We have a five-bedroom home with two full baths and one half bath. Recently remodeled, our house includes a spacious kitchen with gourmet appliances, large living room, family room, finished basement and large yard. We have an extremely kid-friendly home with plenty of toys, games, and entertainment for kids. We have a garage filled with bicycels and scooters and a seven-passenger Honda Pilot for exchange.

While our home has all the modern conveniences and spaciousness you would expect, our biggest asset is our location. Our city, Highland Park, Ill., located on the shore of Lake Michigan and known for its wooded ravines and quiet neighborhoods, has about 30,000 residents and is about 23 miles from Chicago and 23 miles from O’Hare International Airport.

We live ½ kilometer from the beach at Lake Michigan, we live 100 meters from a Metra station which takes you directly to Chicago, 1 kilometer from Ravinia Festival, the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with a wealth of classical, operas, and pop concerts every night of the summer. In addition to living near the beach, Highland Park has a wonderful water park/pool and a beautiful park system – we have at least five parks within one mile of our home. We live about one mile from the Chicago Botanic Gardens and a block from the bicycle path.

We also live near several large shopping malls and stores, amusement parks, and places of interest. Highland Park is a great place to stay while exploring the city of Chicago with its wealth of shopping, cultural and architectural attractions.

We are Michelle, Tom, Ethan (age 10), Gerrit (age 7), and Matthew (age 5) Holleman. Tom, has a master’s degree in information science and works as a senior vice president at a large commercial bank. Michelle has a master’s degree in higher education management and stays home with the kids and works part-time as an editor. We have completed three exchanges and are looking forward to new ones. Our children are respectful travelers who enjoy visiting new places.