scuba diver said:
Here is a non-cruise related question:
DS, Matt, is providing us with an "opportunity" to host a foreign exchange student from Mexico for part of next year.
Has anyone hosted a student before? What are the pros/cons of it? Was it a good experience?
Hi Jim!
My family hosted a foreign exchange student while I was in high school (and oddly enough, while my sister
was an exchange student.
I think you received some good advice from (sorry, I forgot to write down who posted! But you know who I mean...!)
You have to be a flexible family. In other words, if little things bother you (as a family), don't do it, because things will happen. For example, while in Japan, my sister had a fire in her room. Her host family was probably upset that the tatami was burned, but they rolled with it as an accident.
With us, our student was with us only 3 months or so. She was a quiet girl, and we got along fine. There were habits and things that happened that my parents weren't too happy about, but they worked those things out.
Hopefully, the agency has screened the students so there won't be behavior problems, etc. Overall, it is something only you and your family can decide. If you do it, remind yourself that he is probably as unsure of the situation as you are, and that he is probably very lonely as it is difficult to express your thoughts and feelings to anyone in a foreign country due to the language constraints.
I hope I didn't ramble too much. Best wishes as you consider this idea! I think it is grand that you are even thinking about it.
susan