[burnscons]

I hope it is okay to post this here. While we don't really adopt, per se, my husband and I have been taking in foreign exchange students ever since our children started jr. high in 1988 and have always had fabulous experiences with these great kids from all over the world. We feel our children were able to benefit from the experience as well, learning other cultures, visiting when possible. Now that our kids have left the house, I suppose it’s a little bit more difficult for students to adjust without someone their age in the house. Our student now is having an extremely difficult time, she is very homesick, and I just don’t know what else I can do to make her feel better. She’s from India, is very shy and respectful, and I want to make her feel more comfortable, and try to ease her homesickness. Any suggestions?

[leenab]

My DH is from India as well and still gets homesick, in spite of calling his mom once a week.

Indian culture is so drastically different from american culture or even european culture. Does your town have any Indian shops? I know Indian food always makes DH feel better. You could offer to help her make an Indian dinner for your family. Maybe rent an Indian movie.

Most cities have Indian communities it's just a matter of finding one near you.

Daawat.com is also a good resource. You;ll find a lot of Indian receipes and learn more about the culture.

Hope this helps,
Leena B

[ballenhan]

Sounds to me like she would enjoy talking to someone from back home once in awhile. How long is she there with you for, since you are not technically adopting her? It might be nice to give her a calling card or something as long as she doesn't tie up the phone forever. But a calling card will give her a little bit of freedom and privacy as well, since she could use it from any phone, not just yours. I've used OneSuite and found the rates to be pretty good.

I also agree with leenab about food. If you are fortunate to live somewhere with a variety of ethnic foods and restaurants, even non-Indian, but also non-American, that may help too. Sometimes kids think that adults are not open to try new things, and it intimidates them to bring them up.

Good luck!
Hannah