By Arthur Specht
The advantages of hosting an exchange student are abounding. From the exposure of another culture to the rewarding sense of fulfillment, there are five reasons to open one’s home to students studying abroad.
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Personal and familial development
Be it travel, school or work, foreign interaction is a part of life. When individuals and families, open their home to a student studying abroad, personal development is inevitable. Familiarization with other races, cultures and ethnicities expands the mind to the new and exotic. It offers the entire family a fast study on how to be adaptive to foreign interactions, demonstrates how similar and different everyone is.
Newfound respect and understanding
Once hosts open their homes to exchange students, a natural family-like relationship transpires between the foreign exchange student and the host family. Learning about another person’s ancestry represents an understanding of the world as seen from the foreign exchange student.
Inspires new language possibilities
As globalization redefines the world we live in, learning a new language is a rapidly growing asset in the business world. It can be beneficial for both a host and their family. When children are exposed to foreign exchange students, they can learn the fun and simplicity of learning a new language. Hosts, who speak the native language of the foreign exchange students they support host, can brush up on the language.
An enriching life experience
A fresh perspective along with a renewed appreciation can be learned from the host and exchange student student. The co-mingling of divergent ethnicities alleviates the potential of prejudice against other cultures – helping to unite the world making it safer for future generations.
Lifelong Acquaintance
At the conclusion of a study abroad student’s term, many host families and students remain long-term friends. Saying good-bye represents the next phase of the newly developed, lifelong relationship and a rewarding lifetime experience.
About The Author
Arthur Specht runs ForeignExchangeStudent.com for host families looking to welcome a foreign exchange student into their home for one or two academic semesters. We can assist foreign exchange students looking to study abroad with finding good host family homes and quality schools to study in. We also help college students find host homes when they join a study abroad program. ForeignExchangeStudent.com has been supporting the study abroad and foreign exchange student industry since 1998.
Done that over 10 years ago and still think of those times; got the chance to learn the language, made friends for life, enjoyed new and different surroundings,culture and took over some of the food traditions… list just goes on!! Brilliant year!