Imagine yourself in a new country, able to speak only fragments of the language. All around you life rushes on, people too caught up in the frenzy of daily living to explain confusing cultural quirks.

You feel lost, anxious to be given the cues to fit into a different society. You are lonely. You are afraid.

It doesn’t have to be this way at NIU.

NIU’s International Student Office offers a host program where area families “adopt” a foreign student. “It can make a tremendous amount of difference to how a student adjusts to a new culture,” said Thecla Cooler, assistant director of the International Student faculty.

The program indeed made a difference for NIU graduate student Moin Khan. Khan came to the United States from native India in April of 1987 and became aware of the difficulty in adjusting. “When you’re on campus, you say ‘hi’ to people but don’t get beyond that boundary,” he said.

To break the boundary, Khan soon found himself involved in the host program. According to Cooler, students are paired with families after filling out forms on their background, culture and hobbies.

Khan said he completed the form and received a letter matching him with the Meurer family of Sycamore. “It was very exciting for me. I was interested to know something about America and American people,” he said.

Their first meeting was a memorable one for both Khan and his host family. “He was really sweet,” said Helen Meurer. “He was all dressed up and had a box of candy for us.”

Meurer said she and her family were impressed with Khan. “He did a pretty good job of communicating. It was really exciting to watch him grow as his language got better and better,” she said.

Khan mastered the English language so well he began reporting for The Northern Star and taught Journalism 200 labs. He credits the Meurers for helping him expand his knowledge. “They gave me some practical hands-on information. When you talk to a person, you get to the core of the matter,” he said.

The practical experience went beyond mere conversation between Khan and the Meurers. In 1987, the Meurers invited Khan to spend his first American Thanksgiving with them at her sister’s home near Waukegan.

Meurer said it was her favorite memory with Khan. “It was touching to spend a couple of days with him…it was a precious time,” she said.

Meurer said her two children, Stacey, 8, and Sara, 3, are also close with Khan. “It’s neat to see the children get acquainted with Moin,” she said. She said Khan was particularly touched when the girls made necklaces for him and his then-fiancee.

Khan married in December 1987, and his wife is now included in the host family. She is from Maryland, where she left behind numerous friends and family members. “When she found Helen, it was good company for her,” Khan said.

Khan said he and his wife are still in close contact with the Meurers. He said they call one another whenever there is news and visit during breaks and holidays. Meurer said her family makes it a point to keep in touch with Khan at least once a month.

Cooler said although the host program’s original idea was for a foreign student to be with a family for one year, “families like to keep friends.” Khan agreed, saying his relationship with the Meurers is one of the most successful ones.

There are currently 35 other student-family relationships, Cooler said. She said there are students involved from over 80 countries, mainly China, Taiwan, Malaysia, India and Korea. She added the program is steadily expanding.

“The need we have now is for more families to come up. The program is always changing, always growing,” she said. According to Cooler, host families are recruited through local churches, radio shows, the DeKalb Chronicle and word of mouth.