AISE: More Than a Student Exchange by Jessica (age 16)

The American Intercultural Student Exchange, or AISE, brings over 3000 student from South America, Europe, Russia, and Australia to the United States each year. These students come not only to put polish on their speaking skills but to be a part of American family life.

Students come from all walks of life. My family has hosted the daughters of a policeman, a member of parliament, a newspaper editor, a restaurant owner, and an accountant. The host families also vary. AISE places students with families with young children, newlyweds, the "empty nesters" whose children have grown up and moved away, and single adults. Even aunts, uncles, and grandparents are welcome!

My family first became involved in 1992, when Jessica came from Sweden. My mother hoped my sisters and I would learn more about our Scandinavian heritage. Instead we learned more about many of the things that we in the US take for granted. Could you imagine life without Tootsie-Pops and Life Savers?

Jessica found many things here difficult to accept. The Swedish schools are much more relaxed than those in America. Roll call is never taken and students can miss class at their own discretion. If a student doesn’t finish eating during their lunch period, they are free to take the remainder of their lunch back to class with them and finish there. Teachers are addressed by their first names. Jessica also was not accustomed to having a curfew. However, she obeyed all the rules because AISE is very strict and if any laws are broken during their stay, the student is sent home immediately at their own expense.

In the spring of 1993, while Jessica was still with us, we selected Miriam from Slovakia to spend the next year with us. Our families wrote and talked for eight months to establish a strong bond prior to Miriam’s arrival. We were very excited to be hosting another student from a country we knew so little about!

Our excitement was very short-lived. After only one short month, Miriam asked to be moved to another home. American television shows such as Dallas and Beverly Hills 90210 had given Miriam the wrong impression of life in the US. Our 150 year-old farm house was a big disappointment. Because we had such drastically different views of what American life was really like, Miriam was moved to another family, one in New Hampshire.

Miriam’s premature departure left my family feeling low and wondering if there was something we could have done to make things work. This, however, did not last long. On November 1, 1993, Nan, our area representative, called to ask if we had room for a new girl.

Federica had been living with a family in South Holland. There were problems within the family and the decision was made to move her. Our farm, my family was the right combination. Federica was instantly a true member of the family. My Italian sister was a whirlwind, always busy, happy, funny, and at the end of the day could drop into the deepest of sleeps, as Mom said, "always tired!"

Federica left in the spring of 1994. We had all formed a very tight bond with her. Her leaving was very difficult for all of us, with many tears and a promise to return. Afraid of constantly comparing the next student to Federica, we decided to take a year off from the program and start fresh in the fall of 1995.

This was not meant to be. In January of 1995, Dasha came to live with us. She was from Russia, Siberia to be exact. We learned many things about her country as well. For example, although she comes from what is typically thought to be a very cold region, our Chicago weather is actually colder! She was a wonderful addition to the family and she also left with plans to return.

During Dasha’s stay, we chose Christine, from Norway, to spend the next year with us. When she arrived in August of 1995, we learned to say ice cream in yet another language! Christine stayed with us for ten months, until July of 1996. We shared a room for half of her stay and then had our own rooms for the other half. We became very close in this time and, once again, when her stay was over, there were many tears and promises to write and visit. We didn’t exactly manage to write, but Christine did return for a five- week visit in July of 1997.

My family and I are now anxiously preparing for August of 1997, when I will leave for France. We are very excited that I have such a wonderful opportunity. I will be staying with a family just outside of Paris for four and a half months. This, we feel, will close the gap, making this not only a student, but a family exchange.