I have just begun working as an exchange student coordinator with Aspect Foundation. It's something I have a lot of passion and drive for being a former exchange student myself, but it seems to be something people have A LOT of apprehension about. I'm struggling to find families willing to host. There are some good reasons ie. our home is under renovations so it won't pass the federal regulations, but there are some which I really wish I could smack them! So, instead I will rebut all those reasons right here!
1. We can't afford it.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Worst reason EVER. These kids save for months so they can cover their OWN expenses while they are here. I will say this over and over throughout this blog, I was expected to, I did it, and these kids will too. Yes, there are some instances where legally I can't place a student in a home, like if the family is on welfare, but anyone else really cannot use this as an excuse. All you need to do is give them a safe home and provide them with meals which you would be eating anyway. How often do you have left overs that end up wasted? That's throwing money out the window, and these kids can eat that instead! My host family were a normal family, and I'm sure with two sons on missions having me living with them didn't exactly ease their burdens financially, but never did I feel like I was weighing them down or causing them hardship. They still have their home, vehicles, married off three children, and are sending another son on his mission, so I obviously didn't suck them dry by living with them. An exchange student is not a financial hardship.
2. It's just me, they'll get bored.
No. The kids placed with single people have said they are fine with it in their applications. Often Asian kids LOVE this set up because they are more withdrawn and studious. They will make plenty of friends at school and throughout the community so coming home to a quiet, peaceful environment can be very beneficial. Or, you can have two students in your home!
3. We've only got small children.
So? They usually have siblings in their homeland. Builds character. I lived with 6, 9, 11 and 17 year olds, and I had a lot of fun with each on different levels. I was expected to, I did it, and these kids will too. Going hand in hand with this I get people telling me -
b. We don't have teenagers so we can't host.
Yes, yes you can. If you are over 25 and fit federal regulation requirements for your home then anyone can. I had a fellow exchange student from Finland that I was friends with during my time on exchange and he lived with an empty-Nester couple. This same couple had been taking in students each year for a while. They loved having a foreign student in their home and learning about other countries directly from the source.
4. We have no spare rooms.
An exchange student can share a room as long as they are the same gender and within 5 years of age of one another. I shared a room with my 17 year old host sister, and yes, we struggled at times with my home sickness and her adolescent moodiness, but we are friends now and I have a great deal of respect for her as a person.
5. We have (insert event here) during the time they will be here and can't take them with us.
Uh huh....That's what I'M for! As their coordinator I can take them in if you need it. Simple. Problem solved.
6. We had some friends who had an exchange student and they said it was terrible!
Okay, so in general this is a two way street. I know there were times when I clashed with my host family members. I said before my host sister and I clashed on occasion, and struggled to get along at other times, but the biggest thing I remember disliking was having such a strict curfew after never having one in my life. I didn't comprehend exactly how strictly I needed to follow it so I got in trouble once or twice with them. I'm sure in return they thought I was reckless and somewhat wild at times and wondered what they had gotten themselves into. But I appreciated the boundaries they had put in place. Boundaries are the key! You teach them how to behave in your home, so from the very beginning if you get them helping with chores and doing whatever you expect your other kids to do etc they will be more pleasant, more willing and happier.
Yes, there are some students who are rotten, but generally speaking exchange is something they are excited about and want to make the best of. I love my host family to this day and they don't seem to regret taking me in :-D
So I hope that squashes any excuses and answers questions for people who are genuinely interested but are having doubts.
Katie
