SPARTAN SPOTLIGHT
Accidental Hosts
TOP: Spanish exchange student Emilia Aguilera Rodriguez, Chinese exchange student Jennifer Xu ' 17, Joan and Roger Bowling, and family collie Heinz
Roger and Joan Bowling didn’ t plan on hosting international students, but they wouldn’ t have it any other way.
BY JENNY LANKFORD
It’ s a Monday evening in Richmond’ s West End. Lights twinkle inside suburban homes where parents are preparing dinner and children are completing homework assignments. It’ s no different inside the home of Roger and Joan Bowling— they’ re making salads and upstairs, two teenagers are studying. But not long ago, the couple’ s evenings were quite different.
ABOVE: Jennifer and a group of friends pose before Steward ' s sophomore Sweet 16 dance in 2014.
LEFT: Ayda Asghar Afshari and Jennifer opening their baskets from the Easter Bunny
“ We had four kids— we’ re a Brady Bunch family, married 18 years, so when they were all out of the house, we were like,‘ Woo hoo!’ Nachos, light beer, and Reese’ s cups for dinner … yeah! Watch all-night movies … sure! And then we bragged about it to the wrong friend,” Mrs. Bowling said.
Mrs. Bowling ' s college roommate is involved with an agency that arranges homestays for international students. " She said, ' You have three spare bedrooms. Would you consider...,'" Mrs. Bowling said. " I don ' t know if it ' s Catholic guilt or that we adore her, but we agreed, as long as we got a senior boy for six months."
14 | The Colonnade