Ted. Way back in 1997, ours was one of several Servas host families in the US to be contacted by a Servas host in Seville, Spain with an unusual request. Maria José was seeking a way for her older son to spend a year at an American high school without incurring the prohibitively expensive costs of a traditional foreign exchange program. Judy, always a “yes person,” jumped at the opportunity.
Alex (short for Alejandro) lived with us for 10 months and both of our families were changed forever.
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| 1997, Alex visits the N Ga mountains |
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| 1998, prom night for Alex |
Over the years we have remained close. He still calls us Mom & Dad and our kids are his American siblings. He has returned to the US to see us and we often swing through Seville on trips to Europe.
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| Back in Georgia in 2007 |
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| 2012 with Alex and wife, Inma |
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| 2012 with son, little Alex |
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| 2018, daughter Lucilla |
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| 2018, Alex & Inma, a happy couple |
Saying yes to Maria José almost a quarter century ago has given us a window into the lives of typical Spaniards. And even more importantly, we have an extended family here in Spain with a lovely Spanish daughter-in-law and two wonderful Spanish grandchildren.
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| 2021, Lucilla (now 8) painting Judy's nails |
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| 2021, 11 yr old Alex (R) with friend |
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| 2021, the old married couple! |
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