TWO WORLDS UNITED

Section:  Introduction for Accepted Students

Congratulations you are a Two Worlds United Exchange Student! The Two Worlds United experience of living in another country is a very special opportunity.  Your life as a Two Worlds United exchange student will be both interesting and educational. You will be independent from your natural family but dependent on your host family. You will meet new and interesting people and learn about another part of the world. You may get the chance to really use another language. And, most importantly, you will live in and learn about another culture. Your Two Worlds United exchange experience will mean all of this and more. You will also grow to understand your own family and country better.  You will learn to appreciate people with different customs, ideas, and ways of living together in families and communities. You may come to understand other people’s feelings about the world. Your exchange experience is the chance of a lifetime.

Your exchange experience is the chance of a lifetime! Some Two Worlds United students will attend school for a year in their new country; others for a semester. Some Two Worlds United students will not attend school because they will live in a foreign country for their vacation months only. T Two Worlds United students always live with host families, sharing in their lives and activities, becoming a part of their world. It is a remarkable experience that tourists and travelers don’t usually have. We are pleased to be able to offer you this special and exciting opportunity. We wish you all the success in the world, and we are here to help you have the most successful program possible.

“Being an exchange student is not all easy. Do not think everything is going to be as you expected. Be patient, kind, and nice to your friends and especially your family-they are the most important part of the experience.”- Wendy Stapleton -TWU student 2007 France Semester Abroad

Having Realistic Expectations Before You Go

The biggest challenge many exchange students face is coping with the difference between what they expected and what living in their host country is really like. Often Two Worlds United hears students say: “It’s not what I expected,” “I want to live in a big city,” “I want to travel and see all of the country,” “I’m bored and have nothing to do – I want to change families.” These students don’t understand our program, and they do not have realistic expectations. Sometimes host families also need to change what they expect. Two Worlds United often hears these comments from host families: “Our student is not like what we read on the biographical data sheet,” “We thought she would-be our child’s’ best friend,” “We expected our student to speak our language,” “We were sure the student would fit into our family right away.”

The hardest time for both students and families is the first few weeks together. Why? Because of inter-cultural differences both students and host families often expected something different than what actually happened. After some time together, both families and students understand each other and what living together and sharing ideas will be like. Then the family experience begins to be more comfortable for everyone.

Remember that the Two Worlds United learning experience is a two-way exchange. That is, you will learn about your host country while your host family learns about your country. They want to learn about your ideas and your ways of doing things; that is why Two Worlds United families host exchange students. You must make a commitment to yourself to be a good example of your country and culture. Think of ways you can share your life with your host family. Most of all, be active. Show people that you are interested in doing things with them. Show them that you are enjoying your stay. Participate in all types of school and family activities while on your Two Worlds United program. Be friendly and communicate. Take the responsibility for being a good exchange student on the Two Worlds United program.