host family Archives

AYA Students Celebrate Host Moms, Share Memories and Give Thanks

May 12, 2017 AYA 1 Comment

Mother's Day is a special day to show our gratitude and celebrate all the mothers, host moms and mother figures out there that do so much to bring happiness to everyone else. In honor of mother's everywhere, we're delighted to share the following submissions from AYA students … [Read more...]

10 Reasons to Host an Exchange Student

May 5, 2017 AYA 5 Comments

The following list of ten reasons to host an exchange student was written by Regenia, an AYA Local Coordinator with lots of experience exploring life in these United States through student exchange. From roots in Ohio, the branches of Regenia's family now extend around the … [Read more...]

Get Students Talking: Conversation Starters and Strategies

March 13, 2017 AYA Leave a Comment

How many of you can relate to this scenario? You: Hi! How was your day at school? Student: Fine. You: Did you do anything new? Student: Yeah. You: Like what? Student: I don't know…stuff (tuning out of conversation and in to electronic device). Sound … [Read more...]

Spotlight on Excellence: AYA Student Shines in New York

February 7, 2017 AYA 1 Comment

Our Local Coordinator Terri, from the state of New York, submitted the following acknowledgement of a student with whom she has been extremely impressed. Carolin, an exchange student from Germany, has been very involved in her school and local community since arriving in the U.S. … [Read more...]

Halfway Through the Year – YES Student Shares Observations

January 24, 2017 AYA Leave a Comment

The following blog post was written by Fira, a YES student from Indonesia living with her host family in South Carolina. Fira has a lot to say about how much her Local Coordinator, host family and exchange community mean to her as she reflects on reaching the halfway point in her … [Read more...]

Connections that Count: Former Exchange Student Shares Success

January 9, 2017 AYA Leave a Comment

As we celebrate 35 years of helping people connect through AYA exchange, it is a pleasure to hear from students that participated with us over the years. Today, we share reflections of a former student, Anne-Kathrin from Germany. She recalls her time spent as an AYA student in … [Read more...]