The following testimonials share the experiences of others who have participated in this program. You’ll hear about the valuable benefits they gained through hosting and why they encourage others to do the same. If you’re looking for more reasons to host, read on!
Anna Davidson (2015) - Kids serving as hosts
In the summer of 2015, my son approached me about some students from Dortmund needing a host family for a few weeks. We had considered hosting a student at various times while the kids were growing up, but weren’t quite ready to make a year-long commitment. However, this opportunity was perfect. Host for a few weeks in the summer when I and my kids had more time. My son had just finished his freshman year in college and was considering majoring in German. My daughter was entering her senior year in High School and did not speak German. I was excited at the prospect of my son having the opportunity to practice German and I knew that the exchange student would get plenty of practice with English as my husband and daughter do not speak any. We agreed to host one boy. At the last minute, we were asked to host a girl as well and it worked out perfectly! Each of my children was a host and both really enjoyed it.
“I was excited at the prospect of my son having the opportunity to practice German“
The program was well set up and flexible. We took part in most of the planned activities and enjoyed them. Both students were well behaved and respectful. My son maintains contact with both students and hopes to visit them when he is in Germany next semester for his study abroad. My daughter enjoyed talking to them and learning about school life in
Germany. My son loved talking about soccer “Fussball” with his exchange student and uses the Dortmund scarf he was given each winter. We had several events that included all of the exchange students and I know the students appreciated these times to be able to compare
notes and see their friends.
For us, we had no conflicts or difficulties. I would absolutely recommend hosting a student. Three weeks was perfect for our family, but I am sure a longer time could have worked as well. It was a pleasure to meet these students. Both sent wonderful thank you packages complete with pictures and other things. They would be welcome to visit us any time again
Julie Seier (2013) - Re-Discovering Buffalo
In the summer of 2013 we took in two girls from Germany. Although our house was packed with my daughter, my son and the two of them, it turned out to be a great time. Whereas my daughter enjoyed having two sisters for a change, I reveled in learning about the girls’ travels. Since we had hosted Japanese students, who were brought in with a program by our school, before, I was not too nervous about taking in students from Germany. When St Joe’s Collegiate Institute approached me, I was interested right away. I think they were looking for more female families due to the large amount of
girls who had applied for the program. Considering my daughter too was excited about hosting and the other exchange program with the Japanese kids went so well, we decided to host again.
Us being a pretty non-nervous family, we were not worried about anything, we just let things slide. The only thing I thought about with both exchanges was the language barrier. My daughter hasn’t taken German in school at all. Neither did I know any German, so I was going along with the thought: “Well, I hope that’ll work out. It did. Everything was fine. Furthermore, I had the reassurance from the former hosting experience. Whenever we didn’t know what we were doing, we just used a translator app. We didn’t have to rely on a translator neither for the Japanese nor for the Germans.
When we met Svenja and Evelyn for the first time, I was very surprised at their amount of travel and knowledge, which they – especially for their young age – both had. Svenja had visited places in the United States that even I haven’t been to. In our community most people don’t leave the Buffalo area. Many of us grow up here and live here. So we were really impressed by how-well travelled the girls were and how much they had done in such a short
time. Another thing that I enjoyed right from the beginning was listening to Svenja playing the piano. We have a piano that nobody ever plays and Svenja is very talented. It was special to see her play.
“I loved seeing my daughter bond with the two German girls“
I also loved seeing my daughter bonding with the two girls. She didn’t mind sharing her bedroom at all and fancied having sisters. She told me how much fun it was to have sleep overs every night. When I imagine sending my daughter off across the world to live with people I’ve never meet, seen or called, I’d have to summon up quite some nerves. Therefore, in my opinion, it was touching that their parents trusted us to take care of their children. This
particularly holds true for Evelyn. She turned 13 while she was here. Traveling that far without ones parents at such a young age arouses my respect for
her and her parents.
We were very busy all summer long, but that was a welcome change. The exchange program made us explore our environment anew. Living at Lake Erie, having the Niagara Falls nearby: We take much for granted and the beauty of our home town gets lost in the chaos of our daily lives. With the girls we were able to take the time to look at what is around us. Instead of working and going after our daily routine, we had the opportunity to show foreign students around and learn to appreciate our
surroundings. This is one of the reasons why I would recommend hosting. In addition to getting to learn something about other cultures, you also get to re-discover your own.
It was a great and fun experience. If we had more space, we would host more often and for a longer time than just a few weeks. You get to know lovely people and learn about them aswell as about yourself.
Jennifer Ruh (2011) - To relive one's past
Firstly, I wanted to expose my own children to other cultures. Secondly, I meant to “pay back” for being an exchange student myself, since I spent a year in Europe when I was younger. Another reason for deciding to host was that I loved continuing the tradition of my family. Growing up we were always having exchange students. Even though I was one of ten children, we always had a room for one more! I learned a lot about other cultures and enjoyed having foreign children living with us.
No, I had none reservations whatsoever. Although my German was rusty, I knew most European (and international children) have a much greater fluency with English (and other languages) than the typical American student has with foreign languages.
My own kids had to be old enough both to benefit from the experience, and old enough to help. I’ve been a single mom of four kids for ten years, so I couldn’t host a child while they were young and I had my hands full.
I “expected” the students to have a good command of English, because the German students I knew were more or less fluent in English. Furthermore we have several German friends over 3 generations who speak English very well. The 2 German students we had had a good knowledge, as well. We had a 16 year-old boy for a year, and a 15 year-old girl for 2 weeks. I think the girl would have opened up more if she had stayed longer.
We still are in touch with both students. When we next go to Europe, we definitely will visit the boy who lived with us for a year. We still think fondly of him as one of our family.
At first, our exchange student had to get used to the „rules of the household“; clean up in the kitchen after each use, help with chores, etc. They were overcome by my emphasizing these were the rules by which my children had to abide, so they must, too. The girl who only stayed two weeks was most like a visitor and we had no problems with her.
It helped me again appreciate different cultures. I’ve been so busy working and raising four kids these past 20 years, I „forgot“ how much I enjoyed my own year in Europe! Hosting German children reminded me of how much fun cultural exchanges are.
Yes, if you have a little extra time, and wish to expose your own children to perhaps a lifechanging experience, I recommend hosting a foreign student. I was/am a single mom of 4, a practicing physician, and was still able to manage hosting. The way I was raised and my birth family’s motto (always „room for one more“) made the decision easier. It was a great experience for all, and we have absolutely no regrets!
Diane Misso (2011) - Making a friend within few weeks
My son loved the German language. So the reason we picked his High school was they offered German as a class, especially since he took the class all through grade school. We found out about the German exchange program and we thought it would be nice to learn more about German culture. We wanted to sponsor a young boy but there were not enough boys so we took in a girl. I was a little worried that my son and she would not have much in common especially since she was a few years older than him. Well, we met Sina, she is kind, friendly and we had such a nice time with her. My son met so many more people at his school since all the German kids got together at everyone’s house for dinner and get-togethers. We had such a great time! We had all the girls cook a German meal, everything was delicious.
“It would be nice to learn more about the German culture“
It has been many years since then. I am happy to say we have made a friend for life. Sina and her family and some friends have come back and stayed
with us, as a matter of fact Sina came to Buffalo in October and stayed a few days with us. Having a student was such a blessing to us, the best decision we ever made. We have an open door for Sina, I hope she comes back soon!
“We made a friend for life“
Joanne Setlock (2009) - Learning from One another
We did not have any reservations about hosting a German student. Much to the contrary, we thought of it as an exciting opportunity. We simply hoped our student would be happy in our home and we could provide enough interesting things to do as a family. We were fortunate in that the high school had organized trips and activities for all of the students together and parents were welcome to attend. Activities included things like a tour of the City, a trip to Niagara Falls, Letchworth State Park and various other fun adventures. As a family, we hosted a party, which included a cookout and swim. The students all had a ball. Our visiting student helped us get ready for the party and created signs in both German and English.
“Opportunity to expand our own knowledge and our knowledge of another country“
We found our time hosting extremely rewarding. Our student and really all of the students from Germany were respectful, fun, engaging and provided a host of details comparing our two countries and various customs. Our student, for example, was very surprised by what she termed “all of our green space” and also how far we had to drive to get to things – such as stores and markets, etc, and how these things were all so much further apart than the same things were in Germany. In Germany, they could do much more walking to get to where they wanted to go. We also learned about food preferences, for example, the difference in what a typical German breakfast, lunch or dinner would be compared to ours. We also learned about the difference in driving regulations, schooling and college compared to the U.S.A.
“We found our time hosting extremely rewarding“
As a family, we all felt as if this experience was one of the most rewarding times we all had together. Besides realizing how much we all had in common, I became more award and more grateful for all of our “green space” as our student called it along with many other things. I would highly recommend hosting to anyone considering it, and say don’t hesitate. You won’t be sorry. Your life and your heart will grow a little larger, and a little better. You will realize how much we all have in common. The German people are some of the kindest, warmest and most welcoming I’ve ever been fortunate enough to know.