A family abroad for international Resident Assistants

Dec 7

Written By

H.O.M.E. has a long history of being not only a welcoming place for people of all ages, but also one of being a welcoming place for people of diverse backgrounds and nationalites.

Michel Salmon came to Chicago in 1959 to help start what became Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly in the U.S. There he met Lilo who was a social worker from Germany who he eventually married. In 1982, the Salmons founded H.O.M.E. to help low-income seniors connect with housing opportunities. They spent over 30 years in Chicago before retiring to Michel's home country of France.

A few weeks ago, Lilo wrote to us from her home in Paris wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving noting that Thanksgiving was her favorite American holiday and that she misses the celebration of giving thanks now that she has returned to Europe.

Through the legacy of intergenerational housing that the Salmons built, H.O.M.E. continues to be a place where young people are being introduced to the uniquely American holiday. This year, resident assistants from Germany and Sweden spent the November holiday with their senior neighbors at Pat Crowley and Nathalie Salmon Houses. Here are their impressions of being at H.O.M.E. for the holiday:

Triphose is an international student from Sweden who has been a Resident Assistant at Nathalie Salmon House since June.

"Since Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Sweden, I only had vague idea of what to expect. The only knowledge that I had of Thanksgiving was mainly from Canada and T.V. shows. I lived in Canada for three years, so I tried to be familiar with as many holidays as possible. I soon discovered that this American holiday was much more than a big dinner with your family. From my observations, Thanksgiving seems to be as important as Christmas. As an international student, you need to create your own family abroad. I had the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with the residents and it was amazing experience. We had a great time together and I'm grateful for this experience. Not many international students can say they had the same experience as me."

(photo credit Atangadi Enyiema)

Carla is a participant of World Horizon, a German organization that places volunteers with nonprofit organizations around the world for a full year. She joined H.O.M.E. as a Resident Assistant at Pat Crowley House in August.

"Coming from Germany, the American holiday Thanksgiving is rather new for me. I have only celebrated it once before, 3 years ago while I was an exchange student in Alaska.

What I like about Thanksgiving, and what makes it different from other holidays is that it isn’t about gifts, it is just about going home and coming together with your family and friends and being thankful for what you already have. Plus you get to eat a lot, which is nice too.

This past Thanksgiving I got to do all of that and since using the long weekend to make a trip home wasn’t really an option, I got to celebrate with the H.O.M.E. family."

Resident Assistants are usually college-aged people who receive room and board at H.O.M.E.'s Good Life Senior Residences in exchange for about 20 hours of helping seniors each week. Resident Assistants cook meals on the weekends, play board games and join in on other activities with residents, and help with laundry or cleaning.

H.O.M.E. has offered the unique experience of intergenerational housing in Chicago since Michel and Lilo opened Pat Crowley House in 1983 with their innovative idea of blending generations to create a community that is open to all ages.

We are happy that Carla and Triphose have joined the H.O.M.E. family, and bring not only an intergenerational perspective to our family but also a cross-cultural one.

If you are interested in being a Resident Assistant and joining the H.O.M.E. family, fill out a form by clicking the button below.

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intergenerational housing