What is it like to host a foreign exchange high school student?
My family is hosting a foreign exchange student my age this year (: he is 17 from Sweden. What should I expect? Are they usually nice?
Studying Abroad - 1 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
How wonderful that you are opening your home to someone new. Thank you! My husband and I have hosted 6 exchange students (our 7th arrives in 19days) long term (4 for 10-11mos each, 1 for 7mos, 1 for 5mos) and have had a few others as guests short term. You didn't mention how long the boy will be in your home, but most of what I have to say will apply regardless of the length of stay. For the first couple of days, you can expect him to be totally lost -- he will have spent around 24hrs or more just in traveling and will be jetlagged. After that, you should expect him to want to become a part of your family (that means different things to different people) and to work on becoming integrated in school and other activities. It would be great if you could show him around the school and introduce him to some people who could become friends, but if he's here for a long term program, after a few weeks he should start to build his own circle of friends. His English will likely be very good, but not perfect. He will also likely have been taught British English. All of the Swedish students I have met have been nice and pretty "laid-back". The time together will be the adventure of a lifetime for him, and should be a great time for you. Your screen name on here suggests that you are a girl. Please don't expect him to become your boyfriend (believe it or not, there are some girls with that objective :) - I'm not accusing, just commenting), just a brother. My biggest piece of advice to you and your family is to treat him as much as a part of the family as is possible and to keep in communication with his exchange program. I hope this helps. Feel free to email me with more questions.
Read more other entries :
