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Health & Fitness

Breakfast in America

Maggie from Poland experiences Breakfast in America and discovers the delights of a typical American diner and those amazing pancakes!

We’re still here! Work, school and vacation have put a bit of distance between blog postings. Here is an update on our Polish exchange student Maggie. She is doing fine, getting more settled in at school, joining a club and making more friends here in the USA. Recently I took her and a friend (Lindh from Germany) to a local diner for breakfast. It was, in their words, “sooo American!” They were both fascinated with pancakes and especially syrup. Maggie was so enchanted that she took a picture to send home and as a keepsake!  Attached is an actual picture of Maggie’s pancakes taken by Maggie herself! With all the possible things to photograph, she picks pancakes! Go figure. Free drink refills was also a biggie. In Poland, she explained you pay for EACH drink. So despite the recession, we do have some things going for us.

Adjustment is going pretty well for a teenager from a far-away country. Recently I had my first “heart-to-heart” with Maggie regarding your typical teen-age issues. It was strange as the last time I had this conversation I was on the receiving end!  I now realized I was the parent figure, whereas before I did not have to experience these responsibilities. It’s not always easy, but I find it to be rewarding and gives me a greater deal of respect for what parents have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

These types of rewards makes hosting an exchange student a great experience, for parents and especially for those that have not had children. We have to learn as we go and in doing so learn much about ourselves. I am convinced that we learn as much from our exchange student as our student does from us.

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The holidays approach and I hope that Maggie will not get too homesick. School, homework, friends and clubs keep her pretty busy at the moment. The holidays can be difficult on some of us here, let alone a student thousands of miles from home. She will be a welcome part of our family and is already looking forward to Halloween.

As for Breakfast in America, being a child of the 70s/80s (pick one but not both) I really enjoyed the Grammy award-winning album by Supertramp titled Breakfast in America. Surely some of you remember it. Maggie however is enjoying Kid Rock, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Marley and Marilyn Manson. Marilyn Manson OMG! (and YES I used to listen to Black Sabbath). Either I am getting older or getting like a parent. Either or both are now fine with me.

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