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