I’ve been an exchange student in high school, and my family hosted two of them. Im from Germany, and the exchange was with US students. My personal experience was interesting, I stayed with a mormon family in Utah, and it was a very different life than I was used to from my rather liberal upbringing. Not necessarily in a way that bothered me as most of the people at school also were Mormon and had more or less strict Mormon parents. But yeah, it was just very different. Going to church every Sunday, praying together with family and reading their religious texts, small acts of community service under the umbrella of the church. Their lives were very much defined by their religion and the social circle they built at church. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I kept any of their habits or beliefs long-term, although some stuck with me for a couple of months after I returned home. I do believe that the experience made me more open-minded and inclined to understand others rather than judge them.

The first student we hosted actually stayed with us in the year before I went to the US. He was kind and sociable, and we could tell he was having a good time during his year. I think he also realized some things about himself that he hadn’t known before, so that’s great. That’s the biggest advantage, you go through so much personal growth during that year, which can really help you get ahead of your peers if you can utilize it.

The other student we hosted had a rougher time, and I think it came down to not really finding connection at school. But he did end up staying the year with us and visited again a couple of years later, so I’d say it was overall still a positive experience for him and our family.

Yes I was, my parents wanted me to practice my english. I lived with a family in Indiana for a bit and then lived with another familly in North Dakota. Both families were different but I liked the one in Bismarck better, the girls from the Muncie family were mean to me the whole time. My parents booked the experience through a private agency, not really sure how that worked (it was the nineties). ETA: I was 12 years old when I started the exchange and went back to my home country at 15

There was an exchange student from Spain in my high school Spanish class (in the US). The main thing I remember is that when we actually needed to communicate with him, it was easiest when he spoke English and we spoke Spanish.

Yes, to both ends.

My family hosted a student in my grade and we went to high school together. The exchange program did her so dirty. She was told students got placed in cities and thought she would be where she would be able to go into NYC on the weekends. She ended up on our farm, an hour and a half from what could only be called a small city if being generous, at least two flights from NYC, and eight hours by car to an actual large city.

I studied abroad for a semester in college and moved out of my host family’s and into my own apartment quickly for many reasons.

Yes, it was fun. It was with one of the places on the sister city program. You really had to watch your step though.

German here, did Erasmus exchange in Istanbul, Turkey while at art / design school. While the university there was to, uh … practical? advertisement focussed? capitalist? for my liking it still was one of the best things I’ve done in my life so far. Met so many cool people from different backgrounds, learned a lot about social skills / relationships, the music, the food, it is (was? It was like 15 years ago, before Erdogan) an amazing city. Can def recommend.