 2023, I'm sure most of our listeners are familiar with TikTok, the immensely popular social media app where users share short videos on a wide range of topics. Among the vast array of content, you can also find host parents sharing their stories about hosting exchange students.
Today, we're featuring the experiences of Joselyn and Devin Hummel, who have hosted two AFS exchange students and are eagerly awaiting their third. During the early days of their second student's year in Missouri, Joselyn stumbled upon TikTok, and over the past year, she's posted all sorts of clips, ranging from funny and quirky to heartwarming and touching.
For example, when they introduced their Swiss student Geraldine to Funions for the first time…
Geraldine:
Mm, oh my god. It’s so good.
Devin H.
They’re funions.
Geraldine
What is funions?
Joselyn H.
It’s a brand of chip. It’s a fun onion.
Geraldine
I’m gunna eat the whole thing.
Kate M.
In this episode, Joselyn and Devin will share their journey of becoming AFS host parents, the invaluable lessons they've learned along the way, and the insightful advice they have for potential host parents. We will also hear about their TikTok experience and how they've utilized the platform to reach an impressive community of over 125,000 followers, all while spreading the importance and value of intercultural exchange. You can check out their account at Josiewhite201.
Kate M.
Thank you so much for joining me this afternoon to share about your experience hosting with AFS. Could you please introduce yourself and let me know where you're located
Devin H.
My name is Devin Hummel, we're actually out of St. Louis, Missouri. This is my wife, Joselyn.
Joselyn H.
Hello.
Devin H.
We've been here roughly about 10 years in St. Louis.
Kate M.
How did you first hear about AFS?
Devin H.
So I'll be honest with you. It was luck of the draw. I was searching for an exchange student program. And I think I just did a Google search. And so I sent out three applications to three different programs and AFS was the first to respond. And thank goodness, it was luck. Call it divine intervention, but AFS was the first one to respond. And so that was how we got rolling with AFS.
Kate M.
When Devin was growing up in Kansas, his parents welcomed exchange students. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be a host father once he had the chance.
Devin H.
I think we hosted seven over the years. It is as a kid I remember being with all my host brothers and sisters, being such a big highlight of my youth, and all the experiences we had. And I just don't recall a time when we didn't have a foreign exchange student. So when I was growing up, I remember the last one we had. I said, when I have a family, I'm going to do this, I'm going to host foreign exchange students. And it's been a life goal of mine. And so that's kind of what led us to this.
Joselyn H.
We're highschool sweethearts. So we started dating my freshman year of high school, I was able to experience several of the students from that aspect. So I was very familiar with the way that they incorporated the exchange students and their family and was able to really see the joys that came out of that. So when we talked about it, and we felt it felt like it was the right time for us, it was kind of “Okay, let's do this.”
Devin H.
I didn't have to work that hard. It was an easy sell.
Joselyn H.
We grew up in a small town in Kansas. And so my sister actually went to a school dance with one of his foreign exchange students, Simon, who we became very close with and has come back and visited us multiple times. And he's actually gone on vacation with my family. So it's amazing how they just become incorporated even within extended families. So
Kate M.
Where was Simon from?
Devin H.
Germany. He still calls me often, we still stay in contact through Facebook and Facebook chat. And she was gonna tell a story about just a funny thing he did.
Kate M.
Thanks to Devin’s host brother Simon from Germany, he learned that you can make phone calls through Facebook.
Joselyn H.
Yes, he called him through Facebook. He told Devin that it was the IRS and that they were coming to arrest him. And you know, so I mean, it was a lot of fun, you know, and with our last student being from Switzerland, she spoke German, and she enjoyed being able to speak German. So they got to speak to each other. So it's just it, you know, was just kind of a full circle moment.
Devin H.
I know that with our first foreign exchange student that we just hosted, probably a week she was here, I can tell her brain was fried from trying to translate everything in her mind to English. And Simon called, and I said, “Hey, do me a favor, would you mind talking to her?” And he said, “Sure.” So all of a sudden, I hear those whispers. I kept seeing her look over at me smiling. And when they hung up the phone, I said, what was he telling you some bad stories about us? And she was like, “No, no, he said, you're gonna love it. The Hummels are awesome, you're gonna have a great time.” So I thought that was kind of nice.
Kate M.
Absolutely. And the fact that you were able to stay in touch with him for so many years and introduce him to your exchange daughter, and maybe help her feel a little bit more comfortable, right? To speak with somebody in her own language, but also just get, you know, AFS obviously does reference checks, AFS obviously vets their host parents, but just, “Hi, I'm a fellow German speaker, and I can attest that these are, these are good people.” I'm sure that helped her, I'm sure. Yeah. So both of you had had experience with exchange students. But when it came to hosting your own exchange student in your own home, what did you think it would be like?
Joselyn H.
So interestingly enough, I was very uncomfortable and nervous at first, because I, I knew all the things that could potentially happen, what if their sibling rivalry What if, you know, they, they don't get along, meaning like, with our, with our girls, or what if you know, something's, you know, they're not getting along with people at school? What if they don't, you know, have the same level of education, and then we're struggling in school. And so when I met with the liaisons, to do our interview, you know, express some of these concerns like, and they did such a wonderful job of saying, It's okay, and I'm so glad that you have these reservations, because that's what's going to make you a great host parent, because you're recognizing that it's not going to be sunshine and rainbows, and that you are going to head off those things, because you're going to be aware of them and looking for them.
And so that really, after that conversation that, okay, I'm glad to be going into this with an open mind and, and going into it, you know, kind of knowing that we could go down some of these pathways. So fortunately, we've not had any of those experiences. I think just because we are aware of making sure that when we have a foreign exchange student with us, that we treat them like a daughter. And so it's not like they're a guest in our house, and that we have to do everything that guest wants to do, which I know sometimes you can fall into that trap, and then your own children kind of go “Wait, why did they always get to pick where we eat, why do they always get to pick what we do?” So you know, and so that was something that we really tried to make sure that we didn't do so.
Kate M.
AFS students usually attend 4 in-person orientations throughout their year in the United States. And at the beginning of the year, there is also an in-person host parent orientation.
Joselyn H.
I would definitely say that initially, we were kind of like, why do we have to go to all these orientations like the parent orientation and do that every year? And why did the kids always have to go to these orientations? And the way that AFS has structured these orientations helps the parents not only be host parents, we have to go to another one every year. But it also gives us a community of other host parents. So we can also help with newer host parents. And also older parents, host parents, who have had multiple students and talk about, okay, well, what about this, and so it's a great opportunity for support. And then the quarterly orientations that AFS does, they do it in great fun locations, the fall ones always at Lake of the Ozarks. And I know our student was so very, very nervous to go and I said, don't worry about me going, I'm gonna go, and I won't be able to see you. And, you know, one of our videos is actually me going, Oh, my gosh, I'm staying in this bunk by myself. And it was a big growing experience for me. But it was great, because I saw them all the way into separate, and they came out and they were so happy and laughing and goofing around, they want to take pictures down by the lake, and it gave them someone else to connect to in Missouri, that is kind of going through the same thing, because it's hard to experience to explain to anyone else, what they're feeling at different times throughout the year. And it gave them kind of a smaller community that they could kind of connect with.
Our student was not able to go to homecoming because the orientation happened that land on that same date. And so she actually went to homecoming with a German student, and it neighboring high school the following weekend, so she still got to experience that, that orientation gave her that opportunity to do that. With that other student created that relationship. And that really talks with topics that are kind of going on with him right now. Like, hey, we're getting ready to come up on the holidays. How are you feeling about that? Or how you feel about homesickness? Or how are you handling making friends at school and, you know, getting involved. And I just think that that's such a wonderful opportunity. And initially, as a new host parent, I was kind of like, why don't we have to do this now interferes with this and this and now I understand the importance and how those orientations helped make the experience successful for both the host parent and the student.
Kate M.
The second student that Joselyn and Devin hosted was from Switzerland. During her arrival, Geraldine had some issues during her long trip to Kansas City. However, everyone felt supported by AFS along the way. Even though her arrival did not go as planned, this was a key moment that really bonded Geraldine and her host parents together, even before she set foot in their home.
Joselyn H.
With our Swiss student, she actually got stuck in customs. And she texted us and was sending us pictures. I don't know if I'm gonna make it and being from Chicago, we were like, Okay, we know hairs big, it'll be okay. It'd be okay. Trust me AFS on the other side of the glass, because AFS was not able to come in. And she had a four hour layover, so we really felt like you're going to be fine. And every hour went by, and it was like, Oh my gosh, okay, are you getting closer and she fortunately was able to find some other Fs students. I do love that AFS has such a large number of students that even in custom, she was finding AFS students and they all kind of come in the same week. And she's like, I found some other ones. It's okay. And she kept getting nervous. And I said, it'll be fine. If we have to drive to Chicago tonight, we will drive to Chicago tonight, it will be fine. And, you know, so ended up that she had about maybe 30 minutes after she got out of customs AFS met her there, they took her to the to the concourse she needed to be at and said, Okay, you're gonna go to this terminal, and then there'll be an AFS representative right there at the gate. And she called us on FaceTime. And I'm telling him at that moment was when I felt like, that's when I connected with her. That was when my mom heart went out. And I said, Okay. It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be fine. I mean, I was almost in tears. And she's running through the airport, she had her phone facing. So we were able to kind of like, GoPro mostly. Okay. And then, like you said, at one point, you're like, No, you're going the wrong way.
Devin H.
That's 13 to 19. You got to turn around, turn around.
Joselyn H.
That is like, immediately when we felt like, oh, my gosh, you know, this is our new daughter. I mean, we just connected right away. And it was such an amazing experience, unfortunately, that she had to go through that. But it also caused us to create that early bond that she immediately called us. And not anyone else, you know, that we were the ones that she called me helped get her to the gate. And I'm sure it was hilarious. Anybody else that probably would have thought they're like, What is going on here? She goes up to the gate and the AFS representative said, I'm sorry, they wouldn't hold the gate. They just closed it two minutes ago. And you know, of course, she just broke down. I said, Okay, I said, a handful of members of the AFS representative. And she did. And she said, I've got her, and she's going to be fine, we're going to get her hotel for the night, there's no more flights out, she's going to stay in the hotel, there's several students because of customs that missed. And she's going to actually stay in the hotel with another Swiss student that was going, I think, to Colorado, and she said she'll be on the first flight in the morning. And the communication was just, we're going to send you an email with the flight information, we're going to make sure that they're still going to AFS with her when she comes into St. Louis, with you guys as well. And it all worked out perfectly. Actually, I think it was a blessing because she had been traveling for so long that she got a good night's sleep. And then she was able to come in and, but it really just craved that kind of, we kind of laugh about it now. But you know, it definitely showed how she was just, you know, they're just so nervous when they come. And I mentioned that with both of our students. When they leave, they're so confident. And I mean, I could drop them off, I wouldn't do this, but if at the door of the airport, and they would be asking anybody, they'd be probably helping other people, oh, this is what you need to do. This is how you do it, you know, that kind of thing. And so I'm just seeing that growth in them. That there's no fear, by the end. I mean, they're, they could take on anything I've said they could take on the world at this point.
And our first student actually became an AFS liaison for a while in Italy. And I think that's another piece that I really like about AFS that not every other organization has is that they have AFS in their home countries as well. So it's not a different organization, there and here, so everybody communicates and it just seems like it's very seamless.
Kate M.
I asked Devin and Joselyn about some of the things that surprised them about welcoming in an exchange student. Between their two experiences with AFS, and Devin’s host siblings when he was young… many of these international students would all comment on the same thing…
Joselyn H.
Everything that had sugar in it. It didn't matter what it was, it was, you know, orange juice and apple juice.
They all tasted like sugar to them. And that was really surprising because things I wouldn't have thought had a lot of sugar. They were like, oh, yeah, it has a lot of sugar. And so that was something even bread, all of those kinds of things. It was surprising that I didn't realize that we put so much sugar in our foods and our processed foods. And so that was definitely the amount of choices that we have. Definitely go into Chick fil A, and they asked you at one of 16 sauces, which one do you want? It's like you know, it's like what? You know, I just want ketchup.
Devin H.
I had a Swedish foreign exchange student, it was interesting. We sat down for breakfast, I think we were at an IHOP or something like that. And she saw the little jams and jellies that were there. She thought that was dessert. And so she was literally eating it right out of the pack. And we're like, what do you do and, and she's like, it's so good. So we actually for a while would ship her those in like a Christmas thing. We'd send her these little jelly packets, so you get an IHOP or something. So it's kind of a joke, but she loved them. So it's just that it's funny to just have a different perspective of the perceptions of food and in culinary and in different countries.
Kate M.
In addition to everything being more sweet over here in the U.S., Devin noticed that the pace of daily life is generally more rushed than it is in other countries.
Devin H.
I've learned that the U.S. culture is very go go go, European cultures seem to slow things down, especially different highlights throughout the day. Like, they'll sit and have lunch for three hours. That's not uncommon. In the US, that is unheard of, okay, it is. Didn't you say what is wrong? And why are we eating lunch for three hours? But that is something that for us, I see that change with students. And I think that's causing us to slow down and enjoy the moment a little bit more. Because we see the temperament or the mentality of a European student. They're much more in tune with just enjoying the moment and sitting and chatting, that it's not, hey, where we are going next, and having to schedule, we gotta go here, which is how I'm used to organizing throughout the day. And it's kind of refreshing just to sit and sit and relax for a minute.
Kate M.
For Joselyn, she learned to be a little more daring around new foods, as well as the importance of slowing down and appreciating the little things every day.
Joselyn H.
Yeah, I think being open to different things. I tend to be a little bit of a picky eater. And their families both sent multiple boxes of different foods. And, you know, I wanted to be very gracious, they've tried everything that we've asked him to, and so you know, trying different things that they wouldn't normally have tried. And so that kind of got me to open up more to even different things when we're going out to restaurants now, like, oh, okay, I'll try it. Which, you know, I hadn't done before. I also think learning to slow down like Devin said earlier, I think slowing down, appreciating some of the journey along the way and not necessarily the destination in the things that would catch their attention. We would normally just kind of go, “Oh, yeah, okay, you know, keep going.” But they were like, “No, wait, what is that?” and you know, want to know everything about it. We stopped at Mount Vernon on our way to North Carolina and the admiration that our student had that this was a U.S. President's house, you know, that kind of thing.
Devin H.
I think, for me more listening, active listening, you know, and engaging in those conversations, because that's part of the fun is sitting and chit chatting and learning about their home country and teaching, I love to teach. And I think you saw in one of the TikToks, we were down in Dallas, and I went around Dealey Plaza and I was teaching about the JFK assassination. And there's a guy up there and you know, and that's something that I really enjoy is kind of teaching American culture and that's something I really enjoy with these kids is experiencing those things. And for me, I learned something too.
Devin H.
You know, see the fascination and the enjoyment in those little moments. It inspires me. I think we as U.S. citizens may take a lot of this for granted. We do. And I've learned to not take things for granted.
Kate M.
During their U.S. Government classes in school, the Italian and Swiss exchange students had the opportunity to share information about their respective countries with their classmates. Their unique perspectives proved to be valuable, as they provided the class with a deeper understanding of the differences between these countries and the United States.
Joselyn H.
They love to hear their perspective still in their class, they ask questions all the time. Well, how much is gas in your country? Well, how does this you know, so I think it's also great in the classroom, where the teachers are able to teach the students that it's not like, just the way that it is here that their countries are governed differently. They have, you know, different pieces of how their government is formed. So I think that that's another positive.
Kate M.
So. Now, back to TikTok. As I mentioned in the intro, Joselyn has over 125,000 followers… some of her videos getting millions and millions of views. Most of these videos include their host daughter Geraldine, with titles such as… “Trying Girl Scout Cookies for the First Time,” “Explaining Groundhog Day,” “Unboxing our Host Daughter’s Favorite Snacks from Switzerland.”
Kate M.
Learning about a Ring doorbell…
Geraldine
Is it this thing?
Joselyn H.
Yes. You didn’t know that was a camera? How did you think it worked, that Devin knew packages and things were here? Go off to the side.
Geraldine
I can see it moving… that’s so creepy.
Kate M.
And discovering plaid PJs, which are apparently known for being American.
Geraldine
American pajama shorts… I want to buy some. I want to buy some and rock it in an outfit.
Kate M.
In addition to these types of videos, there are also clips that include their first exchange daughter, from Italy, who gave them a surprise visit last November.
How did all get started? Well about a year ago, Geraldine wanted to post a video with Joselyn and Devin dancing in the background.
Joselyn H.
She wanted us to make a video of us dancing in the background. And it unfortunately was at night, and we had already taken a shower, and I'm like, I'm not showing my face on this thing with wet hair. So we found some heads. And I said, I guess we'll do this. And so that's kind of how that transpired.
And so then I started kind of watching her videos, and they came home one day and said, “Oh, my gosh, you won't believe what happened in the car.” And she played some music. And his reaction was just hilarious.
Kate M.
Yes, so, this video is Geraldine blasting some psychedelic trance music- the song Memories by Babalos- in the car, with the caption “When your exchange student chooses the music.”
[Music]
Joselyn H.
And I said, “Okay, well, I'm gonna, I'll post this” Since, you know, because our other student wanted to see it, that's in Italy, and it kind of just gave him the opportunity for us to share it, which I thought was kind of be more just for friends and family that would probably be interested. And that's not what happened. A ton of people were interested in it and I thought it was funny.
And, and it was very enlightening to “What is a foreign exchange?” and “I don't understand this, what are they talking about?” And then it was like, a light bulb kind of went off, where we had been talking with our liaison, and she was talking about how host families have declined since COVID, across all the organizations and raising awareness, and she was wanting us to come up with ideas. And we've talked about, you know, that really getting to showing the foreign exchange experience and not just telling people about it. And I thought this might be a great avenue for us to do that to show not to say, “Oh, it's a great experience, you know, look at all these fun things.” And you know, kind of how that goes. And so we felt it was kind of our way to help the organizations to raise awareness and get more host families interested in potentially becoming host parents. And it's amazing the number of foreign students that have reached out the number of messages that we get from all sorts of different people.
Kate M.
Yes, there are many funny clips, but Joselyn and Devin really use this platform as an opportunity to share more about the value of hosting an exchange student.
Devin H.
We often talk about the mission, because we don't want to get away from our mission, right, on TikTok. The mission is to shed some light on how wonderful this experience is, to people that may not know anything about it. Fortunately I grew up in a household where we did this and so I know how wonderful it is. And I think the mission is to give that opportunity for other folks to peek behind the curtain. And see it is not some person living in your home. These become your kids and boy, we can have a ball. You get out of it, what you put into it.
Kate M.
With what 1000s and 1000s and 1000s of followers, I'm sure you get a lot of comments and questions. What are some of the most common questions or comments you receive?
Joselyn H.
I mean, one of them is "How do I apply?" You know, I think people are inspired. I think that's a big one. And sharing that information and also just wanting to know what the process is like. “So if I wanted to do this, what would I even do? How do I even start?” And so I think that's a big piece. Also, just how wholesome it is. How just inspiring it is to other people. There's tons of comments about former host parents and siblings and I had a friend and so we get to read all these stories about people 30 years ago, “My parents hosted a foreign exchange student and now we're still really close and I went to their wedding and now I'm seeing their grandbabies” and you know, those kinds of things.
And I think that that is always pretty special for us to read. I think that a lot of comments are “I didn't know anything about this. What do you mean by foreign exchange? Like, what? What do we exchange?” And I think the terminology sometimes can get confusing, like, “Are you sending one to your kids?" You know, and I think that that's a big piece is just, there's a lot of misconceptions or just lack of understanding in general.
Joselyn H.
Okay, European culture. It's interesting, because I have a lot of European followers as well, and then just how different they view 16 and 17 year olds and how Americans tend to view 16 and 17 year olds were nervous having them, you know, go to the mall by themselves. But Simon, a previous foreign exchange student, was telling us that he would send his nine year old son down the street to the bakery to get a loaf of bread. And I didn't know that there were many nine year olds in the United States that could actually get to a bakery, and then buy something and be able to come back. I think that another piece that we're learning about through a lot of the comments is, you know, just how independent and how many European students want to be here? And I don't have a placement yet. I don't, can you help me? You know, and I think that breaks my heart, to know that there's a number of students across organizations that don't have a placement and aren't getting that opportunity to come. because there just aren't enough host families. And this is their dream.
Devin H.
And I think that carries over to the next question, which is, why is internet intercultural exchange important ? These kids want to come here, they are good kids, they want to come here, they want to experience us, they have dreams of doing this, literal dreams doing this.
And also, for me, the change is important. You hit the nail on the head, it's a two way street. Not only are they learning about the US, students in the classroom, we're learning about their home country, I'm learning about their home country. I have an appreciation for their customs and further their celebrations. And there are things that I want to do that I want to experience these kids tell me about, that I get excited for and I want to go visit one of these days and take part in whatever festival they talked about, oh my gosh, it was so much fun. That's why this intercultural exchange is so important. Again, it's a two way street where you learn a lot from these kids too.
Kate M.
I asked Joselyn and Devin for their advice for potential host parents.
Devin H.
So the advice I would give twofold. One, is through her TikToks. If you look at the comments, a lot of people have concerns that, hey, I don't have kids at home, I, I've got little kids at home, I don't have any kids, that the advice would be, don't let that stop you are we've got an older daughter, she's 24, she is living at home, currently a younger daughter, she's 19, but she's off to college. And we've even talked about once the kids are called, we may still continue to host. We enjoyed that very much. But I wouldn't let that stop you at all, for not having kids at home.
Kate M.
And for Joselyn…
Joselyn H.
Treat them like you'd want your own children to be treated if they were doing an exchange program. And so I think that really helps to think about that, when you approach any situation. So, you know, if you were like, you're not cleaning your room, what would you say to your own child? Don't let that slide, you know? Or if you're concerned, because, hey, are you eating at school? You know, do you like the food there? Do we need to get something else? Just like you would do with your own child, you know, and I think that's the biggest thing is approaching every situation as if they are your child.
And I think that's a big piece of advice. And I think that just naturally comes in for those that may not have children, yet, we've seen wonderful experiences where there's younger couples that decide to be house parents, and they do a fantastic job. So I think that, just not feeling like you have to have the traditional family to be able to have a successful exchange here. And in fact, we've talked about with both of our students, whether having a host sibling in the high school is a hindrance or if it is a positive, and there's pros and cons to both.
Devin H.
This is a global family I feel very connected to. Not just our students but their family members as well. And not only that, that the students that I hosted when I was a kid. I feel I've got family members around the globe, people I can call at the drop of a hat.
Kate M.
So, first piece of advice, don’t worry if you think you’re not the “right” kind of host family. If you have young kids, older kids, no kids… also, if you are a same-sex couple, or a single adult. All great and valid host families! And secondly, treat your host student like a member of your family- not a guest who is exempt from doing chores or following the normal rules of the household.
Kate M.
So, one of the most popular clips on their TikTok is a video of Geraldine, Joselyn, Devin, and their daughter on Geraldine’s final day in the U.S. Set to the Forrest Gump theme by Alan Silvestri, the clip shows the Hummel family in the car on the way to the airport, then lots of tears and hugs goodbye before Geraldine heads through the security line. This was even reposted on Instagram on the extremely popular Good News Movement account just a few days ago- you can find that at goodnews_movement.
During the interview, when I asked what “Pass Peace Forward” means to them, they brought up this clip.
Devin H.
I think and I'm gonna tie it back to TikTok. It is amazing on these posts, especially with the one with Geraldine departing, how many people posted about the United States and there are loving people here.
Love can be found, regardless of whether they're your kid or not their kid. They're, they're still a part of your family, and you treat and part of that family, even though they live overseas. So that's, to me, that's how we pass peace forward. Again, I want to make sure that when these kids leave, they had a fantastic experience, every time that they're here. That's what I want to do. And, again, connect with your family and be able to carry that relationship forward.
Joselyn H.
I think that it helps us to challenge stereotypes that our media tends to portray different countries as, and it's not just here in the US, but it's also stereotypes they have as well because of what their media shows of the U.S. And I think that that's something that is very important to challenge because when we see something in a particular country, we can say, No, that's not how everybody is in that country. I know someone from that country. And they're not all bad people. And that might just be a little sect of a vote of a group. And I think that that's something that's challenging those thoughts and stereotypes when you start meeting people.
And I think that we see, you come as separate and you leave as a whole meaning that both of our students have had an impact on our entire community. And that now the number of people that they've touched that now know about their home country and know about that, it creates kind of that piece of we're not against each other, or if we're all one, we're all together.
Kate M.
And later this summer- likely by the time this episode comes out- Devin and Joselyn will have welcomed in another AFS student, this time from Germany.
Devin H.
You have no idea how exciting it is for us and our family to get ready and get things prepared and get the poster board for her to come. Actually our laptop is sitting on a box. I went and got through a bunch of St Louis Cardinals shirts and hats and all kinds of stuff. So I'm gonna send that to her family and that is again that bond right and right out of the gate and how she is overwhelmed. She's in our family group chatting with all of our foreign exchange students so that keeps growing. Now it's massive. So she's interacting there with our other foreign exchange students and our kids. It is just so exciting just to kind of expand your global footprint and expand your family.
Joselyn H.
The second generation her sister was also at four in the shape of this, our new student coming in. Her mom was a foreign exchange student in Michigan. So they found that out and that was kind of exciting. You know, she's about our age. And so it was kind of cool to see, you know, how it just continues to trickle down. And I think that, you know, we're very excited.
And I think you kind of hit on something with the group chat, something that was really special to me, it's in December, our first student came back and surprised our family. And we have not seen her since COVID. And so you didn't know about it. No one knew about it. And I told him, I was going to some kind of a work event, giving her something like a paint party or something. And her flight actually got delayed by six hours. And I was worried that he was going to get up and be like, What are you doing in here I am, in the middle of the St. Louis airport in the middle of the night by myself because it was empty at that point, because they're planning to get delayed. And that was really special for me when they came, you know, came home and surprised you and everything, you know, just seeing the reactions. But not only that, she met our first student, and then formed a relationship. And I caught them one day, they were just sitting talking, and they were just back and forth. You know, and it was just really special to see that. And I felt cool. I felt like all my girls were in the house I was in, so it was so exciting for me, I was so proud of that. That's something that's really important to us, as well as that our students get to know each other. And so with our new student coming, our Swiss student, who actually has already called her and talked to her for hours, showed her around the house, was telling her all the things about the high school and answering all of her questions, because she said she had a list of questions. And our student basically answered everything she had. So she's so excited. And I think that's something that's fun is they also are gaining host siblings who are in Europe that they can visit. And so that's really important to me is them forming those relationships as well.
Kate M.
Okay. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me about your two experiences hosting AFS students and soon to be a third and best of luck with the preparations getting the packages in the mail with the baseball gear getting the poster ready. All of that stuff. And thank you so much for chatting with me. Both of you.
Kate M.
Yeah. Okay, have a good afternoon.
Devin H.
Thank you, you too.
Kate M.
Thank you. Bye.
Kate M.
That was Joselyn and Devin Hummel of Saint Louis, Missouri. Devin always knew he wanted to be a host father, after his parents welcomed in a number of exchange students during his childhood. Now with Joselyn, they have had rewarding experiences with hosting two AFS exchange students- soon to be three. They have used their platform on TikTok to highlight the value of international exchange. Some of their followers didn’t even know this was a possibility! Thanks to their viral TikToks, more families around the country have learned about the life-changing value of hosting an AFS student.
[Music]
Kate M.
Well, thank you for listening to The AFS Exchange! I’m Kate Mulvihill. Let us know what you thought of this episode by sending a message to podcast@afsusa.org. You can also rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe there as well so you don’t miss any episodes in this 3rd season.
This podcast was created by Kate Mulvihill. Social media by Julie Ball and Nina Gaulin. Special thanks to Tonia Jansma.