Local resident takes on exchange student

Taking in an exchange student hasn’t always been easy for independent business owner Stephania Talley-Priester, but it has always been rewarding.

Talley-Priester, owner of Total Life Changes, has been hosting an exchange student from Japan for the 2016-2017 school year.

Yuuki Yoshitomi, now 16, came to Taylors after a 17-hour flight.

“That first day, she cried,” Talley-Priester said. “The whole experience is just a culture shock.”

In Japan, Yoshitomi wore a uniform to an all-girls school, where the teachers changed classrooms. Now, she has been changing classrooms at a public school with integrated girls and boys.

“We’ve gotten over the initial hump,” Talley-Priester said. “She’s met a few friends through class, and she’s got a couple friends that she hangs out with consistently.”

Yoshitomi attended the Eastside homecoming dance and experienced pinning up her hair and getting her hair curled,” Talley-Priester said. “It’s definitely been a fun experience.”

“Her whole purpose for coming was to learn English more,” she said. “Her parents don’t speak any English. She’s one of six, and of all her siblings, every one has done the exchange program.”

When Yoshitomi arrived, she found the math to be too easy. In Japan, she attended classes from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“It’s very disciplined as far as their study time,” Talley-Priester said. Here, attending classes from 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. with no Saturday classes, “this is vacation.”

Birthday bash

Talley-Priester threw Yoshitomi a “big birthday bash” for her 16th birthday with a minion theme.

“We had friends and family come to Dave & Buster’s,” she said. “We had a minion cake….She got so much minion stuff; it was like Christmas.”

In addition, a friend allowed them to have a minion outfit, Talley-Priester said, and “my daughter was able to dress up in that and surprise her. Just to see her face during that time was priceless.”

Talley-Priester has two children, she said. Her 22-year-old son has been living with his father in Florida while her 11-year-old daughter has “really bonded” with Yoshitomi.

Since Yoshitomi arrived, her dog and rabbit back home have both passed away. “That was devastating for her,” but she has played with the family’s puppy.

Yoshitomi has also been learning American customs, including food.

“When she first came, she was eating anything we had,” Talley-Priester said, but “their diet is much lighter than ours. We eat heavy.”

Yoshitomi gained 20 pounds, going from 83 to 103 lbs., in just a couple of months, Talley-Priester said. “Now, she’s on a diet,” which is not usual in her culture.

Talley-Priester has more time to cook since she started working from home about a year or two ago, she said. For work, “basically, I promote all natural, herbal products.”

“That fact that I’m home full-time really kind of opened the door,” she continued. “The fact that I am home full-time did afford me the opportunity to host her this year.

“I wanted to work from home because I wanted to homeschool my daughter,” who recently transitioned from elementary to middle school, Talley-Priester said.

Nevertheless, recognizing her daughter as a “people-person” like herself, Talley-Priester enrolled her at Northwood Middle School.

Yoshitomi, whose original host family did not work out, arrived two days after Talley-Priester heard about her through a friend who is a coordinator for NorthWest Student Exchange.

“I had prayerfully—even before the idea of the exchange student came about—wanted to be a foster parent because I do realize the need for fostering,” said Talley-Priester, who attends Redemption.

Yoshitomi has Buddhist beliefs, and she has been volunteering at the café at Redemption, where she is learning the U.S. currency, while the family is in church.

“It’s exposing us as well to her culture,” Talley-Priester said. “She’s here for the whole school year.”

“When she goes back, I’m hoping to be in a financial position where I can maybe go back and spend a week or two at her home,” Talley-Priester continued. “She’s really become like my daughter. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s going to be like when it is time for her to go home.

Talley-Priester does not get paid to host Yoshitomi, she said. “This is an opportunity that I’m hosting her to be in our home. When we eat, she eats. The utilities, that’s just something we’re taking on.”

Her parents give her an allowance for clothes and a cell phone, Talley-Priester said. “We’ve gained another daughter. So far, it’s been a great experience.”

Founded in 1987, NorthWest Student Exchange (NWSE) is a U.S. Department of State-designated high school student exchange program and has consistently maintained full listing with the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET). For more information or to host a student, visit www.nwse.com/host-an-exchange-student/why-host.

kaelyn@greercitizen.com | 877-2076