This post actually has nothing to do with what I'm wearing (though, this here is pretty typical of what I've been sporting this summer when I'm not in cut-offs and cowboy boots). Instead I want to talk about travel & foreign exchange programs ... and I don't want you to forget what I look like (kidding).
One couple of things that became very apparent while I was traveling through Europe for three weeks:
1. I only speak English (while it seems as if every one else I encountered was able to speak at least two languages, minimum) - this is embarrassing.
2. I'm not well-traveled (and it seems as if everyone else has been everywhere) - I'm working on it.
It's this combination of being born in the middle of America with parents who are content being homebodies that I'm just now starting to rebel against. We had really fantastic family vacations to Disneyworld and the Rocky Mountains when I was a kid. But I wish I had been brave enough to go out and see the world with younger eyes when I was in highschool or college. The opportunities to travel abroad seemed limited to religious missionary trips (I didn't go to church) or friends with posh parents who could afford to take trips overseas. Also, my major in college had a tight 4-year schedule that didn't really support or encourage studying abroad and if I'm honest - I was too attached to my boyfriend and scared to leave.
Up until the day I turned 16 I rode the bus to school every day. And when I was about 15 I became intrigued by the new girl with little square purple glasses, naturally curly hair and a funny little backpack get on the bus. She had this warmth to her and when she said "hello" with an accent I became straight-up mesmerized. Lena was a foreign exchange student from Germany and over the course of a semester we became friends. We rode the bus and ate lunch in the cafeteria together. She told me stories about the sport she played, the food she liked and what she enjoyed studying. She seemed wise beyond her years - mature but not pretentious. Effortlessly liberal and just chill. I realize now that Lena's time in the US wasn't just an opportunity for her but for kids like me who became friends with her during her brief stint here.
So when my blog buddy Maxi (also from Germany) asked me if I would tell you all about a foreign exchange program that is close to her heart I enthusiastically obliged. I thought of my friend Lena from Germany and how she really did impact my high school experience. I would love to provide that kind of experience for a student one day - maybe when I have teenagers of my own.
From Maxi:
I work for a non- profit organization for High School Student Exchange. Every year we send teenagers from Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Iceland, China etc. to live with US families for a semester or school year so they learn about the US and become ambassadors: represent their country to Americans and after their return home they represent the US in their country. I strongly believe in this sort of cultural exchange bringing our world closer together.
The problem we face every year is that we have a hard time finding enough volunteer host families.
As you like to travel and like braiding people and ideas together, I was wondering if you would want to write a post about our organization to help spread the word in the USA that we still need many nice families to host an international student. The deadline from the Department of State is the 31st August so we only have one month left until we have to send all host families names to the DoS. It would break my heart to not be able to place all students in American homes. It is their huge dream to go to America and I want to make their dream come true- with your help.
I would be more than thrilled if you would want to spread the word in blog world and ask everybody – even if they can not host themselves- to forward the message.
A host family can have any kind of structure: a young couple without kids (like you and Jeremy), empty nesters (like your parents), a family with kids (like your sister), single parents or same sex parents (like some of your friends).
More info for interested families can be found here http://usa.international-experience.net/host-families/information/host-family-selection or they can call our toll free number 888-266-2921.
Thank you so so so very much for making the dream of those teenagers come true!
We need the help of every American!!! Even if people just refer a family they know: http://usa.international-experience.net/referral/
We are not allowed to pay families but what we can do is donate money to other organizations. So for every family we find through you that ends up actually hosting we can donate $200 to an organization you would like to support!
If you have any questions leave them for Maxi in the comments or feel free to email her direct at m.delahaye (at) international-experience (dot) net.
We had an exchange student from Australia in my high school and I adored her. Still talk to her today, in fact! Great program.
ReplyDeleteLove this!
ReplyDeleteI've always been in love with exchange programs. When I was a tween/teen, my family hosted 3 students: a Finnish girl for a year, a German girl for a semester, and a French girl for a few weeks one summer.
I DEFINITELY plan on hosting when we're older, and can't wait to give the opportunity to Lily to study abroad as well.
Hooray to Maxi and her organization!
Assomeone who speaks a lot of languages & travels quite a bit, I can tell you that your experience isn't that uncommon. I didn't start traveling out of the U.S. until I was 22, but I've been to just about 30 different countries at age 31 (many of them multiple times). I routinely want to kick myself for not traveling more in college, and for being way too attached to my college boyfriend to even think of spending an extensive amount of time out of the U.S.
ReplyDeleteIt's just not something encouraged in most schools (save for those one week trips to Paris or Mexico). I taught a travel literature course to high school students, and one of the things I stressed was the fact that they *can* travel--at any age, at any budget.
We hosted a wild girl from Spain my senior year (god what fun we had!) and a boy from Morocco my freshman year of college. We stay in touch and call each other "brother" and "sister" <3
ReplyDeleteThis is AWESOME! We hosted a girl from Japan when I was in high school and she was the same age as me, which was pretty cool. She and I have stayed in touch and she actually visited us two months ago while on her honeymoon! It was fantastic.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, my grandma ALWAYS had exchange student. Sometimes two or three at a time.
ReplyDeleteEven now, when she's 80, she still hosts!
My family was always so inspired by the relationships she was able to foster, and the amazing people she met, that we decided to host as well.
It turned out very different for us though.
We hosted a young man from Egypt. I was in 8th grade at the time, he a junior in high school.
He was terrible. He had no sense of our personal space, no respect for our family, and offended nearly every member of our extended family.
He ended up being placed with another family, leaving their house and hitch hiking to the nearest big city, verbally assaulting some patrons of a restaurant, and getting himself arrested after telling the police he had a gun.
It turned out that his family put him in the program because he was manic depressive, and they didn't know what to do with him!
We never hosted again, but like I said, my grandma still does, and has never had any issues.
We just know how to pick them, I guess. ha.
I was a highschool exchange student (and we were a host family too)...
ReplyDeletemy parents weresooo freaked out that I wanted to do an exchange. I went to Spain, but to them, it was like I went to the moon.
I loved it! Traveling when you are young does shape the person you to become.
Study abroad was the best thing I did in college. I wish I could drag each and every college student to the study abroad office and make them go ahead and apply!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Kathleen for helping to make dreams come true!
ReplyDeleteDear all who commmented above and who read this: please, even if you can not host yourself at the moment (remember: anybody -with a checked CBC- can be a host family), spread the word by for example by linking Kathleens post to your blog or facebook page or by refering families here:
http://usa.international-experience.net/referral
We still need so many host families!
Dear Kelsi, it is very unfortunate that your family did not have the best experience. We carefully screen our students, get teachers recommendations, physican statements and the students undergo a 3 day orientation weekend.
Again, thank you to everybody who spreads the word!
Viele Grüße from Germany, Maxi