Type of Programme

Type of House: Detatched House

Teaching Qualifications and Experience
Master’s in Library and Information Science, Catholic University, 1981; BA, cum laude, in History and Political Science, Kalamazoo College, 1974; Red Jacket Central High School Shortsville, NY- New York State Regents honors diploma, Valedictorian, 1970. Native English speaker and 26 years as professional librarian with experience in writing, editing, proofreading. Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council ESL tutor and mentor tutor. Volunteer in elementary school with ESL students-1994-1995. Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council ESL tutor. Volunteer assistant with English writing, editing, for both elementary and high school students, 1992-2001. Private coaching for foreign students from France, Austria, Switzerland, 1995-2002.

Hobbies and Interests
Travel in USA and Europe; Church; Line & Ballroom Dancing; Gardening; Reading; Theater, Art, and Music appreciation.

Excursions and Local Attractions

• Carnegie Science Center. Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Carnegie Art Museum; Andy Warhol museum
• Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens; National Aviary; Pittsburgh Zoo; Kennywood Amusement park
• Duquesne or Monongahela Incline railway with view of the city from the South Hills
• Sports live: Seasonal (April – September) American baseball game at PNC Park, view of city skyline. College sports- football, basketball, or other American typical sport, in season
• University campuses: University of Pittsburgh (including the Cathedral of Learning and its beautiful Nationality Rooms, Carnegie Mellon University 
• Duquesne, Community college campuses
• Professional or community Theatre or Musical Concert performances, if interested
• Public library and town community centers

Customized additional trips possible for additional charge: Day trips to Niagara Falls, NY; Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater home, Civil War battlefield sites, such as Gettysburg, PA, or Harper's Ferry, WV.
Within 5-10 hours drive: upstate New York; Philadelphia, PA; Cleveland, Dayton, or Cincinnati, OH; Baltimore, MD; Washington, DC.

Accommodation, Facilities and Local Area
You will live in a quiet residential neighborhood in a Pittsburgh North Hills suburb. My husband and I have a non-smoking household with a friendly, large poodle. An enthusiastic, energetic extrovert, I enjoy meeting people and have a variety of interests including learning more about the student’s interests and home culture. I will focus my creativity and brainstorming skills to tailor your educational program to your learning needs and style preferences. A very flexible schedule is possible. I work as a professional librarian at the 2nd largest public library in Allegheny County, following 26 years at the Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service. My husband does computer work and acoustics, working out of an upstairs home office with frequent trips to Washington, DC.

You will have a 2nd floor private bedroom with choice of a double bed or of a daybed and pop-up trundle bed, desk with use of a MacIntosh computer and fast, free, broadband Internet access, large closet, and windows with a view of the evening sunset, overlooking the woods and back garden. You’ll have use of an adjacent full bath with shower & tub and of a laundry room with large washer/dryer. (Our Master bedroom and full bath and my husband’s home study is also on the 2nd floor). 1st floor: a country kitchen opens into a bright dining area and family great room with many windows, comfortable couches and chairs, piano, exercise bicycle, large video collection, and television/VCR/DVD player. We designed our custo m-built home with hardwood floors on both levels and with a long front porch that wraps around the front of the house. A spacious front entry leads to a powder room, library, two-car garage, and this large great room. For quiet reading, the peaceful library is filled with bookshelves and two game chests, Tiffany reading lamps, and a loveseat and Oriental carpet which face the front garden’s hillside view. Storage is available in the unfinished basement. The tutor’s adult daughter and her Swiss-German husband live in nearby Pittsburgh and would be willing to greet and to give tours to our visitors.

Our safe neighborhood allows for quiet walks in woods and countryside. Libraries, shopping, movie theaters, and cultural and historical places of interest are within minutes’ drive. We enjoy country line dancing and ballroom dance classes regularly. Language classes will be customized to your interests by viewing the greater Pittsburgh area as your classroom. In addition to experiencing ordinary everyday American life with visits to restaurants, supermarkets, shopping, libraries, schools and universities, churches, community centers with recreational activities, businesses, medical facilities, and parks, we can choose from the many regional and local scenic and cultural opportunities to enrich your learning experience while making your homestay memorable.

Niagara Falls is a 5 hours drive north; Washington, D.C. is 5 hours south, each driving through rolling countryside. Both are worth the trip if you haven’t been there before. For only the cost of the additional actual expenses, I offer students a personally-guided, customized tour of our nation’s capital, the monuments and memorials, museums, and historical sites, as I lived in northern Virginia and worked in Washington, D.C. for 26 years.