Schools

Saying Goodbye to Yannik

Friends of a Youth For Understanding exchange student gather to share memories.

Yannik Fussen came to Farmington Hills from Switzerland last year a shy young man with straight hair, who barely spoke English.

The Youth For Understanding exchange student returned home last weekend a gregarious, dreadlocked extrovert who left behind a room full of friends sorry to see him go.

The transformation was documented in a slide show and remembrances shared by those new friends last Saturday night at the in Farmington Hills. Yannik's host parents, Rashmi and Mike Overbeek, hosted the party not only to say goodbye, but to encourage other students to get involved in YFU.

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The international nonprofit educational organization has programs in 64 countries that offer students ages 15-22 a variety of international exchange opportunities with families around the world.

YFU area coordinator Jacque Howard, who attended the event, had only recently said goodbye to the student her family hosted.

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"We choose (our students) in December and January, and we start talking immediately with them," Howard said. "You're getting to know the child. They refer to you as 'Mom' right off the bat."

She said she doesn't believe in exchange programs that charge for the experience. "This is your kid. Would you charge your kid to live with you?" she said, adding hosts treat their exchange student the same as any other member of the family.

For the Overbeeks, that meant learning more about Farmington Public Schools. "I discovered what awesome schools we have through Yannik," she said.

In the beginning, Mike Overbeek recalled, the Swiss teen was quiet.

"It always starts so soft," he said. "We're going to get an exchange student. And then he starts to evolve and his English gets good enough so he can communicate and he's no longer shy."

Yannik said he was initially a little scared of his host dad. "I was almost crying in my room," he said. "Now I'm crying because I have to leave."

The most vivid memory for everyone was the day Yannik ended up in the emergency room, after he was bitten by a vole, which is a small rodent, while at , the school he attended during the year. The vole had been caught in a sticky trap, and Yannik, a vegetarian and animal lover, wanted to set it free.

Instead, the vole bit him.

"He is so kind, he couldn't see this little varmint die," said Elaine Toner, who ended up taking Yannik to the hospital for a tetanus shot. His kindness inspired her to give him a small, carved figurine of a little boy caring for a small animal. "It's a picture of kindness," she said.

Yannik's love of animals has also made him a vegetarian, which was one of the reasons the Overbeeks selected him. YFS host families are encouraged to, as much as possible, match their family's interests and lifestyle with their exchange students.

While at North Farmington, Yannik was involved with the student newspaper and yearbook, and he was a member of Farmington United Percussion, whose AAA, Independent A and Independent Open lines took home state titles in April.

Yannik had what Rashmi Overbeek called "good seeds" when he arrived.

"All the good seeds have grown, and only good will come out of it," she said to him near the close of Saturday's event. "I hope you spread all the good things. You done great despite all the challenges, and I'm proud of you."

To learn more about Youth For Understanding, visit the organization's website.


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