I did know nothing about Colombia except, it is a country either to import the best kind of Coffee or it is easy country to deal with drugs, and it is not a safe place to go. Till I host a beautiful young lady, Karen, a just 16 years old girl, she was amazing. She was a real daughter to me, we used to sit together, I still have her favorite chair in the kitchen used to set on beside me , watching me cooking Egyptian food, holding a pen and paper recording every ward I say, she was an intelligent girl, eager to know and learn, With Karen so many things has been changed in my life. First, I learned a lot about Colombia, the culture, the music, food, nature and weather. Because of her, I learned to think before I come to conclusion, this young lady helped me to step back and look at everything differently and rediscover myself and my family, She also had a great impact on my daughters, they are almost her age. Her parents came to visit us and we developed a very strong friendship, we are still in contact until today.
Having Karen as a member of my family, made many people from my community want to know more about this part of the world they know nothing about. Also many families became interested and willing to host students from Colombia.
Karen gave us a very good impression about the Colombian people which made me and my family very eager to learn more about Colombia and wish to visit one day.
Host Mother from Egypt.