Experience the world without leaving home

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Have you ever wondered what it’s like to experience Savannah again for the first time?

One local family got to see through the eyes of someone who is not only completely new to town, but also to the country.

A non-profit called International Experience places high school students from around the world into the homes of local families to experience one or two semesters outside their own country.

Wendy Bailey, a local coordinator from the organization said that she is always looking for families to host.

The most recent host family Bailey coordinated with was the Duck family who recently welcomed a student from Switzerland.

Liam Faduyl, who came from Zurich, came with one burning question, which was to learn how Americans live.

His first impression of Savannah was not what he was used to.

Faduyl said he noticed there was a lot of sugar.

“The first thing I noticed, eating, a lot of sugar, a lot of sugar and drinking and everything is just like its giant, and everything is far away from each other, it’s not as I know it.”

He added that he had fishing on his bucket list.

Polly Duck, who has always wanted to host a foreign exchange student said that she hopes Liam has a great experience in Savannah.

“I wanna show him the beach the rivers, downtown I wanna get him on a trolly ‘cause I think those are a good way to know the history of Savannah,” said Polly.

Along with teaching Liam, she said she wanted her children to learn from him.

“I hope that he can teach my kids some different things they don’t know.”

Bailey said that she has seen that the benefits go beyond the home.

”It’s just enriching the whole community’s life, not just the families and students.”

She said programs like these help us grow as a community to learn about different cultures and customs.

If you are interested in being a host or learning more about different opportunities, you can reach out to Wendy Bailey by emailing her at w.bailey@international-experience.net or by calling (256)651-9778.

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