Have you hosted a foreign exchange student and had a bad experience?

Has anyone had a good experience with ASSE (a student exchange program)?

• I'm interested in trying this program (probably within the twinning program or summer program). I would like to visit Japan, Australia, or Spain (this is in order of preference). What was your experience like? How enjoyable was it? Was it hard when it came to understanding your exchange student / host family's language?

• Answer:

  ASSE is not one of the worst, nor one of the best. You might check on the website for the Committee for the Safety of Foreign Exchange Students to see what kind of reports there are on it. The site lists news reports from around the country. http://csfes.org/ There are several I've never seen up there: Aspect, AFS, Rotary, 4-H, YFU -- all of which have a great reputation. I'd also check with your school counselor and ask who they recommend. The organization is only as good as the local people. As to the experience itself, I recommend a year stay. That way you'll get the full benefit of language immersion. While it's hard at first to understand the language, the benefits are enormous!