L&C Community Rallies to Welcome Afghanistan Student

After receiving his letter of acceptance to Lewis & Clark in the spring of 2009, Tawab Malekzad, a new first-year student from Kabul, Afghanistan, and a Davis United World College (UWC) scholar, was excited about studying in Portland. As the summer progressed, however, Malekzad became increasingly concerned that the violence surrounding the August presidential election in his country might disrupt his plans. He feared that the unrest, disruptions, and bombings might make travel impossible, ending his dream of studying at Lewis & Clark.

Having earned his International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma at Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (Canada), Malekzad knew that in challenging situations he needed to be proactive. He wrote to Lewis & Clark’s International Students and Scholars office and asked if he could come to Portland a month early.

Greg Caldwell, associate dean of students, understood Malekzad’s plight and agreed to his request. “I had no real plan and no funding,” Caldwell said. “But I felt that Malekzad’s situation was compelling and I knew the Lewis & Clark community would rally to help him. That’s the kind of community we are.”

Caldwell sent an e-mail to the Lewis & Clark faculty and staff asking for host family volunteers. Within a few days, seven families offered to help. After adjusting for vacation plans and last-minute emergencies, four families agreed to open their homes and welcome Malekzad.

Week One: Getting to Know Portland With the Deckers

Emily Decker, senior associate dean of admissions; her husband, David; and their children, Matthew, Kathryn, and Andrew, were the first to host Malekzad. “Our family has hosted students from Korea and China in the past, and David and I think it is important for our children to learn about other cultures,” said Decker.

“We had a blast with Tawab,” she added. “He has four younger siblings at home in Kabul, so he just fit right into our home. Tawab really bonded with Andrew, our 8-year-old, who is the same age as Tawab’s younger brother. Our whole family spent one evening gathered around the computer looking at maps of Afghanistan, pictures of Tawab’s family, and his friends from the Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific. Tawab is a fascinating person and we learned a lot from him. His reality in Afghanistan is very different from ours, and I think it is important for our children to understand that.”

“It was a lot of fun living with the Deckers,” said Malekzad. He recalled a few highlights from his week with the Deckers in particular. “I went with the family to a basketball tournament called ‘Street Jam’ at the Rose Quarter,” he said. “I watched Kathryn horseback riding. We went on a submarine at OMSI. Another neat thing is that David makes video movies as his job, and he said that we might make a movie together about my experiences back home!”

Week Two: Painting and Watching Zombie Movies With Talie Bocci and Jeremy McWilliams

Talie Bocci and Jeremy McWilliams, members of the Watzek Library staff, and their two children, Marley and Cyrus, shared the adventure in the second week. According to McWilliams, “Our family had never hosted a student before, but Talie does a lot of volunteering, and she is usually one of the first to step forward if someone needs help. She felt compelled by Tawab’s situation, and we both felt that it would be a good experience for our kids.”

The week they spent together was full of revelations, one of which was particularly unexpected. “The week he was with us, Tawab caught a cold and he was feeling poorly, but he still managed to work full days as a painter on the College’s paint crew. By the time he got home he was pretty tired,” McWilliams recalled. “Tawab and Talie discovered that they had a mutual interest—zombie movies! It was a good way for Tawab to recuperate and a good way for Talie to share her zombies, since I am not into this particular film genre!

“We also spent lots of time talking over meals. We listen to NPR on the radio every morning and there was a report on the elections in Afghanistan. Tawab commented that most U.S. news reports on Afghanistan do not reflect the reality of the situation there. He says, ‘They just don’t really understand.’ I look forward to having Tawab visit us again this year for an occasional dinner. I want to talk with him more about his observation.”

Malekzad described his stay with the Bocci-McWilliams family as “really cool.” He said, “Marley and Cyrus are amazing kids. They have a terrific ability to make me laugh all the time. You never know what they are going to say. One morning when I was leaving for work on the paint crew, Marley said, ‘Don’t get fired.’ Jeremy and I had no idea where that came from. I told Talie that she should start a book of quotations from Marley and Cyrus.”

Malekzad concluded, “It was a fun week and I really enjoyed games with the kids and watching zombie movies with Talie.”

Week Three: Teaching and Learning With the Choto-Muellers

Lucrecia Choto, associate director of overseas and off-campus programs; her husband, Kurt;  her children, Kai and Xiomara; and adopted family member Kristin Crandall, hosted Malekzad during his third week. When asked why she had volunteered, Choto said, “I have been welcomed into people’s homes many times and in many different cultures. I feel that I should reciprocate the hospitality and generosity of my many hosts.”

Choto added, “When I told Xiomara, my 7-year-old daughter, that a student from Afghanistan would be joining us, she said, ‘Isn’t that the country where we are fighting? Will he be angry with us?’ It was a teachable moment.”

In addition to being educational for Choto’s children, Malekzad’s visit gave him the opportunity to learn about new aspects of U.S. culture. “Our experience with Tawab was awesome,” said Choto. “He was very open about his experiences. We talked about how we all view the world through our own cultural lens. We also introduced him to the African American culture of our neighbors. He really loved their fried chicken and okra. I think he wanted to move in with them because of their food!”

Malekzad also used “awesome” to describe his time with the Choto-Muellers. “I played with Kai and Xiomara like they were my siblings,” he said. “It was a great week.”

Week Four: Making New Friends With the Brooks Family

Rebecca Brooks, administrative coordinator in Student Support Services; her husband, Bob; and two of her “at home” children, Jesse and Libby, hosted Malekzad for the last week before New Student Orientation.

“When I was growing up in Montana, my family hosted several international students in the summers and we always loved it,” said Brooks. “Jesse, my son, has always wanted to host an international student, but his school doesn’t offer that type of program. Jesse was thrilled when I suggested that Tawab stay with us.”

Brooks found her son’s enthusiasm only grew during the visit. “Jesse immediately came up with a list of the things to do and friends to meet,” she said. “A big group of them went to Voodoo Donut one night. They spent a day getting Tawab his Oregon ID and Social Security number. Jesse took him to his friend’s home for dinner. They also played some soccer with Jesse’s friends. They were always busy.”

Brooks’s family was able to spend some time traveling with Malekzad as well. “Our family went to Mount Hood on the weekend and my husband Bob took Tawab on a tour of the Timberline Lodge. We also went on the ski lift,” she said. “We just had a great time. Tawab is the perfect guest….His English is excellent and that gave us a chance to talk about lots of different things—the Afghanistan elections, the differences between the United States and Canada, American bureaucracy, and so on.”

According to Malekzad, his stay at the Brooks’ home was “totally different.” He said, “There were no kids around. All of the other host families had younger kids. Jesse is just one year younger than me, so we have a lot in common….The family was very nice to me and I had some great experiences.”

Arriving at Lewis & Clark

Malekzad is now safely settled into Lewis & Clark and is looking forward to his first semester of studies. His fear that turmoil in Afghanistan might interrupt his travel plans proved to be prophetic. Just days before he was originally scheduled to leave Kabul, the government closed the borders for all departing students.

Malekzad is grateful to the four families that hosted him. “They didn’t know me at all, but they welcomed me into their homes and into their families, and they went out of their way to make sure I was warmly welcomed to Portland,” he said. “I can never thank them enough. I am very lucky. Now I have not one, but four wonderful host families at Lewis & Clark.”