Summer Foreign Exchange Program

Hi B., you didn't say how old your daughter is, but I'm guessing she's probably in high school...? We've had a little experience with Foreign Exchange programs, but when we lived in Greenville -- not here. I doubt the location would make that much difference though. We had a student from Germany live with us for almost a year, and then one of my daughters went to Spain for a culture/language emersion program the summer she was either a junior or senior in high school (I forget which.) Both experiences were wonderful! The daughter who went to Spain stayed along with another student in a lady's home who had a couple of grown children, and who spoke no English. (That was part of this particular program, so the kids tuned up their Spanish very quickly.)Also, in this particular program she attended classes in the mornings and didn't have a huge amount (but some) free time. The host families had been carefully screened and approved by the program directors, of course, and may daughter's was a lovely woman. Her cooking was quite different from what my daughter was used to, and her home was very different, but it opened my daughter's eyes to the diversity and yet the similarities in people all over the world. She still has a very active desire to travel and experience new cultures, which I encourage. There was no negative aspect to any of the experience and she relishes the memory of her summer in Spain. Our German exchange student has stayed very close to our family as well, and we talk and write each other often. One of my other daughters has gone to Germany and stayed with her family for several weeks, and the relationship has only strengthened over the years since she lived with us. She's hoping to be able to come here this summer for a few weeks when she can take off time from her medical school studies. These were two different programs, sponsored by two different sources (we also had a Scottish foreign exchange student live with us when I was younger, which was also a wonderful experience.) If you feel that the program and the sponsors have done due diligence to insure the saftey of your child, the completeness of the details, etc. I see nothing but good things coming from letting her go. I only have these three personal experiences to base an opinion on, although I've known dozens of other kids who have also participated in various exchange programs, and I haven't yet heard of any regrets or bad experiences. I hope this helps, and if she goes, that your daughter has a ball!

I was a host family for a year. The program we were with had us filling out a 10-page application. They were really wanting to make sure that the family and the student matches as well as possible. I have also seen some programs where it isn't that structured. However, if your daughter easily makes friends, that more than makes up for any deficiencies with the host family.

I only know of 2 situations that would have probably ended up being bad experiences for the student if it weren't for other people. One girl's host family expected her to work at the family restaurant every day. She mentioned this to one of her teachers when that work was cutting into her school work. Needless to say, the teachers got together and found a new host family for her. Another situation was a short-term exchange. The student was staying with a middle-aged couple with no kids in a rural area. They worked until 6pm so he was on his own in the house until they came home. We met at a meeting that my parents and his host family were both attending. Since I was free during the days (it was the summer after my freshman year in college), I took him around and showed him the sights and introduced him to people around his age.

Both situations resolved themselves and both students met more people.

Don't look for trouble. My parents were very reluctant to even host a student, because they had heard that most were rich and spoiled. But now, Doerthe is my "German sister" and she has made several trips back to the states, and we have made several trips to Germany to visit with the rest of our "German family". For every situation you will hear good and bad experiences. If you focused on the bad, you probably would never have kids, never got married, never left your house.

This is an awesome experience and I would encourage your daughter to enjoy her time.

It really depends on the family and the country, every experience is different, having lived in other country's and having run the exchange program at my high school each experience is totally different.

My advice is let your child go and have a great time and if the program allows at the end of the exchange fly over and meet them and take your daughter and go see that country. Also if they have a child you can always offer a counter exchange to their child, your family will learn a lot inf the process as well. :)

Best Wishes,
H

follow your heart if thats what you want go for it he took care of sari he will take care of you

Well, during high school, my best friend at the time was a foreign exchange student to a family in Japan. I remember she loved it and I knew her family pretty good.. I never heard a bad comment about it. The following year they had a student from Japan come here and I got to know her very good. My friend's younger sister also went to Japan the following year. Because of the different cultures, that and the language are sometimes an issue. They tend to shield the girls more I know in Japan, like they couldn't do things the boys might get to do. I do remember my friends talking about that, but it also wasn't too bad either. Then when the girl from Japan was here for that one summer, I know language was an issue.. like we were talking too fast for her to keep up, etc.. She got a little upset because she felt a little left out, but we worked around it. Anyway, those were the only things I can remember about their experiences and the families they stayed with.

Hope that helps a little.

I haven't participated in the exchange student program but because my father was in the military I experienced overseas life. I feel I have benefited from my experiences in other countries so much. I am very grateful for being able to learn the diversities this wonderful world has to offer. I think it has also opened my mind to other's values and lifestyles and be accepting of people's differences. Then again, that just might be how I already was. LOL

C.
www.purelybalanced.com

Hi B. my name is S. and come from Vicenza, Italy a town 25 miles away from Venice, i never had one of mykids in this program probably because my kids already speaks two languages and have travel for the last 18 yrs, my husband is in the Army since 23 and we went overseas sooo manyyy times, but in Italy I have lots of friends wich hosted children from USA for this program and I met them myself, it is such a great experience that I would be trhrilled to have my own in it. Its a a big baggage that she would carry with her for life, I really hope it is europe there is so much history to know about those countries and this would be better that 1000 books al together. Stay in touch, if your daughter need some italian language warm up, I have also a 10 yrs old boy that speks italian and english, we live in the North-east of Columbia.

Hi B.,
I think this would be an awesome experience for your daughter! I have not had a child do this although my three children were born in a different country and love learning about other cultures. I as a child lived in Japan and we did an exchange with a family for a week. I still remember it to this day. My high school had exchange kids and I never heard of any bad situations. Where is she going to be going?