AFS Intercultural Programs- USA

Host Family Placement

The lady who I would almost instantly learn to call "Mama" greeted me with a hug and in broken English told me that they wanted to make my year in Austria wonderful. I could not have been placed with a kinder or more wonderful family. My family basically made my year. -Caroline Brown, AFSer to Austria 1995

Dear Future AFSer:

This is how we want you to feel after your AFS experience.

As soon as your Admissions Packet was sent to your host country, AFS staff and volunteers there began looking for a community and family that would be right for you. Deciding to host a student for an extended period of time is a big decision; one that needs careful thought and planning. The process can be a lengthy one. Potential host families are carefully considered and interviewed before they are selected to be an AFS family. Therefore, it will probably be quite some time before you get your family placement-- many students don't receive information until shortly before departure.

Once your Regional Service Center receives your family placement information, it will be sent to you within 24 hours. If the information arrives less than three weeks before departure, someone will call you personally to relay the information and answer any questions you might have. As soon as you receive the information you can begin writing to your family; they will be very excited to find out more about you, your family, community and life in the United States.

It is never too early to begin preparing for your experience and the many questions your host family and new friends may have. While you are waiting for more information about your placement, we urge you to begin learning more about your host country-- its culture, history and issues of current interest. If you are going to a country where the language will be new to you, this is the time to get out the language tapes and look for a native speaker (e.g., an AFS hosted student) with whom to practice. This is a good idea even if you have been studying the host country's language in school.

There are a lot of ways to make yourself more knowledgeable: visit your local library, surf the Internet, read foreign newspapers/periodicals from your host country, get in touch with hosted AFS students and other foreign students at local colleges and universities. Most will love the chance to talk about home with someone who is truly interested. Knowing more about your host country will not only make you feel more comfortable about your AFS experience, it will also endear you to your host family and soon to be new friends. And, you may be suprised to learn that in studying about another culture, you will discover new things about your own.

We wish you a wonderful AFS experience.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXX XXXXXX

Student Admissions Coordinator