Dyes enjoy a ‘family’ reunion overseas after 30 years

Over the decades Sue and Ed Dye have opened their home to many foreign exchange students who have been blessed to be part of their family for a few months.

During those stays, having spent plenty of time with 17 students from places like Spain and Japan, the Dyes have come to realize these weren’t just visitors passing by. These students became ingrained in their lives. They became, in fact, part of the family.

This past fall the couple had the pleasure of traveling overseas to Spain, where they reconnected with two of their “children.”

This reunion was special because the Dyes hadn’t seen the two women since their stay in the 1980s and ‘90s, and to reconnect was a great joy to all parties involved.

“They’re just like our own children,” Sue Dye said. “The experience of hosting young people as exchange students is such a rewarding thing. I think everyone should do it for the experience, and we have had such a unique and pleasant time with all of our exchange students over the years.”

For 10 days the Dyes spent time with two of the young people who made a big impact on their lives. The couple had talked about going to Spain for some time and finally decided it was time to take the plunge.

The Dyes traveled to Spain to reconnect with Imma Lucas, who was part of the Dye family in 1992, and on a spur-of-the-moment trip, they had the joy of reuniting with Sonia Vals Jove Macaya, who stayed with the Dyes in 1986.

The bonds created when the two women stayed with the Dyes while in high school many years ago remain intact today, so much so that even now, decades later, they referred to Sue and Ed as Mom and Dad, and the reunion was one the Dyes won’t soon forget.

The trip began when the Dyes went to Madera, Spain, a small village outside of Barcelona that looks out over the Mediterranean Sea, where they met up with Lucas.

“It’s just a beautiful place,” Sue Dye said. “Everywhere we went was stunning.”

Upon seeing each other again, it was as though they had transported back in time, and Dye said everyone felt the love they had shared three decades ago.

“It was as though she hadn’t changed at all,” Sue Dye said of Lucas. “She is beautiful, successful and we picked up right where we left off.”

Lucas took the Dyes on a tour of Madera, showcasing all of the beauty of the town and the region, with the background of the Mediterranean Sea painting each stop and memory.

While the initial reason for going was to visit with Lucas, the Dyes had taken Macaya’s address in Barcelona just in case, and although the two women had stayed with the Dyes six years apart, Lucas was excited to try to track down another one of the Dye “children.”

A trek to the address by the trio came up empty in an attempt to reunite with Macaya, and the Dyes, while disappointed, were just thrilled to be reunited with Lucas.

A couple days later, Lucas took them on a trip to Sitga, where they were going to walk along the beach of the Mediterranean Sea and dine at a local restaurant.

Unbeknownst to the Dyes, Lucas had secretly contacted Macaya, who owns the restaurant, along with her husband, at which they were going to eat.

“We walked in, and there she was sitting there,” Sue Dye said of Macaya. “It was a shock to Ed and I. We hadn’t seen her for all these years, but we recognized her immediately. Imma really pulled the wool over our eyes, but what a joy.”

The four sat and reminisced about the old days, talking about school, former teachers and friends, experiences in Holmes County, and the joy they had staying with the Dyes in what each called a meaningful moment in their lives.

“It was an incredible journey back in time,” Sue Dye said. “We slid so easily back into conversation, and both women said their English wasn’t that good, but they both spoke it quite well. The girls both called us Mom and Dad.”

While Macaya owns the restaurant, Lucas is a freelance journalist with two sons who does news reports for television stations in Madrid and Barcelona. Dye said she is an expert on the Gaza situation and studies and watches the news.

The Dyes even took a bullet train ride to Barcelona and were guests to watch Lucas get ready and go on TV.

The Dyes began hosting exchange students through 4-H, and Sue Dye eventually started placing kids to hosts in the area. Peace USA and Forte were other organizations they utilized to host.

The couple’s next hope to reconnect will be with Itaru in Japan.

“We’ve had a lot of fun, and it was so neat reconnecting with the girls and seeing how successful they’ve become,” Sue Dye said. “The one thing we have to remember is that they are in their 50s now. They aren’t 17-year-old girls anymore. But the memories we made with each one is priceless.”

Three decades-plus later, it was a journey well worth the wait.