How can I be a good host for an exchange student?
We have the opportunity to host an exchange student from Germany, and I want him to have a good experience in America. I am in marching band, which will consume my Tuesday and Thursday evenings and all Saturdays up until October. I also hold a job at the local market which I have to keep. I'll be working around 10 hours a week, usually after school. Other than religious services, my Sundays are completely free (the market is closed that day). Does anyone have any input on what an exchange student should expect?
Studying Abroad - 1 Answers
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hey adam! i know the exact position you will be in because this past spring i hosted a German exchange student for a few weeks! I'm going to explain what its like to host a German exchange student as honest as possible. before he came to my house we became friends on fbook and talked on there. (btw im a 17 year old girl and hes a 16 year old boy) he told me he was excited to come and that he couldn't wait! ( also, about 15 other friends of him came here as well but stayed with different families) the day he got here was very nerve racking and exciting. for about our first week it was awkward though, very awkward. he didn't really talk much (not as expressive as on fbook), and everything i suggested he just shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't care what we did. now with his friends that came it was better when i was talking to them then when i was talking to my german exchange student. the other girls and boys would always talk to me and ask to do things after school and text me when the own boy living in my home was just stiff as a board when talking to me. eventually i found out that the boy living with me really did enjoy having me as a host sibling but he didn't like to express his emotions. he told me several times in during our drives and after he got home on fbook that i was the best host sibling he could ask for. now let me tell you about the things i did with all the exchange students in general. I'm not sure if your in a German class or what but most, and i stress the word most, families that host an exchange student, German at that, are a bit different. the German kids that i was around wanted to party, hated going to church and religious things, and loved shopping, not just the girls but also the guys (especially hollister, abercrombie, and forever 21). luckily for my guy im a huge party-er at my school (also in a high school sorority) and i was able to take him out almost every single night he was here. he enjoyed going out to do "american" things but i could tell the friends staying at the other host families houses enjoyed them more, and i know some of the girls even told me they wished that they had stayed with me instead. we took the students canoeing, to a family line dancing club, a few sorority parties, taco bell(holy cow you've never seen anyone love tacobell as much as the germans) concerts, shopping and more. they all seemed to have a great time but told me that they expected america to be more like american pie. i told them that they would have to come to college here to experience that. now that all of our exchange students have gone home i keep in contact with almost every single one of the students except for the guy i hosted. go figure? i am going to visit in may (everythings already arranged) and i will NOT be staying with the guy i hosted's house but with his outgoing best male friend i became great friends with. i will visit my guy though several times throughout my trip. in the end i realized that hosting someone will be one of the toughest but most rewarding things i could ever imagine! i hope this gives you a better idea of what to expect now. just make sure you know your students personality well and what to do with him, i know exchange students HATE being bored.
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