Tomorrow we pick up Sergiy from the airport

A snowstorm with 5 inches of snow and 25 mph winds hit Iowa last night. We plan on the road to Chicago to be clear by morning in order to meet the plane at 3:15 pm at Chicago O'Hare airport. I have enjoyed reading the blogs of other families who have opened their homes to children for hosting. So, I am writing our experiences, hopefully, to encourage others who will think about hosting in the future.

We have his room ready, snacks selected for the road trip tomorrow, bought a few sizes of different clothes so he can have something immediately if he needs it. Extras can always be returned to Walmart if he sizes don't work out.

I have experimented with some online translators in order to help us communicate. My favorite is: http://www.richardlecour.com/projects/translator/

Not only can you type English and have it translated to Russian, he will be able to type in the Russian characters and have it translated to English. I also have a backup to double check as online translators are not perfect. Someone loaned us a Russian-English dictionary as well.

What are we nervous about before this journey begins? We are a bit older than most hosting parents (>50) with our children gone from the home. We are a bit nervous about not having other children in the home for him to pal around with. Although we have some fun trips planned, we think we will spend a lot of time just doing things at home, playing games, making Christmas goodies and doing things together.

Do we feel prepared? Yes, the New Horizons training was very practical and answered lots of questions. Plus, they send you a large training manual with lots of information and directions, too. And they give you cell numbers and email addresses so you can contact folks who can help if you have questions.

Is there anything that you have been surprised at so far? Host parents are warned that things can change, trips can be canceled and sometimes kids cannot come as planned. Unfortunately this year that has happened to some of the Russian children. It is a reminder that things happen in other countries that we have no control over.

I have been surprised at how "attached" you can get to a child before you even meet them in person and how much you look forward to this. It is one of the "risks" that hosting involves....certainly it has to be extremely painful for both the children who now cannot come and the host parents who have so been looking forward to having them.