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Experiencing All Angles: A Family’s Journey from Participants to Hosts

December 22, 2023
Afbeelding voor Experiencing All Angles: A Family’s Journey from Participants to Hosts
Having sent their children to participate in the first Elementary Global Montessori Games in Almese, Italy, then taking on the role as a host family at the Sustainable Development Games in Cozumel, Mexico, the Garrido family have experienced our varied events from different angles. Their constant support and positive feedback have been so fantastic that we were inspired to share the story of their experiences with you.

Having got to experience these events from both angles, as guests and hosts, we have witnessed how both have been very positive, full of fun, companionship and unforgettable memories made for our whole family.

We were first a little hesitant to send our children across the world to Almese, to stay for a week with a family we have never met. However, it was explained to us that each host school carefully selects the families that will receive them and that they have been in the Montessori school for many years.

This made us feel more comfortable knowing our children would stay with people who share our values and vision for the world. The Italian family hosted our kids treated them as their own, strived to make them feel at home and maintained contact with us the whole time. They often sent pictures and updates, allowing us to really live the experience with them.

It was such a positive experience, we are still in contact with them, and we feel we made friends for life.

When our children’s school decided to host the Sustainable Development Games, we were sure we wanted to be a host family and share our home with guests from around the world. This was great fun for the whole family, as we prepared the space in our home ahead of their arrival, planned activities, gifts and food to try, so that we could offer amazing experience of our beautiful island, Cozumel.

We hosted two teen girls, one from the Netherlands and one from the USA, who we welcomed on to our home and into our hearts, and who left with a little bit of Cozumel in theirs.

We really enjoyed sitting at every meal together, learn new things about each other’s cultures and lifestyles, as well as hearing firsthand how much they enjoyed all the wonderful activities the GAMES team had planned for them for that day. It was a very enriching experience both for us as parents and for our kids as hosts.

During SDGames Cozumel, we experienced first-hand the connection of young people from all over the world, sharing a week of sport, outdoors activities, dancing, laughing, tasting different food, all in a happy and harmonious environment.

It was a week of PURE, CONTAGIOUS, JOYFUL ENERGY! It was so much fun that before the event was over, we were already planning our children’s participation to the next one.

GAMES has restored our hope for a better world and the organizers have put into action, Maria Montessori’s vision on the unity in the world:

“Everyone talks about peace, but no one educates for peace. People educate for competition, and this is the beginning of any war. When we educate to cooperate and be in solidarity with one another, that day we will be educating for peace.”

Dr. Maria Montessori

We would like to thank the organizers, Roelant, Jeroen and Aiden who take care of the whole group with attention to every detail. We were genuinely impressed by the professionalism, enthusiasm, energy, care and love they put into organizing every event.

Thank you all!

Your friends,
The Garridos