When exchange students first arrive, they are often just so excited -- they've been looking forward to this experience for such a long time, and now they're here! They think everything will fall into place quickly: school will start, it will be easy to talk to people, everyone will be interested in them because they're an exchange student!
But making new friends and establishing real relationships with host family, teachers, and others is more of a challenge than many exchange students realize. It's not always easy to break into a group of people at school, and not everyone feels comfortable just walking up to someone and starting a conversation. We recommend activities outside the classroom: join a school sports team or a city sports league, participate in theater or music, join a local dance class or gym.
This infographic sums up some of the things a student can do to deal with homesickness. It shows some symptoms that can mean a student is homesick or generally under stress in a new environment. It has a checklist that might help students focus if they're feeling a bit homesick due to the shock of being in a strange country with different traditions and routines. Perhaps a student feeling stressed can hang this checklist by their bedroom door as a reminder: eat healthy foods, involve yourself in local activities, get some exercise, and please -- don't forget to ask for help!
It's also a good list for host parents to review so that you can help your students. If you as a host parent see these symptoms, have a conversation with your student and involve your local program contact. Your student can -- and will -- get past this with your help.
