Livinglovingandexploring!

Well, let’s just get down to business, shall we?  I think this is an excellent idea!  If I hadn’t just gone through quite a few rough patches of my own, I’d be doing this – and though I may not be doing it this year, next year is definitely an option for us!  I always wanted to be a Foreign Exchange student when I was in high school!  It would’ve been a dream come true!  I’ve always been fascinated with other cultures and countries and I think that being able to immerse yourself fully in that culture/country would both benefit you AND whomever you may meet along your journey.

If you happen to be thinking, well, what kind of people would host a student?  ANYONE!  Just watch their video on their website – seriously, anyone can host!  Folks that are retired, folks that love to travel, folks with big families, folks with small families, folks who love to volunteer, folks who love sports/art/theater/etc, folks who have an empty nest, folks who want to learn about other cultures or impart their wisdom of their culture, etc – anyone would be a good fit for this!

That’s what the ICES program is all about (a/k/a International Cultural Exchange Services).  A FaceBook friend of mine, whom I am so glad brought this and a few other great things to my attention, Jackie Willock, alerted me to this program this past August right when school was gearing back up here in the majority of the States.  I’ve been super, crazy busy and am so glad I’m finally getting a chance to look at this program!  You can read all about it on their website:  https://www.icesusa.org/host-a-student-overview

The host family would be responsible for providing the following:

• Bed (the room can be shared with another child of the same gender)
• Meals served at home (but the student buys their own school lunches and meals at restaurants)
• Parental supervision

The student has their own spending money to cover all their other expenses (i.e.  toiletries, entertainment, etc.), and they have full medical insurance just in case!  They become a member of your family, they must obey your rules, and they are expected to help at home by doing chores (they cannot work for a company, but they are allowed to do normal work that teens do, such as babysitting, yard work, etc.).

According to everything I’ve read up on so far, essentially, this is what happens if you decide you’d like to host an International Student:

Step 1 – Contact ICES @ 800-344-3566 to request the online application.

Step 2 – Complete the online application to:  a) Provide basic information about your family (including your hobbies and interests and other information), b) Provide three references, c) Complete an online background check (anyone 18 years or older must complete this since you’ll be providing parental supervision to a foreign exchange student), and d) A home visit will be done by an ICES, Local Coordinator from your area (to ensure your home is safe). 

Step 3 – Once you’ve been cleared, the Local Coordinator will email full profiles to you of the students that meet your requested criterion [such as whether you want boys and/or girls, country(s) of your preference, length of time the student will be hosted (5, 10 or 12 months), same/similar hobbies and interest as your family]. 

Step 4 – The Local Coordinator sends the student’s enrollment documents to the public high school (that your home is zoned to).  Once the above steps are completed and the school has accepted the student, the placement is finalized and you can begin to build a relationship with that student (i.e. via skype, etc.) until they arrive. 

Step 5 – Your student’s arrival:  The Local Coordinator will go with your family to the airport to greet your student… and then… the hosting adventure begins where your student starts to learn all about your culture and how we do things here in the USA, while your family learns about theirs… enjoy!  I can only imagine the different experiences that come along with hosting a student like this.  They come from Latin America, South America, Europe, Asia & Africa and they get to experience many things they have seen or heard about the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE!  It’s up to you as their caregiver to help show them the way and get them acclimated to their lives here and the ins/outs of being an American citizen and appreciating this wonderful country we call home.  Some of these students dream their whole lives of seeing how things work “over here” and getting to visit and seeing how this country is compared to theirs.

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Lastly, if you feel you’re still on the fence – check out some of the video links to the ICES website that’ll give you more information!

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions

Click here to meet our students! 

Click here to view Testimonials by Host Families

Click here to view Testimonials by Host Students

Click here to view videos

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Another blogger friend of mine has also written up a post about this type of opportunity and I read what she had to say before coming up with my own spin on this – but her post is still awesome and you should check that out as well  (https://thephilosophymom.com/2019/08/24/international-student-hosting-meet-an-ices-coordinator )!  IF you want more information on hosting an exchange student, Jackie has a page dedicated to JUST that on Facebook (Be a Hero – Host an International Student):  https://www.facebook.com/BeAHeroHostAnInternationalStudent/   If you are in Florida you can contact Jackie via email:  jbell-willock@icesusa.org, or private message her via her Facebook page.

Have any of you ever done something like this and hosted someone at your residence?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

Give me some love!  Thanks for reading!

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Love you all!

Kelly Ann