World Family Exchange - The blog

Learning a new culture and language is a primary goal of student exchange. If you are alert, you will also notice that society and government will be organized along different lines than in your home country. No country or culture has a monopoly on good ideas. Sweden is socialistic compared to the USA—yet both countries are successful in their own ways. The UK and the USA share a common language, yet there are significant differences as well as similarities in outlook and daily life. Tolerance and understanding of diversity are key requirements for exchange students.

The first step, once a student exchange is agreed, is to learn more about your destination. There are books especially written that explain the culture and customs of other lands. One I can recommend is Culture Shock! This is a series of books covering many countries of the world. Travel guides can also be useful. The Michelin Green Guides always have detailed information on a country’s geology, history, art, cuisine, architecture, culture and daily life. If you read French, don't miss the famous “guide du Routard” .

One aggravating characteristic of the USA for visiting exchange students is that you are supposed to be 21 to drink alcohol. The reason for this, by the way, has to do with the fact that young people can drive a car at 16 years of age. Public transit tends to be inadequate in the USA and drunk driving is a problem. European students under 21 may be surprised that their USA host families won’t allow them to drink alcohol.

The USA student going to Europe has a different challenge. Alcohol is widely available. Americans may not know how to carefully control their drinking. We once had a 16 year old Californian hospitalized in Germany for acute alcohol poisoning. He was warned in orientation meetings to be careful but . . .

Another difference is the attitude towards public nudity. You will see posters or advertisements in Helsinki or Berlin that would be considered shocking in Chicago. It is considered normal for some women to take off their bikini tops on public beaches. You might even see office workers undressing in public parks in Denmark so they can soak up the rays on their lunch hour. At my local Berlin lake this summer a few folks decided to swim nude, nobody seemed to mind.

None of the above is acceptable in the USA, though there are a few official and unofficial nude beaches.

It is common in Europe for governments to encourage safe sex in highly visible ways, such as public posters or condom machines in toilets. In the US it tends to be more discrete. The age for sexual consent varies, but in the US it generally is 18—in some European countries it is as low as 14.

About a third of Americans attend church services each week, a much greater percentage than most European countries. Your American host family might expect you to attend church with them on Sunday. You might find that Sunday is totally religious with church in the morning and American football in the afternoon. Europeans tend to be passionate about soccer.

My British wife and I frequently argue about politics and government policy. European societies and governments tend towards higher levels of taxation and involvement in daily life, the USA is more conservative and oriented towards individual choices and responsibilities.

One of my favorite countries is Japan. I would highly recommend a youth exchange there; be sure you read up on the local culture and customs which are vastly different than ours in the west. The Japanese put more emphasis on the group than the individual. Public gardens and temples are uniquely beautiful. The most impressive dramatic production I have seen in my life was a four hour Kabuki play in Fukuoka. My life has changed for the better thanks to four trips to Japan. How will student exchange affect you?