NOD Voices

Besides simply meeting amazing people, the memories I created, and the language skills I developed, my time as an exchange student solidified my love of study abroad, and clearly shaped the direction of my life.

Memorial Day is about a lot more than parades and pool parties. Memorial Day is about honoring all of our service men and women who have given the greatest sacrifice for our country. It is about remembering those who have died in the line of duty. Perhaps since many of us have had to change our plans this year, we can take time to remember what Memorial Day is supposed to be about.

I heard an interesting statistic this week, currently throughout the world OVER 4 BILLION people are under some type of "Shelter-In-Place" / "Stay-at-home" order! We truly are in this together! It makes me wonder how everyone is doing. How are you keep your mind sharp? If you are working from home, how do you stay on task? If you have kids who are attending school through distance learning platforms, how do you help them prepare for class? How do we all keep from going bonkers while being trapped at home?

With new information regarding COVID-19 coming out daily, it's hard to keep up. As a single mom now working from home with school aged kids who are attending virtual schools, I find myself in the same uncharted waters as you. This unprecedented situation leaves us with lots of questions. My hope is that through this new blog series "Covid-19: In this Together" I can share what I have found to be helpful and encourage you to share your tips and advice. I hope that we will find inspiration and support in our NOD community, as well!

As an important part of the Nacel Open Door community, we want to share with you current information regarding the ongoing Coronoavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Our number one priority is the health and safety of our students and families. We realize that we are not experts on this subject, and that there is a lot of misinformation floating around surrounding this pandemic. Hopefully these resources will help clarify this situation.

St. Valentine's Day, just another "Hallmark Holiday" or something more? All around the world different cultures celebrate this day each February 14th. From pink hearts, to public weddings, festivals and chocolates, there are many different traditions. Read on to learn how St. Valentines Day is celebrate all around the world.

Our student advisor, Ella, shares her wisdom of communication and how to maintain a healthy relationship between students and host families.

This time of year is always busy with holidays of many kinds. Take a look at the American holiday of Thanksgiving.

Homesickness is a condition that affects the mind and body and can happen at any time and is often recurring.  This post will give you more information about it, and how you can overcome it however it relates to you.

See the top five improvements that our new website brings to Nacel Open Door and learn more about the process of making it!

Melissa has worked with Nacel Open Door as both a host mom and a local representative in North Carolina. Her work has helped many host families and impacted students in great ways.

Over 170 French, German and Italian students were welcomed into families across the United States for a three- or four-week visit.