Foreign Exchange Students with an only child?

Question

I am an only child and me and my mom are thinking about hosting a foreign exchange student... I am just worried about what it will be like to have another person in the house when I am used to being the only one. Does anyone have any experiences or advice?

Answer 1

What a great answer already...

Whether you're an only child or one of many, hosting an exchange student is a gamble since you don't know what kind of person you'll get and if you'll get along and the like.

When it pays off, it pays off gloriously.  You get a friend for life and connections to a culture outside your own.

When it doesn't...  Well, hopefully you'll be doing this through an exchange organization that will be there to help you out as well as the exchange student if you find there are significant problems with the placement.

Of course, even with the best experiences, there will be ups and downs.  Personally, I'd take the plunge if you have the space and willingness to try something new.

Answer 2

This is a great question, because just two years ago, I was in exactly the same position. I had been an only child for 17 years, and I thought it might be difficult to adjust to having a sibling of sorts.

Before I tell you what I decided, here's what I think you should consider:

Do you require a lot of attention? For example, do your parents go as far as to "tuck you in at night?"

Do your parents buy you a lot of gifts? (this may put the exchange student in an awkward situation)

Do you have a lot of homework? (exchange students usually have it pretty easy, so you may get jealous when they have a lot of fun, and you are stuck at home)

Are you super messy/organized? (for general compatibility purposes)

Now these things are a general guide to the questions you might ask yourself before having someone come live with you for a semester/school-year.

If you don't think any of these things will be a problem, then I would say go for it!!!

Eventually I decided to do it, because I thought it would be something new, and could teach me a few things. It turned out to be a great experience, because even though my exchange student was very different from me we still got along great, and he became the brother I never had. We still email each other from time to time, and I even went to Slovakia to visit him last summer.

However, the next year I decided to host another exchange student. He was fine at first, but after about a month, he began to wear thin on me and my parents. He wouldn't listen to them, clean up after himself, or do anything at all. He became such a nuisance that my parents decided to have him live with another family.

While it is difficult to word this properly, my parents and I attributed it to two things. The first of which, was that the kid was just not a good match for our family. He was disobedient and caused a lot of trouble. The second was that the kid was from Brazil, a country that has a significant separation between the rich and the poor. The kid was used to having several servants who would clean up after him and wait on his every need. Middle class American families are not built around these qualities.

Therefore, he was not a good match.

So I have seen the good and the bad of exchange student programs. I would say that it is an excellent idea, and that the vast majority of kids will make great exchange students. However, I would look into the lifestyle that the student is coming from before accepting them into your home.