Our Lady of Malibu held the closing ceremony for its international exchange program Friday, Feb. 10, on its campus courtyard. After a week of learning and living with American families, 17 Chinese students said their goodbyes to their OLM classmates through song, dance and handwritten letters read out loud in the English they perfected along the way.
Principal Michael Smith was approached by Carl Witt International to be a partner in the organization’s exchange program a few months prior.
“A representative from Carl Witt International connected me, and said that they were scouting schools that would be amenable to hosting exchange students for a week,” Smith said in an interview with The Malibu Times. “Having Mandarin as one of our languages, we thought it’d be great to have the students come in, and the OLM kids could learn a little bit from native speakers.”
Stacey Valdez, a coordinator with Carl Witt, worked with OLM to find host families for the 10 girls and seven boys coming from Jilin province, Changchun City.
“A lot of the students are considering coming [to the U.S.] and studying long term,” Valdez said. “But before they commit to a full year, they want to make sure they’re able to follow along with the students here their age. There’s a difference between learning the language through text, and being fully emerged in the culture.”
On the opposite end of the connection was the People’s Republic of China’s Northeast Normal University, which is responsible for selecting the students being sent abroad. The university’s liaisons, Yu He Yue and Qiu de Yan, worked directly with Valdez to ensure each of their students had placements with American families.
According to the staff, student requirements for the program included having good behavioral standing, a strong interest in studying abroad and being able to afford the $5,600 program fee.
The families didn’t meet prior to the exchange, but a strong vetting process, including background checks and home visits, was in place to ensure both parties felt comfortable.
Six Chinese students stayed locally with OLM families, and the remainder were placed with families just over the hill in Northridge.
The Webster family opened their home to two 12-year-old girls — who gave themselves the American names “Tessa” and “Amy” — for the week. They were introduced to the program by their son Luke, a sixth grader, after hearing about the opportunity at school.
“I just thought it would be a cool experience,” Luke said. “I’m taking Mandarin at the school, and I thought, ‘Hey, maybe I could get to know other people who speak this language.’”
Luke’s mom Lori Webster’s only concerns were logistics and timing, which ended up working well.
“We just thought it would enrich our world. We were really happy to do it, and support it, and we think it worked out for [both sides],” Webster said.
Besides the background checks and home visits, additional host family requirements included having enough room for the students to have their own sleeping space, access to their own bathroom as well as wifi.
The Websters were more than prepared for their exchange students — researching Tessa and Amy’s culture to make sure their kitchen was stocked with foods the girls were most fond of.
Being hosted by a Malibu family has its perks, as well — with perfect weather and being steps away from the beach. But, no trip to LA County is complete without a tour of Hollywood and a visit to In-N-Out Burger, and Tessa and Amy, whose Chinese names are Liu Yixuan and Xu Tingyi, had the opportunity to do just that.
OLM mom of three Erin Golan also hosted two girls — American names ‘CiCi’ and ‘Grace’ — for the program duration.
“I’m sad that it’s only for a week,” Golan said at the closing ceremony. “I’m going to cry when they leave tomorrow.”
It was clear the OLM families formed close bonds with the exchange students, especially at Friday’s closing ceremony. The exchange students fit right in with the OLM kids as they were also chatty and fidgety as performances took place.
Loud cheers and hugs filled the campus courtyard at the school’s end, and the students and families posed for pictures with one another, promising to keep in touch.
“I know that our host families have said that the kids are wonderful,” Smith said as he reflected on the week. “And our kids have been tremendous with accepting them.”
Staff members at the school have been approached with a possible opportunity to plan a trip to China for the OLM kids this summer.
As for the exchange students, their trip doesn’t end with just five short days in Malibu. The kids are just beginning their site-seeing adventure — making stops in Disneyland and San Francisco — before returning home.
