The day of the children's arrival is here. I am both excited and nervous. I know we are hosting a girl called Yuliya, age 7, the same age as our own daughter Elinor but what will she be like? Will she like us?
My husband sets off to Gatwick airport as a volunteer with the minibus to pick the children up and when the time approaches that the children have landed in the UK I am calling and texting him every 5 minutes "Have you seen her yet, what's she like, does she seem happy"? Understandably, my husband gets a little annoyed with my constant badgering and tells me he will call back when he has more news. Half an hour later he calls to tell me he has seen 'our' Yuliya, she is quite small and thin, has very short hair and is not very well! Having not travelled any distances before in her life she is finding it all a bit much and is very tired and very sick! This doesn't seem like a very good start and I am now starting to worry.
All the host parents gather in Burley Church hall to await the arrival of their new charges. The atmosphere is electric and I am sure we are all thinking, "What HAVE we done"? The mini bus arrives and the children are led in. My first impression is that they all look very tired, very pale and very shabby.  The charity co-ordinator says that they will let one little girl go straight away as she is quite poorly and tired, I bite my lip knowing that this is Yuliya!

We spend the weekend getting to know each other, we have a couple of visits out but Yuliya gets tired very quickly so we learn to keep our outings short and close to home. She is delighted to have some 'new clothes' to wear, some which belonged to my daughter, and some that had been donated  (new and second-hand). This newfound element of choice puts Yuliya in quite a quandary and she quickly makes it known what she does and doesn't like!
There are a lot of 'firsts' over the coming weeks; first trip to the beach, first ride on a horse, first spin in a go-kart… the list is endless. We drop Yuliya off every weekday morning in Burley and pick her up at 5pm where, through various forms of communication we learn about her day.  Sometimes I go out and 'help' with the children and this gives me immense pleasure, even just seeing them playing ball in the sunshine or splashing about in a swimming pool. Simple things that we perhaps take for granted are special treats to these children. They have a wonderful itinerary of activities and seem to get small gifts wherever they go. Trips to the opticians and the dentists are fitted in as well and the children even get their picture in the newspaper!

Life isn't always easy hosting a child from another country and there were some 'downs' as well as 'ups'. Although Yuliya settled in very well, she did cry for her Mum on a couple of occasions, which was upsetting for all of us. These tears were short lived and forgotten quickly as is usual with most children of this age. All the children had different personalities and it was interesting to hear how the children in the other families were settling in. Some acted as they were part of the family from day one and others took a little more time to settle. By week two, Yuliya was definitely part of our family and I had to tell her on more than one occasion to 'get to sleep!' or 'go and clean your teeth', just like I would with my own daughter.  There was a little jealousy on both parts from my own daughter and Yuliya. My own daughter, used to being an only child found sharing her Mum and adjusting quite hard and Yuliya also had bouts of not wanting to 'share'. This is nothing that I hadn't expected and we coped with things as and when they came up.
It was a wonderful experience and I cried the day Yuliya left to go home, although I was happy for her to be seeing her family again and she went home with a suitcase packed FULL to bursting with goodies for her and her family. Since Yuliya returned home, I have had many letters from her Mother, thanking us for looking after Yuliya and telling us about their lives in Belarus.
We are all looking forward to seeing Yuliya again this year and eagerly await her arrival in. She is definitely part of the family now and I remember fondly the month she spent with us.  A month here in the UK really makes a significant difference to these children; the change in them is obvious. Yuliya returned home 7lb's heavier, with rosy cheeks and a sparkle in her eye.