When Irma Del Carmen Zurita Garrido applied to an exchange program in 1970, she never knew that year was going to change her life forever.

It was through coming to the United States so long ago that Zurita Garrido, born and raised in Chile, gained the sister she always wanted. Little did she know that sister, Lorry Duffany Warner, was in Newtown, Connecticut.

Lorry’s family took Zurita Garrido in during the fall of 1970 as part of an American Field Service exchange program.

Now known as the AFS exchange program, the study abroad program lets secondary school students study at a high school in a new country during an academic year, semester, or trimester. These students are supported and facilitated by trained staff and volunteers while they make new friends, learn a new language, and live with a global family.

Zurita Garrido stayed with Lorry, her brother, and her parents for the entire school year. The Duffanys quickly become a second family to her, and Zurita Garrido could not have been happier.

She wanted to apply to the AFS exchange program partially to stay in the United States and to learn the English language. However, the main reason Zurita Garrido applied is because she always wanted to have a sister.

Zurita Garrido continued, “For me, it was the most important thing.”

“And she got it,” Lorry finished with a smile.

Lorry’s mother came up with the idea to do the exchange program. Her mother worked in the old post office, which was where My Place Restaurant is today. Lorry’s husband, Austin Warner, said his mother-in-law knew a lot of stuff around town because of her job.

“She was aware of all kinds of programs, and the AFS exchange program was one of them,” Austin said.

After hearing about the program from people stopping into the post office, Lorry’s mother decided to apply. Lorry said people from Newtown came to interview her family for the program.

Lorry said she remembers that day clearly: the interviewers lined up six pictures of kids from all over the world, and her family had to pick one.

“And guess who we picked,” Lorry laughed. “We just liked her picture. I mean, we didn’t know anything about Chile. We just really liked her.”

Lorry and her family learned from the interviewers that Zurita Garrido was an only child. The timing worked out for other reasons, too. At the time, Lorry said Chile was turning Communist.

“It was not bad when [Zurita Garrido] left, but her parents wanted her out of there,” Lorry said.

Sisterhood Overseas

Zurita Garrido arrived in the United States on August 8, 1970 — she still remembers the date all these years later. They housed her and other AFS students at Hofstra University. Zurita Garrido stayed there for one week before being transported to Hartford, where she met Lorry and her family for the first time.

Even from her first moments arriving in Connecticut, Zurita Garrido followed Lorry wherever she went. Lorry laughed as she remembered how important this was to her mother.

“My mom wouldn’t let my boyfriend and I go on a date without [Zurita Garrido] with me,” Lorry said. “So we had to find someone so we could go on a double date.”

Zurita Garrido could not speak a word of English outside of hello and goodbye. She learned the language through classes at NHS.

“During the first two months, I couldn’t speak too much English,” Zurita Garrido said. “But I learned to speak fluently afterwards.”

The rest of their day-to-day school life was like a dream. They took classes, went on several double dates, and even performed in the school play together.

Graduation was an extremely sad moment for Zurita Garrido and the Duffanys. Lorry remembers how heartbroken her parents were, and how they tried to get Zurita Garrido to stay.

However, Zurita Garrido had to sign an agreement with the AFS: one that said she could not come back to the United States for ten years.

Zurita Garrido graduated from NHS in 1971 and went back to Chile. However, she also had to finish the rest of her senior year in Chile.

“When I left my country in August, I was still doing my senior year. So when I came back, I had to finish it,” Zurita Garrido said. “So I got to graduate twice.”

She was not supposed to come back to the United States so soon, but she did anyways. Lorry’s parents helped Zurita Garrido come back for Lorry’s nursing graduation in 1973.

The pair kept in touch afterwards, shopping around for free telephone services. They said the regular phone lines were “ridiculous in terms of pricing,” but Lorry and Zurita Garrido were not deterred.

Even as Zurita Garrido traveled to Spain, fell in love, and started her family there, the time difference did not stop her and Lorry from considering each other sisters.

Lorry and Zurita Garrido stayed in touch despite the thousands of miles between them. After rotating through countless different communication methods, they settled on WhatsApp to send texts, share photos, and video call each other.

The exchange program changed Zurita Garrido’s son Eduardo’s life, too. He got into the AFS exchange program at 16 and spent a year in Wisconsin.

“I wanted him to go to the United States, to learn the language, learn the culture, and he did it,” Zurita Garrido said with a smile.

Homecoming

Zurita Garrido only visited the United States a few more times after graduating in 1971. She quickly planned a trip with Duffany Warner a few weeks ago to visit once again, however. The current trip, Zurita Garrido said, is her fourth time traveling to the United States.

“I called Lorry the day we celebrated over 50 years of friendship, and she told me just how much I meant to her. I started crying and crying, and I decided to come right away,” Zurita Garrido said.

Zurita Garrido landed on September 15 and was more than happy to stay with Lorry and Austin until September 30.

They made the most of the past week and half together, eating out at restaurants and visiting different places around New York City and Newtown. Traveling through Newtown was also special for Lorry and Austin, as they now live in Danbury.

However, September 20 was a particularly special day for the entire trio. Lorry and Zurita Garrido held a meet-and-great at Foundry Kitchen and Tavern to share their story and reconnect with new and familiar faces alike. Austin’s family owned the location when it was known as H.G. Warner and Co.

Several old classmates attended, excitedly giving hugs to Lorry, Austin, and Zurita Garrido.

Together, they shared photos and memories, happy to catch up after so many years apart.

When they graduated in 1971, Zurita Garrido wrote over two pages in Lorry’s yearbook — she wrote so much towards the front that she had to go to the back. In it, Zurita Garrido said she could not have been more grateful to have met Lorry and her family.

Now over 50 years later, as they smiled sitting across from each other at the Foundry, those feelings have not changed.

“I couldn’t be more lucky,” Zurita Garrido said.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.