Tangut Degfay ‘15, Ethiopia
I first met MamaAnnette and PapaTim and their wonderful family (The Franklins) in December 2011 at their Bridport home where they welcomed and hosted me for the holidays during my first year at Middlebury College. Mama had searched and reached out to me over Facebook offering to come pick me up from my dorm room for Christmas dinner with her family. Since then, they continue to provide me with love, warmth and emotional support. They have become my home and I have become their “Daughter”!
While at Middlebury, I have received love and support from the Franklins in all its kind. They were always there for me during my exam and most stressful times. Not only did I get to receive care packages and phone call checkups from them on a regular basis, I have also been fortunate to have the whole family visit me on campus and take me out for break and relaxation during my exam weeks. They were regulars at many of my extracurricular events, school events and many of my performances for annual cultural shows.
During my year abroad in Tokyo, Japan, the Franklins were my main source of support. They regularly checked on me over Skype and made sure I was adjusting well. During the holidays, I would receive letters and care packages from them sent from Bridport all the way to Tokyo. I remember opening my Christmas package and feeling selfishly ecstatic at the home-baked treats and customized sweets they put together for me.
The Franklins have been a strong support and guidance throughout my academic years; looking after my wellbeing and academic success, as well as my professional growth. I remember the mentorship I received from them when I was doing my job applications post-graduation from Middlebury. They continue to guide me and make me feel loved to this day as I pursue my graduate studies thousands of miles away at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
I was fortunate to be able to create connections with members of the Middlebury, Bridport and the wider Vermont community because of the Franklins. They would often invite me and my friends to family retreats, church events and community gatherings where I get to meet their friends and children. They have greatly contributed to creating a strong connection between Middlebury students and the Middlebury/Bridport community.
The Franklins have been home not only to me but to my extended group of friends at Middlebury. During school holiday season, they would cook international cuisine and invite over a large group of students for dinner, for bonding and family game-time. I remember when they hosted graduation parties for my friends and invited over a big group of students and their family to their home. For most of international students at Middlebury, bringing family and relatives from our home countries is far from an option but the Franklins have covered that gap and I always see them putting their utmost effort to make our birthdays, holidays and graduations a special occasion.
The Franklins have extended their helping hands even during orientation week arrivals to Vermont and departure at the end of the school year. Not only they drove all the way to Burlington airport to pick up new and returning students, they would also drive a number of us to the airport as we depart to our home countries and internship adventures during the winter and summer breaks. They also pick up families from the airport during graduation and family weekends.
The Franklins have been such an essential part of my four years at Middlebury, and they continue to treat my friends the same way they treated me with love, care and family support. They have adjusted their lifestyle to give comfort and a sense of belonging to international students. Not only do they host students for a night-over getaway and during school breaks, they have also transformed their basement into a guesthouse so that they can host more students.
I cannot tell you enough what a gift the Franklins continue to be in my life, to my friends and to the wider international student body at Middlebury. They have been a joy, a strength and home to all of us! I am very proud and thankful, and I wholeheartedly support their effort to provide a loving and caring home for more Middlebury students as they continue to do for me.
