The life changing adventure of becoming a high school exchange student

More than 30 years ago I was an AFS exchange student to Sri Lanka when I was 17 years old.  It has sparked in me a life long passion to spread the word about this life changing experience.  When I returned from my exchange, my family hosted a student for a semester.  Fast forward to my own adult hood, and my family recently hosted a student from Portugal for a school year.  Now that I have experienced both sides of an exchange I consider myself somewhat of an expert on what it takes to have a successful year.  I will be blogging about some of these tips and tricks and I invite you to ask questions.  

AFS Intercultural, the program I have a long affiliation with, has been in existence for more than 60 years.  They send and receive students to more than 50 partner countries.  Their safety record is among the best and they have a unique infrastructure of more than 30,000 volunteers worldwide, on the ground, who are there to support  students in their hosted community.  Who are these volunteers?  Past exchange students, past host families and committed volunteers who understand that person-to-person diplomacy is the surest path to peace.  My name is Barbara Casey and I am one of those volunteers.  And I am a resource for the community.  Please ask me anything.  I will be honest and clear with my answers.  Believe me, it's an adventure worth considering.