Living As A Student In A Foreign Exchange Host Family
The opportunity to travel abroad to expand an education will bring with it a complex combination of worry, excitement, fear, and stress. It is perfectly natural to cycle through these very human emotions at the prospect of traveling to a foreign country. Many of them can be abated by developing a firmer understanding of what to expect while living out of country. There are two groups of people that will have the largest impact on building this comfort level. The first is the Student Representative you will deal with from the foreign exchange program. The second is the foreign exchange host family who will provide you room and board.
A good foreign exchange program will use various screening methods to ensure they are placing students in a safe home. Be certain to ask a Student Representative what methods their program takes to screen potential host families. The Student Representative will then look at various points of attitudes, personalities, and beliefs to try and find a like-minded host family for the student. Of course, not all matches will be perfect and some compromises are needed from both sides to make things work out. Major differences such as religion are a major factor so there are no great conflicts between the two parties.
Living with a foreign exchange host family will be much like living with your own family back home. The student can expect room and board in a safe environment with multiple meals per day. The host family is encouraged to develop responsibilities and chores for the visiting student to perform to help out around the house. Those chores should be reasonable general house chores such as helping with the dishes, cleaning, taking the garbage, and so forth.
A student traveling abroad will also have access to their own traveler’s health insurance through the program in the event a health problem arises. The host family is expected to ensure the safety, well-being, and health of a student that is placed with them. Expect there to be rules of the household and for the host’s insistence on getting any medical problems checked out should they come up. That is part of their responsibility to you and the program.
The host family will also play a significant role in enabling the student’s exploration of their environment and the local culture. They are able to play a guiding role in showing the exchange student some of the unique features that their country offers. There is no better way to immerse oneself in a culture and its history than with the help of a person intimately familiar with the area. The foreign exchange host family is there to be a part of that experience.
It is very likely that the host family will be excited about having someone of a different culture coming in to live and stay with them. They may have many questions for you so you they can understand you and where you come from. That open-minded exchange provides a great bridge for crossing cultural divides. Keep an open mind and communicate effectively to make the most of your stay with a host family. Not every match will be perfect, but it should be favorable, manageable, and enlightening.
Learn how to apply and become a member of the world recognized student exchange program at http://www.iseusa.com
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