Meet our Mid-Valley: Salem student raises flag for cultural exchange program
This is part of a weekly series introducing readers to individuals who are passionate about our Mid-Valley community.
The ceiling of Milo Kingsley's bedroom is lined with miniature flags from around the world. He can name every one of them. Step outside his room and full-size versions of more than 20 are posted in the hallway.
"I felt like I was walking through the U.N.," mom Erin Kingsley said when her oldest son began decorating their South Salem home with international flair.
Most of the large flags have slightly frayed edges because he has flown each of them from his car.
Milo drives a white 1990 Volvo with pinstripes from hood to trunk, a spoiler on the back, and a flagpole suctioned to the rear driver's side window.
Most recently he has flown the Ukrainian and Georgian flags — in support of the nation Russia invaded and in deference to the nation he will call home for the next 10 months.
Milo, who last year as a junior attended Blanchet Catholic School, was one of 15 students nationwide awarded a Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Abroad scholarship for 2022-23. He will spend his senior year living with a host family in the country of Georgia, attending a local school in the capital city of Tbilisi and serving as a youth ambassador.
Opportunity of a lifetime
The ambassador role comes naturally for Milo. He went through the Spanish immersion program at Harritt Elementary School, where he first realized people from other countries in the world lived differently. He has always been fascinated with global issues, spreading awareness with his flag collection since the moment he could drive.
"His world is so much bigger than Salem," his mom said. "That is where he needs to be. I wanted him to have this opportunity."
Milo was selected to participate in the inaugural year of the FLEX Abroad program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the nonprofit American Councils for International Education.
They have been providing opportunities for international high school students to live and study in the U.S. since 1993. The program was launched after the dissolution of the Soviet Union to strengthen ties between the peoples of the United States and Europe and Asia.
Milo applied last fall for the FLEX Abroad program. The application process has several stages, and competition is intense.
A program spokesperson said Milo and the other 14 students were selected from an applicant pool of about 250. A screening committee reviewed applications, and semifinalists were invited to take part in interviews.
Milo had to write several essays through the process and was shocked when he found out he had been chosen.
"I was like, 'This is actually happening. I will be spending a year away from my family, 11,000 miles away from Oregon,' " he said.
Matched with Georgia
Milo originally was slated to go to Ukraine, his preference among the three choices. Host countries and communities are identified and selected in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. embassies. Kazakhstan and Poland were the others.
On the morning of Feb. 24, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. It was nighttime here, but Milo didn't sleep. He kept a journal of airstrikes and troop movement hour by hour. It was personal for him.
FLEX Abroad officials eventually replaced Ukraine with Georgia, which is sandwiched between Russia and Turkey. It was incorporated in 1921 into the Soviet Union and continued as a republic until it gained independence in 1991.
Georgia is a small nation, about half the size of the state of Georgia, known for being the birthplace of winemaking and for having the world's deepest cave. It has 12 different climate zones, from subtropical and alpine to semi-desert. In the area where Milo is headed, the climate is temperate much like the Willamette Valley.
He has traveled overseas before, but packing for this trip is different. He is allowed two suitcases and a carry-on and will need to prepare for various seasons. He plans to take a few sets of clothes but has budgeted $100 to spend on clothes in Georgia.
"I'm going to buy traditional stuff, so I look like a Georgian kid," he said.
He may also go by a more Georgian first name, such as Dmitri. He knew a couple of Asian foreign exchange students who went by Ben and David while in the United States.
One of his suitcases will be filled with gifts such as Oregon hazelnuts, American coins and Bigfoot items. Milo said it is a tradition in Georgia to bring gifts when you meet someone or go to someone's house for dinner, for example.
He also plans to take a few items to remind him of home, including an American flag and a Georgian flag. A Georgian flag decorates one of the windows in his bedroom.
Far from home
He only recently was provided information about his host family. The father is a chief financial officer at a bank, and the mother is an associate dean at a university. He said they passed criminal background checks and have two boys, ages 12 and 7.
Milo has three younger brothers, so that should feel almost like home.
He knows he will miss his family. He said the program recommends participants "keep their distance, especially in the first month, so they won't be too homesick."
When he does connect with family members via phone or video chats, they will have to work around an 11-hour time difference.
FLEX Abroad students are expected to remain in the host country for the duration of the program. Trips home for weddings, graduations and other family events — Milo will celebrate his 18th birthday in October, and he will be gone for Christmas and other holidays — are not permitted. Exceptions are considered only in cases of family emergencies.
Participant safety is a priority for the program, which works with the U.S. embassy to determine the best course of action in case of emergencies affecting participants. If civil unrest were to occur in the host country, for example, participants may be removed and returned to the United States at the discretion of the U.S. Department of State.
While in Georgia, Milo will receive a $ 125-a-month stipend. He said with the exchange rate, that will be a lot of money. He has been told some things are cheap, such as a loaf of bread for 5 cents, but other things such as water are expensive.
He sampled some Georgian food in July while in Washington, D.C., for program orientation and thought it was delicious. But if all else fails, Tbilisi has McDonald's.
If you have an idea for someone we should profile for this series, please email Statesman Journal senior news editor Alia Beard Rau at arau@gannett.com
Capi Lynn is the Statesman Journal's news columnist. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com. Follow her work on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Meet Milo Kingsley: Blanchet student raises flag for exchange program
