Growing Up Globally: Seeing the World Through Hosting

from Growing Up Chico Magazine — Spring 2023

Meet Staci Galla

You don’t have to move to Finland for your children to get 75 minutes of recess or live in Argentina to understand why kids eat so late and observe later bedtimes without some of the struggles we face. Isn’t it so intriguing that the average European teenager speaks at least 3 languages? If you are of a curious mind that enjoys learning about other cultures and see the value of raising children in a multicultural environment, then grab a cup of culture through reading this article and also check out the book Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World by Homa Sabet Tavanga.

I personally grew up in a town where not much diversity was present, but having the family that I did—with my little brother having special needs and being taught to take time in learning about him and the way he interacted with the world—I drew that near to my heart, and it ignited a passion in me. I became intrigued and embraced any and everyone that came across my path that was unique. I developed a love of human beings of all kinds and a thirst for learning through their anthropology and befriending people in all realms. I immersed myself in books from other countries, I watched movies, read magazines, and had a notebook of all of the places I wanted to visit. I was pinteresting before Pinterest existed.

In high school I attended a leadership conference and learned of study abroad opportunities. This idea was so foreign to me, and I needed to be a part of it. At 18 years old, I ventured to France for 4 weeks. I was at a disadvantage because the elective language I took was Spanish, but I actually think that not knowing the language forced me to interact with my surroundings differently and have a greater appreciation of nonverbal interactions. Connecting over commonalities such as food and art brought us together in a different way than I expected. I wanted more interactions like these. I had no idea that I would find a career that would have the possibility to provide these things on a regular basis.

I have always been known as the welcome committee within my friend group, my moms club, and even through the drivethru window at Starbucks where I spent time working and connecting with people through a love of coffee from all parts of the world. This is how I developed the idea of Cup of Culture which is my approach to my job and all of the extra hospitality my team provides to our families and students. These things include loaning bikes and beds to our students, coordinating ride shares, and voluntarily planning trips and excursions they can stay busy with. I started bringing coffee to my host family interviews. During those interviews I learned all about their cultural experiences, and we bonded over culture and coffee. I believe we can find a commonality with anyone we talk to of any age, race, belief pattern, or background. I think that is a skill that needs to be fostered in our children today where technology is at the forefront, and human interaction has taken a back seat, especially during the times of pandemic and depression. I believe that culture fosters community, and I know as parents that is something we all hope to create for our children. The experience of hosting is second to none and helps us create moments and memories that your kids of any age will remember for years to come.

You do not have to be of any socioeconomic background, educational level, or have the classification of a nuclear family to participate. Families come in all shapes and sizes all around the world. Your desire to participate or to learn more and your curiosity of learning is all that you need. Your family is just the right kind to participate in our program. I think everyone should have this experience once in their lives. The work that we are doing in bridging cultures and creating moments of growth for learning and also sharing about the things that make us proud to be an American is vital right now in our ever-changing climate.

When I think about the kind of life I want to provide for my three kids, I consider hosting exchange students to be in my top five areas of importance. To date, our family has hosted 12 students from nine different countries. We can honestly say that we now have family all over the world, and I have learned parenting techniques from other cultures that I have adopted. We have embraced new traditions, become wellversed in Butte County’s points of interest, and have created reasons to go to places we might have otherwise taken for granted in our own backyard. We have learned to adopt the words hygge, sobremesa, and asado in our home. We have changed the way we fold socks, started cleaning our shoes on December 6, and learned many life and travel hacks. We also observe many national holidays because, while they are with us, everything from dying easter eggs and carving pumpkins to taking them to inand-out or Dutch Bros for the first time feels exciting. They are always so appreciative, and we love sharing everyday simple pleasures and making them feel new again.

Many parents think they should wait until their children are older to host. In my opinion, this experience can add value to anyone at any age of life. Personally, my young children are super excited to have these teens in our home, and they give them a lot of interest and attention. They recently have taken an active role in the selection process, and it has been fun hearing what they think that particular student will be like or who they remind them of from years past. It gives me such happiness to sit down, talk with them, and hear all of their favorite memories. I am always surprised to hear their points of view and perspectives. To our family, this has opened up dialogue constantly and created a conversational tradition we do at dinner called “Hi, low, buffalo.” We subscribed to a little passport subscription box over the summer, and we love to learn about the countries we have kids coming to visit from for the school year.

My kids have learned to appreciate different cuisines, music, etiquette, and have learned how to greet people in multiple ways. The multicultural environment that has been created in our home is great for the children. It is my hope they will learn that speaking different languages, having various customs and traditions, or different skin colors is normal and embrace people with all of their differences. This has been such an easy way to integrate culture through hosting and is a very easy way to get the opportunity to be a diplomat. You can show the students our culture and way of life and maybe get further in touch with your own personal heritage or those of your ancestors.

Hosting a student also helps us learn more about our own culture and connects us to it. Just because we live in a certain culture, doesn’t mean we know all about it. If you ask people why they do something a certain way, they would often say: “Because we’ve always done it this way,” or “My parents did it this way.” There is nothing wrong with holding on to traditions. But maybe we could become more understanding of our own tradition? Let’s start asking questions:

“Why do we celebrate this holiday? Why do we eat that way? Why do we talk/ communicate that way?” I also believe many people already know the answers to these questions. But have you asked yourself: “What do I like about my culture? What seems weird or even unacceptable to me? What traditions do I particularly like? Which would I rather get rid of? What do I want to do differently?” Having a student in your life helps you discover other ways and might help you to explore some of those answers on a more personal level.

I am personally so grateful that I found this program to explore culture through something so simple as hosting students from other countries. I feel like we are getting to stamp our passports from home until one day we get to visit all our friends and family around the globe. They sure love being welcomed into our homes, hearts, and communities. They enjoy busy families as well as introverted ones, church families, sports families, academic families, empty nesters, widowed, single-parent families, and ones that enjoy travel. This year, we had around 45 kids in our area, and they are always looking for ways to volunteer and get involved. They love to teach us about their country while studying ours. I think this immersion is mutually beneficial to our growth and mindsets. It teaches our children and ourselves how to become free thinking world changers, and I so love being a part of that. If you think your family might want to sign up for this experience, we have a strong team of committed individuals, and anyone across all fifty states has the ability to host.

We are now starting to look for volunteer families for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. There are so many ways you can be involved. We are currently looking for temporary or welcome families, emergency, semester, whole school year, or even families that want to host short term over the summer. We also provide an outbound program for American students, fundraising opportunities for your organization, and a Global Ambassadors Scholarship Program. I hope you find a way to join us for a cup of culture.