West Virginia Programs

Come to wild and wonderful West Virginia—a stand-out destination in the Eastern U.S.

Specifically, come to a very special corner of the upper Shenandoah Valley, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, which is a unique tri-county area snuggled against the borders of Virginia and Maryland. This region also is only 90 miles (less than two hours by car!) away from the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore metropolitan areas.

Families hosting the students will provide transportation on December 20 from flights that participants take into Dulles International Airport (IAD), Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), or Reagan National Airport (DCA). Dulles Airport is the most easily reached by car from our region.

Your host group, 15 Presbyterian (USA) churches in the Panhandle, will provide families for home-stays and group activities that will include a day trip by train to Washington, D.C. Our area, in the scenic hills and valleys adjacent to the Alleghany Mountains, is rich in history, resort settings, and West Virginia’s most vibrant, expanding economy. Hospitality is a specialty.

The program, from December 20, 2008, to January 2, 2009, will feature an easy, laid-back atmosphere plus the Washington visit, a regional sight-seeing tour, and a manufacturing tour including Quad Graphics where the National Geographic magazine is printed. All students will attend a “meet and greet” gathering with all students and host families at one of the area churches. We plan a New Year’s Eve Party and international dinner (prepared by students and hosts).

A variety of activities is available in the area. Students can sample flavors of this region through visits to historic Harper’s Ferry, where John Brown tried to seize a federal arsenal, prime Civil War sites such as important battlefields, Baltimore’s National Aquarium, holiday cultural events, and places like historic Winchester, VA, the oldest English settlement west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. WE plan to tour a nearby national battlefield, Antietam, which witnessed the greatest loss of human life in one battle during the American Civil War. If there is interest, we may take a historic tour of local architecture and sites of early settlement from pioneers to the 1720’s on to the 1900’s around the “Panhandle” area…or even visit a llama farm.

This is a fine area to see charming small towns. Shepherdstown, where we always have host families, is a delightful university town. Berkeley Springs, a historic spa town in the area, recently was named one of the “12 top arts destinations” in the United States, according to a reader poll published in the American Style magazine. Martinsburg and Charles Town are country seats and have their own points of interest, as well.

Since the hosting group is made up of church members, the possibility will exist of attending Christmas Eve and Sunday worship services at families’ churches. However, host families will all have cultural sensitivity training by former State Department exchange experts (one now a pastor in our area); if students are from other religious backgrounds or prefer not to participate in worship services, that will be understood. Hosts desire to grow in understanding and respect of the international students who come their way—and they look forward to enjoying the visitors’ company.

Program Size	Eight to twelve students, depending upon host family availability
Program Type	Home stay
Accommodations	Singles—males and females, possibly one married couple
Dress	Warm coat, sweaters, gloves, hats, scarves, boots, blue jeans mostly- perhaps one nice casual outfit possibly for family-related outings
Suggested cash for optional personal expenses	Personal funds for souvenirs, optional trips/entrance fees
Program Dates	December 20, 2008 to January 2, 2009
Airport	Washington, D.C., airports (Reagan National and Dulles), Baltimore-Washington International (Baltimore, MD) Preferred, if feasible: Dulles International
Train Depot	Martinsburg, WV (there are rush hour trains from Washington, D.C.)
Bus Depot	Hagerstown, MD (We’ve never yet had occasion to use it but could do so on request)
Driving Directions	Available on request
Weather Forecast	30-40 degrees F; may snow, ice
Local Attractions	Shenandoah Valley and Potomac Valleys, Antietam and Gettysburg Civil War Battlefields and the Harpers Ferry National Park, charming small-town America, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD