The advantages of hosting an exchange student are many. 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.

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 ethnicity’s 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 host families 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. Host families who speak the native language of the foreign exchange students they support host can brush up on the language while connecting to their student on a deeper level.

An enriching life experience

A fresh perspective along with a renewed appreciation can be learned from the host and foreign exchange student. The co-mingling of divergent ethnicity’s 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 hosts, 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. Many families often visit their former student at their home country or the students return to their host family on vacations. Each have a new home away from home!