13
2011
If You Host a Foreign Exchange Student
An article by exchange_student
To host a foreign exchange student is to give them an impression, usually the first and the best impression, of your home country. Foreign exchange students typically go to universities in other countries, so as to experience a culture different from their own. They want to understand the new country, its language, its customs, and its people. Yes, studies are important, but what they gain most is this assimilation of a foreign country. That being the case, the life at your home would be a very important part of their experience. If you want to host a foreign exchange student, you need to acknowledge this fact and the responsibility it entails.
When you decide to host a foreign exchange student, get all details about their home country and the place they come from. Use this information to make them feel at home. Coming to your country and your home would have been a drastic change for them. Ease them into this change. It would help if you adopted some of their daily routines. For e.g., if they have a favourite breakfast dish, which is easily available, have it ready for them at breakfast, instead of your usual fare. If they like to read newspaper in the morning, offer them a separate copy and so on.
10
2011
How to Prepare Your Home for a Foreign Exchange Student
Opening the doors of your home to a foreign exchange student can be a worthwhile and satisfying experience for your family. It gives you and your family an excellent opportunity to personally understand another culture, learn a new language, and to get to know different lifestyles, customs, and habits. Your children will get a chance to interact with the children from other counties. They can share each other’s views, experiences and cultural practices and that will definitely help them to improve their knowledge and understanding of other cultures, traditions and values.
You can become a host family for a foreign exchange student if you have the potential to provide a separate bed, a place to study, daily meals, and transportation facilities for the exchange student. The student must be treated as a member of the family and should be allowed to take part in household chores and responsibilities. Actually, you can very easily make your home perfect for hosting a foreign exchange student. If your home has an additional spare bedroom, guestroom, or any other unused room or area, such as basement, you can convert that room to a room for the exchange student.