Eight Chinese foreign exchange students made the transition from home to the Grand View University campus over Thanksgiving break. The students will complete a 60-day program before returning home.

Advisor Mark Daly said that this experience marks the end of the students’ college education.

“They all graduate at the end of the spring semester and this is sort of a ‘capstone’ experience for them,” Daly said.

The experience will improve their English-speaking skills and help them get an understanding of Western business practices, specifically in the Des Moines area. Daly said the students are continuously working on their education, through classes here and at their home university. However, the students also look forward to the U.S. traditions they will experience while they are here.

Daly said the students are excited because they will be in Des Moines for our three biggest holidays. During these traditional holidays, the students will be staying with, Grand View community members who volunteered to take in guests.

Mark Hawks, a Grand View alumnus, welcomed Annie, a foreign exchange student, to his home over Thanksgiving weekend.

Hawks adopted his two sons from Russia and said that the experience of going over to Russia and learning a new culture helped him realize how uncomfortable it can be to try and learn a different culture. This made Hawks want to turn his home into a welcoming environment that makes that transition easy for other cultures coming into the U.S.

“I wanted to give them a little slice of American pie,” Hawks said.

Grand View alum Mark Hawkes enjoys opening his home to international students. // VF File Photo

Hawks said that he has always loved to care for others and that there is no better time than the holiday season to be caring.

“I have always felt most happy and at home during the holidays.” Hawks said, “I want to make sure that they had that feeling of heart and home here in the states even though they are very far from where they’re from,” Hawks said.

Assistant professor of art and design James Ewald will also be taking in foreign exchange students. He said it is not only fun but also a learning opportunity for his family as well as the students. His wife, a Chinese American citizen, and he are teaching their son the importance of his culture and this experience will enrich that idea.

“She [his wife] only speaks to him in Chinese but it’s good to reaffirm that with other people,” Ewald said

Ewald said that it was nice to get more of the Chinese culture back into his home. His son’s interaction with the students would help him in the future to become more accustomed to strangers.

Ewald’s goal in the end was similar to Hawks’, who just wanted to make sure the students staying in his home were as comfortable as possible. Between speaking their native language with them and taking them to an authentic Chinese restaurant, Ewald wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible.