Will you be home this summer between July 30 and August 11? Want to create a memory that your entire family will cherish for years to come? The California School of English is welcoming several Japanese students to San Marcos this summer and they are looking for host families.
Hosting an exchange student is truly an unforgettable cultural experience and a great way to bring another part of the world right to your doorstep. Students attending the California School of English are 14-17 years old. As you can imagine, they are very excited about their trip to San Diego.
Classes for this group are taught at San Elijo Middle School. The students attend classes from 9AM-12PM and then they spend the afternoon together as a group on various excursions.
A teacher at San Elijo Middle School, Danielle Birk, is one of the program coordinators. She finds the host families and helps with the logistics. There are usually 1-2 students per host home and there is a lot of activity packed into the 12 days for the students; however, two of those are free days to spend with their host families.
As a host family, you provide meals and transportation to and from the school. California School of English provides a stipend to host families to help with food and gas expenses so you won’t be out of pocket.
Opening your home to a student from another country exposes your family to other cultures and helps you see your own culture in a new light.
The Caballero family who live in San Elijo Hills were among some of the host families last summer. They shared with us,
“We loved having Yui! She was so sweet and exposed all of us to a different culture and way of life. Our family got to learn a bit about Japan and how the young girls and boys interacted. We hosted a party at our house the night before they left and it was great to see the American and Japanese girls and boys laughing and having fun. And, Yui was really impressed that my son knew origami and could create more complicated pieces than she could!”
These programs often lead to lifelong friendships. You just never know who you will meet. And, you may even find yourself visiting Japan one day to visit your new friends!
In the meantime, being a host family is a great way to experience a bit of Japanese culture while watching a young person grow from amazing learning experience.
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