‘A petri dish.’ Italian foreign exchange student in KC must fly home on shared plane
Erminia Marino has spent the past week isolating herself from the outside world, following CDC recommendations as the coronavirus spreads throughout the United States.
But on Friday, she will begin a process that includes three flights, stops in three different airports and a final destination into the country most ravaged by the pandemic.
Italy.
Her home.
Marino, a 17-year-old foreign exchange student living in Lee’s Summit, has spent the past week fighting to stay in the U.S. until it’s deemed safer to travel to Italy. It’s a fight her host family has taken on with full-force.
But lost.
AFS, the international organization that oversees her youth exchange program, informed Marino on Wednesday that she must be on a plane in Chicago on Friday evening that will take her to Italy, where her mother lives.
She won’t be alone. Foreign exchange students from across the country will converge in Chicago, then share a chartered plane to Europe.
“They’re putting them in a petri dish,” said Shawn Kalwei, who along with her husband, Bryan, serves as the host family for Marino. “Obviously she wants to be back with her family. Obviously we want her to be back with her family. Obviously her family wants her back.
“But when it’s safe — that’s the whole point.”
Marino, her mother and her host family in Lee’s Summit are all in agreement — best to wait it out and stay inside their home. They have explored every outlet they can to make that Plan A.
It’s not their choice. If she does not leave, her health insurance will be void, and her J-1 Visa, required for exchange visitors, would eventually expire.
The Star asked AFS why it cannot allow a student to stay with his or her host family during this time if all parties involved agree to it.
AFS replied with a written statement: “The students’ visas are contingent on their continued participation in the AFS high school exchange program, which AFS made the very difficult decision to end early in the face of great global uncertainty. (Also, the year and semester programs themselves are contingent on students’ participation in a school setting, and schools in many states throughout the country are suspending their program for the school year.) We have a responsibility to return these students home at the end of their program, and we are doing so as cautiously and thoughtfully as we are able. Students who are unable to return due to travel and logistics remain on program until travel can be arranged.”
The AFS further added that it is “committed to returning students in a manner that is thoughtful, deliberate and cautious,” noting that some students have already returned to their home countries.
But is this really a safe option?
The CDC recommends travelers avoid all nonessential travel to several countries in Europe. Italy is on that list.
The disagreement, therefore, is whether this travel is essential. Or, rather, whether it’s essential it happen now.
Marino’s mother lives in Reggio Calabria in southern Italy. The city is on lockdown — no one out, no one in. Even once arriving in Rome — a 7-hour drive from her home — Marino is planning to stay with her brother in Lamezia.
“I haven’t seen my mom in a really long time, so both of us wish to be together, but the best decision is to stay here,” Marino told The Star on Tuesday. “As you know, it’s really, really bad in Italy. It’s not safe. My hope is being safe. Taking the flight now would be even worse. It would not be smart.”