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need ideas when hosting foreign exchange student

ilikegengar

ilikegengar

Member
Hi,

Our family is hosting 2 exchange students from Japan. They'll be here the end of March. They are boys, ages 15 and 16. One problem is they are going to be here a very short time. They'll arrive on Sat. afternoon which is when we'll meet them. They'll be with us all day Sunday, go to school with our son on Mon, Tues. & Wed. then leave to go home Wed. after school.
I'm not sure why such a short exchange. They attend a school near Tokyo which is a sister school to my son's high school, hence the exchange.

Both boys have sent letters stating they want to experience American culture and eat American foods. Attending school is certainly an American thing. How can I cram America in on 4 day's time? Any suggestions?

I thought I'd cook some hot dogs on the grill and bake an apple pie. How about a trip to the mall to see American clothing styles followed with a drive by the state capitol building? Do kids roller skate or go bowling in Japan? I think of those as American hobbies. I could take them to league on Sunday but I'm not sure they play Pokemon. They may see that as a Japanese hobby.
Our neighbors have 6 kids. I thought I'd take the boys up there for a visit: (pool table, air hockey, trampoline. . . )

Ok, I'm asking you to please brainstorm for me!

Thank you,
Nanette
 
You have to remember that your asking a bunch of Japan-iacs here.(get it?) Well I guess for one thing, whenever in the car, have the hit radio station in your area blaring the whole way to your destination. That'll give em the American experience right there.:thumb: Find some good American movies for them to watch. Like Godzilla! Or even better, something like Spiderman. Thats very American. Good foods like apple pie is obviously a must. I would recomend Baseball as it is the great american passtime, but its not in season and they already have a ton of Baseball in japan. Hamburgers are good American foods too, if your going to grill. You should probably find out what they like, so you can know what they would like here. Now I doubt it would be impossible to cram all all into half a week...
 
Hi, for the past 2 years I was apart of a program called the People to People Student Ambassador program. Duing the corse of these 2 trips (Europe summer 06, Australia summer 07) I spent a 2-3 "homestay" with the locals, so I will be able to help. Everything you thoght up is great. Try and see if there is anything spcific they want to do. Be open and see if they need anything and see if they have any diatary requirements. Does the school know about them coming? Get the school involved, maybe they have some ideas. In class that they are in with your childern have a Q/A session, let them ask the students questions about japan and there lives and culture; and vice versa.

Sounds like these students are very fortunrante to learn about america and your kids and thier classmates are very fortunrante to learn about japan.

BTW what is the age diffrence between your childern and the students from Japan?
 
keep in mind though that the boys may be very shy, and in the name of 'politeness' may not make their preferences known, even when asked. and even though they study english in school, it's mainly as a written language, so they may be _very_ hesitant to converse with you.

good luck! :)

'mom
 
we had 2 japanese girls come over through this thing... anyway, we took them to go swimming at our families barbeque thing.. turns out one was alergic to water or something (i suppose that possibe.....)
 
Let them live like an American for one day.

Take them to a baseball game where they get to eat franks and drink coca cola.
Take them to a football game if you can't make it to a baseball game.
Take them to eat hamburgers, big juicy steaks, etc. Americanized foods.
CANDY. Let them run amuck in an American candy store and see what happens. I love foreign candy and trying foreign food.
Take them to a foreign film. They'll respond best to reading English over hearing it, and if you take them to a foreign film they could have the exact same experience you would have when watching the film- you'll have reached a common ground.
 
Azure Kite said:
You have to remember that your asking a bunch of Japan-iacs here.
Click to expand...

Asking the wapanese what to do when hosting Japanese kids is... yeah.

That said, not all the suggestions in this thread are necessarily terrible. I'm hoping the "play Pokémon" suggestion was a joke, otherwise... yeah.

... Yeah.
 
Here's what my brother, sister, and I came up with.

Do what a "typical" american family does like go to the park, go to the movies, and even go to a restaurant like "Red Robins" or "home town Buffet"

Yeah a trip to the mall wouldn't hurt. Definetly take them out of the house and let them see the culture first hand.

How about taking them to the Oregon Coast or take them Bowling or something like that?

At least watch a good movie like "Harry Potter" or some good TV like "the simpsons, Family Guy, or Digimon Data Squad."

Hope these ideas help, and you'll hear more ideas from us again.
~Cyber and family~
 
Wait, good TV is now comprised of two shows that have thoroughly jumped the shark, and an animé?

That's like suggesting a Japanese family hosting an American exchange student show the yank some Spongebob or something. Also "quotation marks."
 
March... March... There's not a whole heck of a lot going on then. Football season is long since over. Basketball is more an international game than an American game now. If you're in the South, try a Spring Training Baseball game. Otherwise, malls, movies, and American foods would probably be your best bet. Just be classy about it (no McD or anything like that)
 
Marril said:
Asking the wapanese what to do when hosting Japanese kids is... yeah.

That said, not all the suggestions in this thread are necessarily terrible. I'm hoping the "play Pokémon" suggestion was a joke, otherwise... yeah.

... Yeah.
Click to expand...

.....yeah?

bullados said:
March... March... There's not a whole heck of a lot going on then. Football season is long since over. Basketball is more an international game than an American game now. If you're in the South, try a Spring Training Baseball game. Otherwise, malls, movies, and American foods would probably be your best bet. Just be classy about it (no McD or anything like that)
Click to expand...

Whaddaya talking bout? Mickey D's is totally classy! Another thing about the activities you do there, how cold is it where you are? That would decide whether the activities are mostly indoors or outdoors.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions and keep them coming.

To answer a few questions, my son is 14. We live in Oregon. It rains a lot in the winter/spring here but the temperature is fairly nice 40-50F. There will be snow in the mountains in March. (1 hour drive) The coast is only an hour's drive too. I'll give the students some choices.

I'm trying to take the students to things they can't do in Japan. I do know there is McDonalds in Japan so I'll skip that unless the boys really want to go. I thought aobut the coast or the mountains but I only have one full day with them and I think that mountains and the coast in Japan is similar to Oregon. They want our culture, not necessarily our countryside. I do hope they'll come for a return visit.

Tina, thanks for the idea about beef! I didn't know that.

Cyber: I don't consider Family Guy nor The Simpsons as good TV. Can you suggest something more wholesome? Just my opinion.

Thank you,
Nanette
 
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Any National/State parks within driving distance? That's always nice. Museums are good, too. Maybe if some popular band was playing in the area, you guys could go to that.
 
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