Gianna and John in Massachusetts

Host Family Spotlight:
Gianna and John in Massachusetts

We have so many incredible Host Families who work with us here at Educatius. Every now and again we like to give a shoutout to a particular family. Today we would like to share our appreciation of Gianna and John in Massachusetts.

Ten years ago my husband and I had two children away at college. The house was finally quiet but at the same time lonely. One night I was on my laptop scrolling one of our Facebook town pages and I saw a post from Educatius looking for a host family for an Italian boy. I responded, I took a chance, and am so glad I did.

Stefano arrived at the end of August we settled in and got to know each other a bit. I showed him some of the local sites learned about his life in Italy and he learned about our life and daily routine. I really enjoyed it! 

Fast forward 10 years and here we are still hosting. Our 11th and 12th students are currently here. We keep in touch with them all after they leave. Many have come back to visit us. My daughter went to Italy to visit a few of them.  

Through hosting, I have learned so much about the world. I have had students from Italy, Vietnam, Brazil, Germany, China and Norway and enjoyed them all. The biggest lesson for me is that although we speak different languages and have different religions, customs and traditions we are all humans with the same basic needs and wants. We are not really that different from each other.

When they arrive they are strangers but when they leave they are family. I am glad I took the chance and stepped outside my comfort zone because hosting them has enriched my life, the life of my family and hopefully their lives too.

Thank you, Gianna and John! You are making a world of difference in so many lives.