It’s no surprise that our exchanges with sister schools in Canada, Peru, and the United Kingdom create opportunities for Country Day Middle School students to immerse themselves in another culture and make connections with peers across the globe.
What you may not know is that these experiences often lead to long-lasting relationships that include the whole family. The Office of International Studies shares that this past summer the Coley and Buford families connected with the families of children they hosted.
In January 2025, Katherine and Cliff Coley, along with their two Middle School sons, hosted Andres R. for a week. He was visiting North Carolina and Country Day with his school group from Colegio Prescott, our sister school in Arequipa, Peru. This past summer, the Coley family took advantage of a family vacation to visit Andres and his family in his hometown of Arequipa. Both families had the opportunity to meet each other, the Coley boys spent some time at Colegio Prescott, and the family discovered Arequipa and Cusco.
Junior Whitney Buford participated in the King Edward School exchange to Southampton, England, when she was in eighth grade. She and her buddy, Izzy, made an instant connection and they continue to talk almost daily. This summer Izzy visited Charlotte and the Bufords again, this time bringing her family.
Here is a reflection written together by Whitney and Izzy:
“This exchange gave us the opportunity to experience new cultures and see new places, but most importantly meet new people."
"We both met or further bonded with many amazing people, in particular each other. Since the moment we met, we knew that we were going to form a friendship that would go beyond the exchange. It was hard to end the exchange being unsure of when we were going to see each other next, but we weren’t too worried as we knew our friendship was too strong to leave behind. We have kept in contact every single day for the past two and a half years until we finally reunited this summer. Although time zones and distance are hard to navigate, it only strengthens our friendship and makes it even more special.
"Izzy came to stay with my family for two weeks over the summer, but this time she brought her parents. This was a really precious moment for us as we got to see the people we love so dearly meeting one another for the first time, just as we did. Reconnecting after such a long time felt easy and natural as if we were on the exchange just yesterday. During our time together we did many fun things such as mini golf, board games, and dinners. We also took a weekend trip down to the Isle of Palms which was super fun."
"Country Day has brought us to each other which is a gift we will forever be grateful for. In the future we plan to take every opportunity we have to see each other as, even if it is another three years, it will always be worth it to us."