The U.S. States have always embraced the opportunity for exchange students to learn and experience American culture. Every year, families welcome over 30,000 new high school exchange students from all corners of the world.
In full disclosure, the Evans family, which has welcomed with open arms their new exchange student, Sara Lucentini (me) from Italy, enjoys providing a nice home for students that desire this opportunity.
“If we have the space and the openness in our hearts to open our home, then it’s just cool being a part of the experience,” said host mum Janet Evans.
They also reckon this program is an awesome chance for them to learn a lot, as much as the students do. Surly curiosity and wanting to understand other people’s cultures is the key to a fruitful hosting experience. Plus, they don’t even have to travel the world, because the students give them such an accurate glimpse into their own culture and a view of their own country through their eyes, which is very unique and special.
Another positive aspect about it, is that this experience gives the American families a better perspective of their own culture.
“We might see things sort of jaded or negatively and the student might bring a different light to it,” Janet Evans said. “And what we viewed before as negative we might see positively. And then it actually makes us appreciate our culture. I think Americans feel like we have no culture, but there really is.”
The Evans family had to also face some misleading beliefs about hosting an exchange kid. Some of their friends and family members had expressed their concern about having to entertain the exchange students all the time. The Evans had to explain to them that hosting doesn’t mean changing or faking their routines, because the students have to feel at home and part of the family in its simplicity, in order for everyone to feel comfortable. Just with these preconditions an host family and an exchange student can create real bonds that will last forever.
That’s the case of 2024 graduate Seth Evans, who, two years ago, when he welcomed his host sister Leonie from Germany, found a friend like no other. He loves being on the other side of the exchange, and he thinks he wouldn’t enjoy being an exchange student himself as much as he enjoys hosting.
“If I did something like that, I definitely wouldn’t get to experience the same community that the school has: the marching band, being a part of the charger pride,” Seth Evans said. “It’s one of those things that you wouldn’t necessarily get in many other places.”
The one advice that the Evans family has to give, is aimed at families that just started to host: “Treat the exchange students like you would treat your own child. It’s not right to treat them any differently. Kids will notice it and it’ll make them feel outside. Don’t try to overprotect them and keep them in a little bubble because you’re afraid of what could happen, preventing them from having experiences.”
Dea Goradza, from Georgia, and Francesco Mapelli, from Italy, are both exchange students attending 11th grade in our school. They decided to do an exchange year to make new experiences, learn new cultures, improve their English language skills and expand their perspective of the world.
They both chose the U.S. because they were fascinated by this country: Francesco had already been there when he was little and he liked it so much that he wanted to become a student in an American high school, especially because of
the many sports schools usually offer; and Dea wanted to try out extracurricular school activities and explore American landscapes.
Obviously moving from a continent to another contributed to the cultural shock they experienced when they arrived. The main difference they noticed compared to their home country is definitely the high school. In Georgia, Dea walks to school every morning, while here she has to wake up very early and take the yellow school bus (worthy of all the best American teen movies).
Georgian high school and the Italian one have some aspects in common: schools don’t have electives; people stay with the same classmates for five years, in fact students never change their classroom; and lastly schools don’t offer sport activities.
Dea and Francesco’s routine also changed since they arrived, especially regarding meals time, both agree that 5:30 p.m. feels too early for dinner.
Sandy Canaveral, ESL teacher at the high school, has created a comfortable and friendly place for students who hail from outside the U.S.
The exchange kids still have to adapt to this new lifestyle. However they are not left alone during the experience: local coordinators like Marcus Farr are there to help them too.
Farr’s advice for students who just started this journey is to allow themselves to try new things, even if it’s uncomfortable at first, and to not be judgmental, because many things can be different from what kids normally expect.
Keeping this in mind will certainly lead to a successful exchange experience.
“When the student can look back and see their growth,” Farr said. “Not every moment during this year will be great, but every moment presents an opportunity to learn and grow.”
Marcus, thanks to social media and technology, is still to this day in contact with a lot of students he placed in Fort Wayne. “I hear from at least one student almost every day,” he said. “We have become a part of each other’s life during their year, so it ‘s normal to stay in touch.”
The exchange experience is a two-way street, not only the students get to realize their dreams, but also the host families get to have a new perspective of world cultures and to welcome another child or sibling in their hearts.
