4 Reasons You Should Send Your Teens on a Foreign Exchange
Five months in another country changed my life.
In early 2013, I was looking around the internet to figure out how I could get out of Canada’s cold winters. I was 15. There was no way I could be a “snowbird” yet. I haven’t even finished high school.
Alone, in the computer lab of my simple high school, I came across a website.
“BE AN EXCHANGE STUDENT!”
Alright, now we are talking.
As I began to do a bit more research, I came across European countries that intrigued me. As I clicked further to see what the requirements were, I noticed I would have to learn the language before I left.
“There is just no way I am learning German or Italian in half a year.”
I thought about where I would go, where could I picture myself spending five months in January?
What was on my bucket list?
- Sun
- Mountains
- Far away from home
Well, that should be simple enough, I will go to the southern hemisphere. They speak English, the seasons are opposite, and I am far enough away from home.
Eight months later, my bags were packed, and I was on a flight. Montreal to Los Angeles, I then waited 10 hours before getting on a 14-hour plane. Los Angeles to final destination Auckland New Zealand
1. It allows your teen to flourish and be independent.
When I first arrived in New Zealand, I was a bratty 16-year-old who thought the world owed her.
By the time I left, I was a young woman with a lot of maturity and independence.
One of the most significant changes you will see in your teen once they are settled into their new homes is their incredible adaptability and independence.
Their need to adapt to the new situation and house rules will allow them to grow and become better people. They may be in a completely different time zone and possibly even hemisphere. This will cause your teen to have to deal with things like homesickness or their credit card not working. They will need to learn how to pay for things, like a cell phone bill while they are there.
2. They will make life long friends and have a second family.
One of my best friends is from my exchange in New Zealand. She and I were housemates. She was from Holland, and we spent the five months I lived there attached at the hip.
The host mom and dad we lived with still call me to chat and check up on my life. 6 years later, I am still in touch with the girls I went to high school, my host sister, and host parents.
The bonds your teen will make will be like none other. This kind of friendship can only come out of an exchange program. The fear that they won’t make friends won’t happen. Everyone wants to be friends with the new exchange student.
Your teen will always have a home in different countries from the people they meet on the exchange.
I know I have homes all over New Zealand, where I can stay as well as Europe.
3. They will be completely immersed in a culture.
When you take your family on vacation, you don’t get to be engulfed in a culture. When an exchange student goes to a different country, they may have to speak another language or do things differently because of the new environment.
Your teen will be in a new school and live a completely different life than they do in their home country. At first, this will cause homesickness and maybe culture shock, but eventually, they will see it as normal life.
In New Zealand, people don’t always wear shoes. I thought this was shocking when I saw someone drive with no shoes on their feet. As a Canadian, I couldn’t imagine walking into a grocery store barefoot. It’s more common than you think. By the end of the exchange, I barely wore shoes. I brought that home with me to Canada, and even now, I never wear shoes.
4. The experience is the best gift you could give to them.
Your teen will be talking about this trip for the rest of their lives. The experience will make them better adults and more cultural. They will understand differences with other cultures and begin to appreciate it more.
Your teen’s new outlook on life and independence will be a learning adventure that you could have never given them in their home country.
Being a worldly human in today’s society is vital to success as they grow older. Although it may be hard to let your baby go, it’s the sacrifice you will have to make.
I could never thank my father enough for making this happen for me. It was the best experience and gift I could have been given.
An exchange program for any parent and teen can be a painful separation. But it is an excellent opportunity for your teen to grow and prosper before they head off to college. They will return a transformed human with many memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.
The immersion into a culture and understanding differences among people will be among the most valuable lessons they will learn.
When you cross an ad that says:
“BE AN EXCHANGE STUDENT”
You might look further and change your teen’s life.
