Two years ago my youngest sibling graduated from high school and went off to college, officially leaving my parents with an empty nest. But they weren’t unprepared; they had already arranged to take on a foreign exchange student for a year. Well, maybe they were a little unprepared. After raising four rambunctious girls, when quiet, well-mannered Jalil arrived from Marrakech, Morocco, I don’t think they fully realized all the challenges that lay ahead in connecting and communicating with him.

He spoke English quite well, but, as with everything, was very shy about using it.
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