Hosting an exchange student – the realities!

On a hot August morning, your family climbs into the car and starts the journey of a lifetime. You are headed to the AFS Exchange Program’s Arrival Camp, and you will be meeting your new son or daughter. Everyone is nervous – your children (Who is this new person, will Mom & Dad have enough time for me? Will I be forgotten in the shuffle?), the parents (a year?? Are we crazy? We are already really busy! Who is this new person? Will we love him? Will he love us??) On this same hot August morning, 50 teenagers wake up slowly, jet lagged and language shocked. Breakfast is being served, but everyone’s stomachs are doing flip-flops. Soon, the new families will be here, (Why did I leave home for a year? It seemed like a good idea at the time! Who are these people? Will they love me??)
Noontime arrives and nervous host families scan the faces of 50 nervous teenagers, searching anxiously... Where is he?? Who is he? Will I recognize him?? Banners, teddy bears, balloons and flowers – eye catching and confusing. Chaotic minutes as the bold host parents walk brashly through the crowd and the shy ones hang back nervously on the edges. Confusion subsides amid awkward hellos and some hugs – the beginning of cultural discovery (is it okay to hug a stranger, will they be offended? Will it make them miss their parents?). Luggage is brought down to cars (everything that you will need for an entire year in 2 suitcases) and the voyage of discovery begins.



The ride home is full of questions, groping for language, some awkward pauses, and occasionally naps as the car ride lulls exhausted people to sleep. The arrival at the house is always exciting to and learn where you will be living for the next year of your life. This is your room, the bathrooms, explaining rules... talking too fast, afraid to ask questions... all overwhelming. BUT, underneath it all is the excitement of something bigger than all of you.

AFS Intercultural Exchanges is celebrating it’s 60th year of placing students and families together. Very quickly, you realize that love expands exponentially, experiences are shared and a common history has begun. Soon, you forget that there was a time when your student was not there, and you begin to avoid the thought of them returning home. That year, which seemed so long on the first day, is now not nearly long enough just ask our son Andrea. These are incredibly brave, talented students, but they worry about the same things as all teenagers. They want a family to love them, they worry about making friends at the high school, getting lost going to classrooms and panic about eating alone in the cafeteria just like your sons and daughters.



Having an exchange student in the family means a connection to the greater world – two families tied together by the love of a student. It also means a lot of fun experiences – real Italian food cooked in your own kitchen, laughing over language mistakes, help with Spanish or French homework. The excitement of exploring the same sights, but seeing them through new refreshed eyes is an amazing process. AFS Intercultural Exchange Programs Mission Statement is: “AFS-USA works toward a more just and peaceful world by providing international and intercultural learning experiences to individuals, families, schools, and communities through a global volunteer partnership.” In a world filled with misunderstandings and unknowns, this mission becomes more vital every day. It is impossible to ‘hate’ a country or religion when it has a name and a face. Families in Topeka and surrounding areas will be opening their homes to teenagers from all across the globe; Africa, Italy, Thailand, Chili, Switzerland, Turkey, France, Germany... All of us are enriched by the generosity of those families and the bravery of these students. Now I ask you... "Would you consider being a host family in 2010....?"



Families with one or both parents, one or two working parents, families with teenagers, empty-nesters or families with younger children – all make wonderful host families. The process includes an application, an interview and help in selecting the student you are going to host. You will read student applications, look at pictures and look for interests that match your own family’s interests. Throughout the year, there will be orientations, support, and special events for the families and the students from committed volunteers and AFS families. It is a wonderful experience, full of love, laughter, some tough times (they are teenagers, after all!) and a lifetime of connection to another person, another family and another culture. It is AMAZING! If this sounds like an adventure that you would like to take, contact Jolene Savage your local AFS Host Family Coordinator volunteer.



Social Graces a Lost Art?...or...The Gift of a Lifetime!


Jolene A. Savage
Founder . Author . Humanitarian

Social Graces- The Gift of a Lifetime
Phone: 785-478-3364
Mobile: 785-640-9438
socialgraces@sbcglobal.net
www.socialgraceks.com
socialgracesschool.blogspot.com