What We Learned From Our Fresh Air Visitor

1. All bugs are scary and not to be ignored.

2. Trying new food is an exciting adventure and even if you don't like it, it won't kill you. ( I am really hoping my picky eaters remember this lesson!)

3. The fine art of compromise (especially between a passionate 7 year old girl and a passionate 8 year old girl.

4. " Ewww" means the same thing no matter where you come from.

5. Even simple things can be seen as exotic by someone not used to them (feeding the cats, taking care of the rabbits, vacuuming the floor.)

6. The pool is really the best place to hang out on a hot day.

7. A cuddle session is necessary when Mom and Dad are far away.

8. Some familiar things help make the visit more comfortable (such as favorite foods or television shows).

9. The trees that we take for granted around us are truly spectacular.

10. The stars are brilliant.

11. We should spend more time playing and enjoying each other than we do and less time working and cleaning up.

12. New experiences are exciting.

13. Hot sauce can bring people together.

14. My junk mail is interesting to others.

15. Love is not hindered by different backgrounds or expectations.

16. Children from all over can relate to one another and find common ground without much help needed from adults.

We have enjoyed our visitor. For us, it was not always happy days. In fact, Katrina and Briana managed to offend one another at least once or twice a day. Katrina tends to be vocal in her upset with tears or fussing. Briana tends to be quiet and stop speaking to people when she is upset. Both thought the other was behaving in a bizarre fashion. It was hard for Katrina to share everyday with someone else for 2 weeks. And it was hard for her to put other's needs and wants ahead of her own. Her father and I look at this as a great learning experience for her and it helped me to see areas I need to continue to work on with Katrina (such as her being a better sport when playing games...she really hates to lose).

It was hard for Briana to figure out whether she was a guest or one of the family. This was partially my fault. I wanted us to treat her as a guest, but by the end of the first week and after some conversations with the local coordinators, they recommended treating her more like a family member (let her help with chores, don't always push my kids to do the things she wanted). Once I changed my stance there, things went more smoothly. It gave Katrina a greater feeling of control.

Briana was a delight. Unlike my children who are picky about trying new foods, she was game to try most anything we had. At least a mouthful. She loved playing games and like my daughter has a highly competitive streak in her. She didn't like to lose. She kept us hopping the whole time she was here. Much like when we go on vacation and we want to make the most of our time, she didn't want to spend time sleeping or watching television. She wanted to play and go. Yesterday, my 10 year old son did something I have only seen him do when he is ill. He laid on the flloor in the playroom and watched television all day. I kept asking if he felt okay and his response was that he was just soooo tired;)

I learned that the bluntness of our northern speaking guest had to be explained to the more 'around the bush' approach we take her in the south. For instance "Katrina is singing that wrong" from Briana would have sounded more like "I think you missed some words in that song" by one of Katrina's southern friends. It was good for Katrina to have the experience that just because Briana's words were blunter than she was used to, that Briana wasn't trying to put her down or say she was dumb. That was probably one of the things we struggled the most with while Briana was here.

We have the opportunity to invite Briana back for a visit next year. In all honesty we will probably extend the invitation for her to visit again and I hope that the fun she had here will outweigh the tiffs the girls had and that she will want to come again.