voychuk_blog

=Exchange Student Experience=

It's Different in South Dakota
from The Czech Republic**
 * Jan Doubrava

My name is Jan Doubrava, and I am an exchange student in the U.S. from the Czech Republic. I'm staying on a farm close to the town of Flandreau, South Dakota, where I go to school. One of the major differences I found here in the United States is in the school system. The days are always the same here. The order of subjects doesn't change from day to day. In my school in Prague, we have different classes every day based on a weekly schedule. The number of class periods also varies. One day we might have five hours, the other one, eight. In Czech schools, children also have all of the subjects every year. They can't say which subject they want to take or which they will take next semester. There is also a big difference in driving. Here in South Dakota, kids can drive at fourteen years of age; in the Czech Republic we can't drive until eighteen. Here in the U.S. It is not rare when a family has two, three, or even four cars, but families in Prague usually have only one car, and their children get their own cars by around the age of twenty. It's because the cars are more expensive, and also we don't depend on driving as much. You can get everywhere, at any time by bus, tram, train, or subway. Finally, a large difference is generally in the style of living and entertainment. Teenagers here cruise around the town in cars, go to movies, go bowling, visit their friends at home…. My friends and I at home usually go to the downtown of Prague and hang around the parks, stores, and music clubs. People in South Dakota spend a lot of time hunting, snow mobiling, and horseback riding, but these activities are not very popular in the Czech Republic. Instead, people over there often go to sports centers to play tennis or squash, or at the weekends they just go with their families outside Prague to spend their time in motels, cottages, or summer houses.

1/4/08

A **student exchange program** is a program in which a student, typically in secondary or higher education, chooses to live in a foreign country to learn, among other things, language and culture. These programs are sometimes called 'exchanges' because different countries participating in the program will trade off students in this fashion. The students live with a host family, who are usually unpaid volunteers and often have a child the same age who has also participated (or is going to participate) in a similar exchange program. Host families are usually vetted by the organization co-ordinating the program. Student exchanges became popular after [|World War II], and have the aim of helping to increase the participants' understanding and tolerance of other cultures, as well as improving their language skills and broadening their social horizons. An exchange student typically stays in the host country for a relatively short period of time, often 6 to 10 months, in contrast to [|international students] or those on [|study abroad] programs which often last for several years. These programs are available from a number of service-oriented organizations, such as World Education Program (WEP) Australia, [|Rotary International]'s [|Rotary Youth Exchange], EF Foundation for Foreign Study, [|AFS], [|AIFS's Academic Year In America], New Zealand Institute of International Understanding (NZIIU) and [|Youth For Understanding], which offer some of the more popular programs. Other organizations such as the [|Kiwanis] or [|Lions Clubs] offer similar programs. Some exchange programs are considered [|study abroad] programs if academic credit is available. During their year abroad students are expected to study in school and participate fully in the foreign culture. This includes taking up hobbies and after school activities in their host country. They are often encouraged to make non-exchange student friends in their host country. Exchange students may have rules that encourage or require abstinence from substances including drugs and alcohol, dating and driving for insurance reasons. Also travel can be restricted for student's safety, although some programs offer tours throughout and at the end of the exchange. Students are encouraged to travel with their host families. Depending on the U.S. organization and the circumstances, when students violate a rule they may be sent home. The benefits of doing a student exchange may include, but are not limited to the following: Gaining independence, gaining a sense of responsibility and purpose, first hand knowledge of another culture, exploring differences between countries, understanding traditions and taboos, learning more about one's self, friends and family, a better understanding of homeland, building connections between countries, learning a foreign language, discovering abilities and limitations. Often, exchange students are underestimated for their abilities.

1/11/08 Exchange students in popular culture In popular USA culture, exchange students from other countries have often been stereotyped as exaggerated caricatures of their home countries.
 * Long Duc Dong (played by [|Gedde Watanabe]) in the movie //Sixteen Candles// was a Vietnamese exchange student who adapted a fork and spoon to function as a pair of chopsticks.
 * [|Fez] (his name merely being the phonetic version of the acronym FES: Foreign Exchange Student) is a foreign exchange student of unknown origin (widely believed by fans to be from India) in the television series That '70s Show that adds comic relief to the show.
 * While male exchange students have been portrayed as caricatures played off for comic relief (for example Üter from The Simpsons), females such as Nadia - played by Shannon Elizabeth in //American Pie//, the Swedish exchange student Kristina - in //James at 15//, and French belle "Monique" - played by Diane Franklin in //Better Off Dead// were portrayed as exotic sex-objects. This trend was skewered in the 2001 film //Not Another Teen Movie//, in which "Areola", an exchange student of unspecified origin (played by model Cerina Vincent) is nude throughout the entire film.
 * The popular French film //L'Auberge Espagnole// tells the story of European college students from various countries studying in Barcelona for a year.
 * [|Fabiana Udenio] portrays an Italian exchange student in the 1987 film //Summer School//.

1/14/08

Hosting a foreign exchange student

Are you looking for an unforgettable experience for your family? One in which everyone will participate with enthusiasm and interest? Becoming a **host family** to a foreign exchange student offers unparalleled enrichment—the kind of cultural, emotional, and intellectual wealth that no amount of money could ever provide. Host families become so fond of their foreign exchange students that they form lifelong friendships, often traveling to the exchange students’ home countries to visit and meet their families and to experience what their daily lives are like. Find out more on how to become a host family. [|Host families]

Host family experience

=My EXCHANGE STUDENTS= It all started back in 1985 when my son was in the Army and stationed in Germany. I had not seen him for over a year and this seemed like a good excuse to visit Germany. Well, my husband and I did just that. We visited Ansbach Germany and I fell in love with the country. When we returned home we answered a plea from a local paper for families to Host Students from Germany for 6 weeks in the summer. We answered and so summer of 1986 Bernd Westoff came to our family. He was from Marl Germany and came here with a German Student Band to play locally. We have been over to Marl Germany to visit Bernd and his family and he has been back here two more times to visit us.

In the summer of 1988 we hosted Juha Luuri from Finland. Juha was a delightful boy who stayed longer than the 6 weeks since he fell out of a Jeep and broke his hip. He remained with us until able to travel. We have visited Juha and his family in Finland twice. The first time we went there to attend Juha's Wedding. At this time we Traveled the Southern half of Finland in a motor home with Juha's Family. The next year we returned for his sister Suntu's graduation and we toured the Northern half of Finland, going to the Arctic Circle and into Norway.

For the school year 1989-1990 we welcomed into our home Kai Kopsch from Berlin Germany. Kai attended our local high school and graduated from there. Kai was in our home when the Berlin Wall came down. This had a tremendous effect on Kai when he realized that he would be returning to a very different city than he had left.
 * Kai has been back to visit us every year since he lived with us and my husband and I have been to Berlin to visit him. He really is like another son to me and definitely a member of our family. One of my grand daughters spent a month in Berlin visiting with Kai's family, and Kai made a trip over here to attend my oldest granddaughters wedding.**
 * This is not the end of my exchange students. In 1992 Suntu Luuri (Juha's sister)**

came over to spend the a month in the summer with us. Suntu loved to shop and sit in the sun. All the students that come over from other countries seem to love to shop...clothing is so much cheaper here for them.
 * Summer before last Christophe Casaubon, from Paris France, came to spend a month with us. He was the chaperone for a group of French students. It sure was nice to have Christophe here...I did not have to be the "mother figure" and could enjoy him as an adult, even though he is young enough to be my son. Christophe still phones me about once a month and sends me post cards from his travels.**
 * I certainly would recommend the Exchange Student experience to anyone.**
 * Some links to more information about Student Exchange**

[|AYUSA] [|AFS]