Anyone else here have a student about to begin an exchange program?

[Catherine]

My son will be an AFS exchange student in Germany this coming year, for ten months. He leaves soon, the second week in September. Trying to prepare here. Anyone?

[jeri]

I was AFS to Sweden, MANY years ago (gulp, almost 30!) and had a wonderful year! Now we are (coincidentally) living in Germany! No advice, just glad to hear that AFS is still going strong.

 

jeri

[Blue Hen]

We were on the other end in July when we took in a French student for just 3 weeks. He came through ECI. It was a great experience and we all feel like we made a friend for life. Great kid.

 

I think it helped Alex that he could get calls from his parents. I think it also helped that he had an ITouch so he could text them messages.

 

I hope he has a wonderful year.

 

Carole

[jld]

Best wishes to your son, Catherine. What an exciting opportunity for him!

[Kareni]

I'm hoping that your son has a wonderful year, Catherine. What a great opportunity for him.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[J-rap]

***

Edited March 1 by J-rap

[Laura Corin]

 

Over-the-counter allergy meds, etc., are sometimes easier to bring along than getting them there. They probably have them there, but it's hard to figure out which ones are same when you don't speak the language! Contacts to last the year.

 

I've had an overseas visitor very upset because they bought a prescription with them, rather than the actual medication. The prescription wasn't accepted locally, and anyway the precise medication wasn't available - brand names may differ worldwide even if the drug is the same.

 

Make sure that his medical insurance includes evacuation back to the US. It's not that he won't get great medical care in Europe, but if something serious were to happen, you probably would prefer that he was nearby.

 

I hope he has a good time - I spent a year teaching in France when I was twenty and it was a great experience.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

 

A list of phone numbers to call in an emergency. (Even though he knows them, it's good to have them written down.)

 

 

Most consulates have an out-of-hours number for citizens to call in emergency.

 

Just a reminder - probably not necessary, so feel free to ignore. Some people when they travel assume that local laws don't apply to them because they are foreign. This is not the case - one is ruled by the laws of the country that one is in (unless there are specific arrangements, such as for US military in Germany). The ambassador/consulate can't help a foreigner to avoid prosecution under local laws - they can only make sure that he has proper legal representation.

 

Laura

[Catherine]

I am so pleased to hear from you especially jjhat7! I know this will be a huge, life changing experience for him. In fact we decided to have him to another year of school when he returns, just to give him time to re-acculturate when he's back in the USA.

 

Laura, thanks for the ideas about taking the phone numbers of the consulate etc. We are very lucky that his host family has already hosted a student before, for a whole year, so they know what to expect. Plus he will have a sister there! She is 10.

 

Speaking of illegal-homeschooling is not legal in Germany, so I feel certain he'll get a lot of questions about it. Since his command of the language is still pretty limited, I don't know exactly how he plans to handle those questions. I think I will being that up to him to consider.

 

He doesn't seem nervous or apprehensive in any way. I am. But that's mom's job, isn't it, to worry?