When I think about my exchange year, it is really exciting to be an exchange student. You can get to know a new culture and way of life. You can learn that there is no right or wrong in lifestyles and that they are just different. You have the possibility to be a part of another culture. You can improve your foreign language. You can learn how to become more open-minded and independent. Also, you can improve your chances for your future with only one exchange year. If you try to explain what an exchange student is, you can say: An exchange student is a teenager (usually a student), mostly between the ages of 15 to18, who spends a few days, weeks or even a whole year in a foreign country with a foreign language, where the teenager has to go to school. The common reasons teenagers go to a foreign country (especially for one whole year) are as follows: - to get to know another country, - to get to know another culture and waay of life, - to become more independent and open-mminded, - to have a better education, - to have better chances for their futuure goals. And the most common goal of exchange students is to improve their chances for the future in their jobs, because in the exchange year they learn to speak a foreign language fluently, they get to know another culture, and they can share diverse experiences in a foreign country. The future ideas of students after an exchange year are different from person to person, but a lot of people want to study foreign languages in college and they want to become something like an interpreter or ambassador, where they can use the learned foreign language. A lot of former exchange students also plan to move to their former host country and to live in this culture. But not everybody can be an exchange student. To be qualified to go one year to a foreign country you have to be independent because you have to be able to make your own decisions. You have to be open-minded and sociable because you'll get to know a lot of new and different people from another culture. You have to be adaptable and you have to be willing to compromise because in your host country you'll have a lot of other different rules and laws. You have to be tolerant because you'll have to tolerate and accept other races, cultures, ways of life and rules. You also have to be quite healthy, and you have to have at least a C-average in school in your home country.
If you want to participate in an exchange year, week or month you need an exchange organization. The exchange organizations want the teenagers to have the opportunity to live in a different culture and to get to know other ways of life. They also want the exchange student to become more independent and they also want everybody involved to learn to respect a different race and culture. There are mainly two different kinds of exchange organizations, commercial and charitable. Examples for commercial organizations in Germany are EF, MAP and fee. Examples for charitable organizations in Germany are YFU, Open Door and AFS. One example for a commercial organization is EF, and it is also my organization. EF is the world's biggest private language and exchange organization and EF has about 30 years of experience. EF has employees in every host country and in every state of the USA. You can get scholarships from EF, but these scholarships are dependent on your grades in you home school and the income of your parents. (I applied for a scholarship from EF, but I didn't get one although my mother is a single parent.) EF is represent in more than 53 countries, for example Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, France, Italy, South Africa... An example for a charitable organization is YFU (Youth for Understanding). In the foreground for YFU is the one-year week preparation meeting where they get practical tips for the everyday life and the school life in the foreign culture. YFU gives scholarships even over $ 500. But it is very hard to get one of these scholarships. You have to prove that you really need this money and that you are suitable for it (you have to be quite smart). (I applied at YFU for a scholarship, but I didn't get one penny.) With YFU you can participate in an exchange program nearly anywhere in the world.
One of the most important things for a student during an exchange year is the environment. And this environment includes the host family, school and friends. Every year the exchange organizations try to find quality host families. But how? There are families that are recruited by word-of-mouth through people who work for exchange organizations, other host families and students. They also find out about exchange students on web pages, newspapers, ads and articles and community events. After the host family applied at an exchange organization they will be screened in: - in-home interview, - home inspection, - references, - school approval. There are a lot of different reasons why host families take exchange students. At some families their own children are already grown up and out of the house so they want to have a new teenager in their house. Some families are interested and excited in another culture but they can't afford to travel. And at some families the children are still at home and young, but the parents want to have another brother or sister from another culture for their children. And the host families in most of the countries, like USA, Canada, France, Germany... don't get any money for hosting a student. Just families in a few countries, like Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa... get a little bit money for hosting a student. But a typical host family doesn't exist. The host family can have many children or no children. It also can be a single parent or a single person. The most of the families live in small towns or in the country. Host parents can have different jobs, and they can be older or younger than the natural parents. But host parents can't be younger than 25. In one whole year a lot of problems with your host family can appear. In fact, about 25 % of the exchange students change their host family at least once. This has different reasons. These are the four most common reasons: - The children of the host family and tthe exchange student don't like each other. - The host family treats the exchange sstudent rather like a maid or babysitter than a member of the family. - The exchange student can't behave. - The host family and the exchange stuudent don't get on well with each other. But if an exchange student has to change the host family, most likely he/she will stay in the same part of the town and he/she won't have to change schools. The other very important part of the environment of an exchange student is the school. In school you can find friends, learn new things about the country, learn how different the teaching methods are, etc. Most of the exchange students go to a public school, but there are also a few students who go to a private school. Of course, for a private school you have to pay a lot extra, about $ 3000,00 to 5000,00. In some countries a school year abroad will be accepted, and the students can just go on in their home schools. But there are also countries where students have to repeat the year, because their home country won't accept a school year abroad. Normally exchange students go in the 11th or 12th grade in their host school, but this is always a decision of the school. The host school also has the decision if an exchange student will graduate in the host country. In every country the school system is different and also the classes are different. Especially in the USA there is a big selection of courses. In most schools you can take classes like drama, yearbook, band.... (In Europe these classes exist just as extra curricular activities.) But most organizations have two requirements. This means the student has to take the history and the language of the host country. And a good tip for exchange students is to mix "normal" classes, like algebra, and biology with "special" classes, like medical careers, and yearbook. For most exchange students from Europe the American school seems a little bit easier. But at first exchange students mostly have problems with understanding the language. And sometimes that's why the grades are not as good at the beginning of the year. And all exchange organizations require a C-average in the host school. One of the most important things in American schools is homework. Usually you have homework for 1-2 hours every day, and that is hard to get used to it for most exchange students. Of course, exchange students also get to know and meet a lot of their friends at school. The school is one of the best places to make the first contacts with other teenagers and to get to know their way of life.
In an exchange year it's possible to have a lot problems of different kinds. A big problem of many exchange students is the culture shock. Culture shock means that the students are confused at the first time when they come to another country, because the rules are different, the surroundings look strange and the people speak a foreign language. Typical signs of a culture shock are: - The exchange student begins to dislikke the host country. - The student thinks the people in the host country are behaving "wrong." - The student prefers to be alone. But normally the time of a culture shock will pass. These are some ways that exchange students can feel better during the culture shock: - The student should be busy. - The student should spend much time wiith friends and hobbies. - The student should be open and talk tto the host family. - The student should try to understand the different way of life. - The student should not compare his/heer culture with the culture of the host country too much. - The student should always try to thinnk, " It's not right, it's not wrong, it's just different." Everybody notices a culture shock differently. Even some people do not notice it at all. But most people follow this ADJUSTMENT CYCLE: 1. Honeymoon stage: Everything at this time is interesting, exciting, and new, and the exchange student is very curious and satisfied. 2. Culture shock or fatigue: The student starts to compare his/her own culture with the culture of the host country, and he/she starts to see the differences. He/she also feels tired (physically and mentally), and the student prefers to be alone in the room. 3. Surface adjustment: The student begins to understand the new culture, and he/she begins to understand the new culture and to feel more comfortable. 4. Hidden problems: The student seems to be fitting in on the outside, but on the inside questions some parts of the culture. He/she is homesick, lonely, unhappy, and often has conflicts with family and friends. 5. Fitting in: Now the exchange student is really comfortable and even feels like a part of the culture of the host country. 6. Going home: The student has mixed feelings about going home. He/she will be happy to see old friends and natural parents in the home country again but also unhappy to leave the new friends and host family in the host country. Also one of the most common problems when the students are away from home is homesickness. Almost every exchange student is homesick at least once. Mostly it happens when the student is getting used to the daily life, and then he/she thinks it would be better to be at home with the natural parents and old friends. Here are some suggestions what a student should do when he/she is homesick: - The student should talk to the host pparents and new friends. - The student should reduce contact witth the natural parents and friends in the home country. - The student should stay busy with thee new friends and hobbies. Most exchange students have problems with the foreign language at first. But the only way to learn the language better is to expose themselves to the language as much as possible through newspapers, books, TV, and conversations with the host family, friends and other people around them. And an exchange student should never be afraid to talk. Most people are even surprised how well the exchange students can speak this foreign language. But it is just normal that students have problems during an exchange year. And ways to solve problems are: - The student should talk to the host pparents and friends in the host country. - The student should talk to teachers oor a guidance counselor in the host school. - The student should talk to the exchannge organization or any other person he/she trusts. But an exchange student should never call their natural parents in the home country before they try to solve their problems directly. Because mostly the natural parents are too far away to help.
Of course, you also have to pay for an exchange year. The prices for every country and every organization are different. But for a whole high school year in the USA you have to pay at least $ 6000. The $ 6000 includes: - the whole journey to the host family,, - books, newspaper, meetings and magaziines for preparing, - support from a person of the organizaation in the host country all the time, - a host family and a host school. But not included is: - insurance, - charges for the visa, - journey to the airport in you home coountry, - extra doctor visits. Also there are organizations where you have to pay up to $ 12000 for one year in the USA. It is also possible to get scholarships for an exchange year, but it is very hard to get one. You have to have at least a B average, and you have to show that you really need this money. For example, if both of your parents are unable to find work because of a good reason, you might qualify for a scholarship.
But there are a lot other exchange programs besides a one-year exchange. You can go to a foreign country and school just for 6 month or a few weeks. You can also make a language journey without attending school. You would just travel around and see different cities and places and use the language.
By the way, I am an exchange student myself. I am from Germany, and I'll stay here until June, 2002. My year so far has been great. I really like America and the people, they are very nice and friendly. The first weeks when I arrived in North Carolina, USA I had summer holidays. And in my summer holidays in America I had enough time to get to know my host family better, and I could get used to the foreign language. Also I had time to do something with my host parents, like visiting the mountains. The American school seems quite easy for me. My schedule consists of French I & II, Algebra II, CP English 12, biology, medical careers, and US history. My favorite class is US history because I have a really good teacher. (I never had such a good teacher in Germany.) My grades mostly consists of A's and a few B's. I have already made a lot of nice friends, and the whole environment of Southern Guilford is very nice. But my worst experience since I'm in the USA is the attack on America. It scared me a lot, and my mother is afraid that I'm not safe here. Germans already faced two world wars, and my culture does not want to see a third. After I go back to Germany in June, I'll finish my school there. And then I would like to come back to the USA to attend a college here and study languages. And of course then I would like to stay in America and to be an interpreter.
Last but not least, I have to create a web page. I'll create a web page for and by exchange students called World of Exchange Students. My web page probably will consist of a guestbook, forum, chat, reports and interviews of other exchange students, a part about me.... One of the hardest things you have to do, if you want to start to create a web page, is finding a web host. That means you need a business in the internet that will support your web page. And there are thousands of these businesses in the internet today. Also, there is a big variety of prices for web hosts. I could sign up for a web host for $ 400 per month, $ 125 per year, $ 25 per month... or free. Of course, the conditions vary a lot too with these different prices. At some web hosts your web page will have a 20-page limit, a special number of megabytes limit or you also can get as much space you need. Other conditions are: - possibility to have a chat, guest boook or forum, - possibility to have your own domain nname (like www.sabinek.de), - possibility to use any color, picturee... you want, - possibility to avoid commercial on yoour web page. I looked at about 50 different web hosts. But most of the time I didn't want to spend this much money. So, at the end I decided to create my web page at Yahoo!. My web page will be free. I'll have as much space I want, and I can put pictures, a chat, a guest book, etc. But I will not have my own domain name, and I will have commercial from Yahoo! on my page. The most important thing you have to know to create a web page is HTML (HyperText Markup Language). HTML is like a special code for creating a web page. With HTML you can: - format text (change the text color, ssize...), - create lists of things, - set up links to other web pages, - insert images (photos, drawings, picttures... of any kind), - format information in tables. I'm going to have a very colorful web page. And HTML has a way to change the color of a text with little codes. Here are a few examples: - The color black would be 000000. - The color green would be 00FF00. - The color white would be FFFFFF. On my web page also will be a lot of pictures of my school, my friends, North Carolina, New York, Boston, a few of me.... And my links will be to other good web pages for exchange students. For example, the links of web pages of different exchange organizations or other exchange students will be on my page. It is quite easy to get your web page online. After you have found a web host, you just have to download your finished web page from your computer to the web host in the internet. And I hope, that my web page will be online after Christmas. By the way, my internet address for my web page will be www.oocities.org/worldofexchangestudents.