Hosting an exchange student-selecting a nationality?

Question

When a family plans to host a foreign exchange student, how would you recommend choosing what nationality of student to host?

Answer 1

There are many reasons for picking a nationality. First you need to look at the reason a family is hosting. Is it because they have roots in a particular country and are more interested in that culture? Have they traveled to a place and developed an interest that way? Do they like a particular type of food or music? All of these are indicators toward which nationality they would like to host.

There are some more specific questions that are helpful. For one, if your family is very religious, be aware that most Europeans are not ... if they say they go to church "regularly" most mean that to be "weddings, funerals and holidays." Almost all Europeans belong to a church, because they are taxed on it. On the other hand, if an Asian student lists him/herself as a regular church goer, it's probably more like what Americans think of ... every week or more.

Then there is the issue of language (I'm assuming the family is English speaking here). Students from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Holland will most likely have the best English ability. This is because they use subtitles for most American movies and TV instead of dubbing it. From there, you'll find the Germans and Swiss also quite good. So if good English is an issue, look to those countries. The South Americans, Eastern Europeans and then Asians will probably rank next in that order (please be aware this is generalization, NOT something you will see with EACH student -- check SLEP scores).

You might also look at dietary concerns. Europeans and South Americans pretty much eat the same foods Americans do, they just spice them differently and mix them up differently. However, Asian students have TOTALLY different diets. The middle eastern kids will fall somewhere in between, but a Muslim or Jewish student may have some dietary restrictions.

The European kids will be used to more freedom than the Asian kids. They have fewer social rules and more responsibilities at a younger age.

Again, these are just some cultural generalizations ... which can sometimes be a bad thing, but it might help a family looking for a particular nationality. I've hosted 11 kids (my 12th arrives on Wednesday) and have yet to see a particular nationality that is "good" or "bad". It all depends upon how you look at it!

Answer 2

Use the Internet to research the country. Including customs, religion (some countries even have an official religion), and history. Use sources such as the CIA World Factbook, Wikipedia, that country's tourism pages and also online newspapers from that country. (Google will do a very rough job of translating, if necessary).

Most people realistically feel comfortable hosting a student with a similiar culture. Meaning a family from a western culture would be most comfortable with a student with ties to western culture. I personally feel that people get more out of it by experiencing a completely different culture. But, be honest with yourself. This student will be a part of your family for up to a year--depending which program you choose--and having a student transition to another family is very difficult. It's also hard on a family. People get emotional when changes like that have to be made part way through a program. So it's best to be honest with yourself and your advisors up front to figure out which student will be best for you.

Don't be afraid to experience something new. But be realistic, too.

Answer 3

My sister just returned from China and requested Chinese exchange students. She got them, and they're living with her now as we speak. So, I know it's possible to select a nationality. She purposely selected well behaved students this time, because she had Swedish students a few years ago, and had major problems.

Answer 4

try someone european...like british or italian...or maybe a french chick..lol