My son is interested in going to Germany for his senior year in order to learn German better. I've found a number of programs, but have no idea which ones are the better options. Has anyone been a foreign exchange student or known anyone who has that might be able to shed some light on this for me?
I'm guessing you mean as a high schooler?
I went with AFS to Japan in high school. Went to Yamamoto's old high school. I was also an exchange student in German at university doing my Masters Project.
Ask away. If you or he wants advice information or anything like that just PM me and I'll do my best to help.
Quote from: garbon on August 07, 2012, 03:25:54 PM
I'm guessing you mean as a high schooler?
Yes.
Quote from: Viking on August 07, 2012, 03:28:09 PM
I went with AFS to Japan in high school. Went to Yamamoto's old high school.
What's AFS?
I'm not familiar with any high school level exchange students to foreign countries, but I do know a couple who have come here.
I did a summer month in Germany in college to count as my German 3 credit. It was run by my German prof, and it was a hell of a lot of fun even if I didn't learn that much more German.
Sorry, Fez left the building years ago. :(
Good day. I said good day!
Quote from: merithyn on August 07, 2012, 03:28:40 PM
What's AFS?
American Field Service - they have a quite good reputation from what I know.
Some information on other programs:
http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/09__Language__Study__Exchange/03/02/__School.html
Quote from: Viking on August 07, 2012, 03:28:09 PM
I went with AFS to Japan in high school. Went to Yamamoto's old high school.
What's AFS?
[/quote]
http://www.afs.org/
yes, very good reputation, operates around the world.
Is this suddenly the backroom?
You think that's too much?
Post deleted. :ph34r:
One problem is that the Europeans are getting so good at speaking English that he may have difficulty practicing his German unless it is already very good :hmm:
He's had four years of German.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on August 07, 2012, 04:21:05 PM
One problem is that the Europeans are getting so good at speaking English that he may have difficulty practicing his German unless it is already very good :hmm:
That's true. I had 2 and I don't recall anyone even trying to speak to me in German...though he could just force the people he meets. :)
Quote from: frunk on August 07, 2012, 03:40:55 PM
I did a summer month in Germany in college to count as my German 3 credit. It was run by my German prof, and it was a hell of a lot of fun even if I didn't learn that much more German.
Ditto. Hung out in Northern Germany in summer '92. We had one literature and one history class.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on August 07, 2012, 04:21:05 PM
One problem is that the Europeans are getting so good at speaking English that he may have difficulty practicing his German unless it is already very good :hmm:
Young, urban, educated and travelling Germans yes. In general the dubbing countries (spain, france, italy and germany) speak bad english.
They were advertising for hosts for exchange students from Argentina here a while back, but when I inquired and said I'd only host female students--preferably 2 of them between 15 and 17--they never called me back.
:lol:
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 07, 2012, 05:20:07 PM
They were advertising for hosts for exchange students from Argentina here a while back, but when I inquired and said I'd only host female students--preferably 2 of them between 15 and 17--they never called me back.
At least you don't discriminate on the basis of race.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 07, 2012, 05:20:07 PM
They were advertising for hosts for exchange students from Argentina here a while back, but when I inquired and said I'd only host female students--preferably 2 of them between 15 and 17--they never called me back.
I wonder if that would work in spiess's case. :hmm:
Quote from: Caliga on August 07, 2012, 06:08:22 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 07, 2012, 05:20:07 PM
They were advertising for hosts for exchange students from Argentina here a while back, but when I inquired and said I'd only host female students--preferably 2 of them between 15 and 17--they never called me back.
I wonder if that would work in spiess's case. :hmm:
Hmm Married to an Argy with kids
vs
single with cats
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 07, 2012, 05:20:07 PM
They were advertising for hosts for exchange students from Argentina here a while back, but when I inquired and said I'd only host female students--preferably 2 of them between 15 and 17--they never called me back.
This is why we can't have nice things! :mad:
Quote from: merithyn on August 07, 2012, 09:29:21 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 07, 2012, 05:20:07 PM
They were advertising for hosts for exchange students from Argentina here a while back, but when I inquired and said I'd only host female students--preferably 2 of them between 15 and 17--they never called me back.
This is why we can't have nice things! :mad:
I only asked for 2, it's not like I was being selfish or anything.
Quote from: Viking on August 07, 2012, 03:56:41 PM
http://www.afs.org/
yes, very good reputation, operates around the world.
This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you! :hug:
I've asked for a brochure, and sent the link to my son to check over. It would be awesome if he got to go. The poor kid has seriously gotten the raw end of things for a while between the diabetes, asthma, and just general crap he deals with. I'd love to be able to make something like this happen for him.
Quote from: merithyn on August 07, 2012, 04:21:50 PM
He's had four years of German.
So did I when I went during college, and I didn't use German as much as I should have.
EDIT: To expand on this: I was primarily with other American students, we weren't in the same area as the other, German, students at the university, and all the classes (except German) were conducted in English. I highly recommend that he at least stay with a home-stay family, and try to find a program that mixes German and international/American students.
Also, he's going to drink beer, and probably a lot. Hopefully he'll know his limits. On the plus side, he'll become used to good German beers, and will be forever unable to drink swill like Miller Lite.
I hope it works out. I won some scholarships for German language and literature at my university, but I never got the opportunity to go to Germany as an exchange student, and I've always regretted that. Also, my German is crap now. Make of that what you will. :P
I only learned such things existed last year.
Which angers me. Would have been awesome.
Quote from: Tyr on August 08, 2012, 05:04:27 AM
I only learned such things existed last year.
How is this possible?
:lol:
:lol:
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 08, 2012, 06:29:48 AM
Quote from: Tyr on August 08, 2012, 05:04:27 AM
I only learned such things existed last year.
How is this possible?
It wasn't advertised at all. Its all much more discreet and less cohesive than university exchanges.
Did you never see That 70s Show?
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 08, 2012, 07:42:17 AM
Did you never see That 70s Show?
except for a few episodes they don't mention that he's a foreign exchange student (unless you know what "FES" stands for, then they mention it in every episode :lol:)
Should have gone the American pie route :P
Quote from: HVC on August 08, 2012, 07:45:06 AM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 08, 2012, 07:42:17 AM
Did you never see That 70s Show?
except for a few episodes they don't mention that he's a foreign exchange student (unless you know what "FES" stands for, then they mention it in every episode :lol:)
Should have gone the American pie route :P
Another good example. I'm sure if I sat around and brainstormed(or googled) I could think of more. But it's not really worth it.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 08, 2012, 07:48:15 AM
Quote from: HVC on August 08, 2012, 07:45:06 AM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 08, 2012, 07:42:17 AM
Did you never see That 70s Show?
except for a few episodes they don't mention that he's a foreign exchange student (unless you know what "FES" stands for, then they mention it in every episode :lol:)
Should have gone the American pie route :P
Another good example. I'm sure if I sat around and brainstormed(or googled) I could think of more. But it's not really worth it.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fa%2Fa5%2FSlapherfrench.jpg&hash=491bfcf3533ff4552d76f447bb9caf58a714a6c2)
Sure, you see lots of them on TV, but then high school life on TV tends to feature lots of things that aren't possible for normal people (not that we have high school in the UK, but I'd assume it tends to be pretty mundane for most Americans). And these kids are always strange one offs, never mentioned as being part of some grand programme.
Ok, we get it. Another thing you didn't know about. Call off the dogs, everybody.
Hopefully one day he will realize that sometimes art imitates life. :D
Hmm. Costs have gone up, apparently, from what I initially found. A year abroad costs between $8,000 - $15,000, not including travel expenses, additional "side trips", and monthly spending money. (I'd initially found resources that said $5,000 - $8,000.) All of it must be paid by May 2013 in order for him to go on the trip.
Scholarships are available, but limited, and very few for the programs he's interested in. They have fund-raising opportunities, which seem to essentially be posting online where you want to go and why, and then begging friends and family to donate toward the trip.
Oy! This is going to be very difficult to make happen. Not impossible - yet - but definitely difficult.
You might want to see if you can get in touch with your local Rotary club. When I was in high school there were pretty good at providing a lot of the funding for exchange students...and in fact many of the exchange students that came to my school came through the Rotary club.
Here's what I found on a quick look up:
http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYouth/YouthPrograms/RotaryYouthExchange/Pages/Howtoapply.aspx
Quote from: Tyr on August 08, 2012, 08:09:34 AM
Sure, you see lots of them on TV, but then high school life on TV tends to feature lots of things that aren't possible for normal people (not that we have high school in the UK, but I'd assume it tends to be pretty mundane for most Americans). And these kids are always strange one offs, never mentioned as being part of some grand programme.
Elaborate.
Garbon, usually though that is because they exchange between rotary club memebers. So that you get kids whose parents are members sent over to other rotary members.. I'm not sure they are open to non members
V
Quote from: Valdemar on August 08, 2012, 09:11:12 AM
Garbon, usually though that is because they exchange between rotary club memebers. So that you get kids whose parents are members sent over to other rotary members.. I'm not sure they are open to non members
V
According to the website garbon gave: "Applicants are not required to be involved with Rotary in
any way before applying."
Thanks, garbon. No Rotary groups in our area, but there are other options. They do seem to be much more highly competitive, but worth giving it a shot.
Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.
Why does it cost so much? Surely the idea is you just pay the air fare and put up the German exchange student while his parents look after your son?
Is he old enough to hold down a part-time job? Legal drinking age in Germany is 16 so he could work in a bar, semi-traditional for Americans in Europe.
If he waits until he's university age, he can go through the Erasmus exchange scheme. http://www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus.htm
Until then a full year isn't necessary - he could just spend the long summer holiday out there. I learnt a lot French with just two weeks of immersion.
Quote from: Valdemar on August 08, 2012, 09:11:12 AM
Garbon, usually though that is because they exchange between rotary club memebers. So that you get kids whose parents are members sent over to other rotary members.. I'm not sure they are open to non members
V
No as Meri said that's not the case. I had been considering going and I had only tenuous associations. (Did go to a Rotary luncheon once as I was in name a member of their high school group and went as attendee and then counselor to their leadership training camp - though that was later.)
Quote from: merithyn on August 08, 2012, 09:16:59 AM
Thanks, garbon. No Rotary groups in our area, but there are other options. They do seem to be much more highly competitive, but worth giving it a shot.
Yeah, I'd guess there are a lot of other groups that do similar things and though difficult, worth a try. :)
/I forget exactly where you live but Illinois seems littered with chapters, including around the university.
Quote from: garbon on August 08, 2012, 09:21:36 AM
Quote from: merithyn on August 08, 2012, 09:16:59 AM
Thanks, garbon. No Rotary groups in our area, but there are other options. They do seem to be much more highly competitive, but worth giving it a shot.
Yeah, I'd guess there are a lot of other groups that do similar things and though difficult, worth a try. :)
/I forget exactly where you live but Illinois seems littered with chapters, including around the university.
I just found a Champaign one. Took some time, but I found it. May not be as competitive as I thought, since each chapter handles their own, so it will depend on how many kids from a given area apply. Applications are due next month, however, so we'll have to get going on it.
Quote from: Brazen on August 08, 2012, 09:17:34 AM
Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.
My school had a similar thing going in England. My sister spent some time with a local family somewhere in St. Albans.
The one thing I remember from those English kids was that they were all fucking each other senseless by the time they were like 12 years old. Even the girls talked openly about how horny they were and what things they did. More shocking than arousing though. They were all ugly as sin.
Quote from: Iormlund on August 08, 2012, 11:41:33 AM
Quote from: Brazen on August 08, 2012, 09:17:34 AM
Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.
My school had a similar thing going in England. My sister spent some time with a local family somewhere in St. Albans.
The one thing I remember from those English kids was that they were all fucking each other senseless by the time they were like 12 years old. Even the girls talked openly about how horny they were and what things they did. More shocking than arousing though. They were all ugly as sin.
/subscribe newsletter
Quote from: Brazen on August 08, 2012, 09:17:34 AM
Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.
Why does it cost so much? Surely the idea is you just pay the air fare and put up the German exchange student while his parents look after your son?
Is he old enough to hold down a part-time job? Legal drinking age in Germany is 16 so he could work in a bar, semi-traditional for Americans in Europe.
If he waits until he's university age, he can go through the Erasmus exchange scheme. http://www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus.htm
Until then a full year isn't necessary - he could just spend the long summer holiday out there. I learnt a lot French with just two weeks of immersion.
Erasmus is just for Europeans I believe.
I was actually looking into going to the University of Illinois for my exchange but it would have cost me a shit tonne vs. getting free money for going to Holland.
I don't understand why native English speakers need to learn another language. All non-English speakers should learn English, and that's good enough.
Quote from: garbon on August 08, 2012, 09:19:40 AM
No as Meri said that's not the case. I had been considering going and I had only tenuous associations. (Did go to a Rotary luncheon once as I was in name a member of their high school group and went as attendee and then counselor to their leadership training camp - though that was later.)
OK, back in the day it was restricted to members, or at least they got preferential treatment. Ofc that is more than twenty years ago :blush:
V
Quote from: Tyr on August 09, 2012, 12:04:09 AMErasmus is just for Europeans I believe.
It's for any regular university student of the participating countries. I've known Argentinians doing it.
Quote from: The Larch on August 09, 2012, 05:48:41 AM
Quote from: Tyr on August 09, 2012, 12:04:09 AMErasmus is just for Europeans I believe.
It's for any regular university student of the participating countries. I've known Argentinians doing it.
They have to be at a European university though right? Or are some non-Europe universities in it now?
Quote from: Tyr on August 09, 2012, 06:08:43 AM
Quote from: The Larch on August 09, 2012, 05:48:41 AM
Quote from: Tyr on August 09, 2012, 12:04:09 AMErasmus is just for Europeans I believe.
It's for any regular university student of the participating countries. I've known Argentinians doing it.
They have to be at a European university though right? Or are some non-Europe universities in it now?
Depends on how you count Turkey. :p
AFAIK it's EU countries, candidate countries and EFTA countries. For everywhere else there's a separate program called Erasmus Mundus, but I don't have the slightest idea about how that works.
Quote from: Brazen on August 08, 2012, 09:17:34 AM
Legal drinking age in Germany is 16 so he could work in a bar, semi-traditional for Americans in Europe.
I am pretty sure you have to be 18 to sell alcohol though. ;)
Quote from: Monoriu on August 09, 2012, 03:32:06 AM
I don't understand why native English speakers need to learn another language. All non-English speakers should learn English, and that's good enough.
But then we wouldn't get to listen to native English speakers horribly butchering foreign tongues, like they invariably do.
Quote from: Brazen on August 08, 2012, 09:17:34 AM
Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.
Why does it cost so much? Surely the idea is you just pay the air fare and put up the German exchange student while his parents look after your son?
Is he old enough to hold down a part-time job? Legal drinking age in Germany is 16 so he could work in a bar, semi-traditional for Americans in Europe.
If he waits until he's university age, he can go through the Erasmus exchange scheme. http://www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus.htm
Until then a full year isn't necessary - he could just spend the long summer holiday out there. I learnt a lot French with just two weeks of immersion.
Agreed. The price quoted by Merri seems prohibitvely expensive.
Quote from: Martinus on August 09, 2012, 01:36:00 PM
Quote from: Brazen on August 08, 2012, 09:17:34 AM
Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.
Why does it cost so much? Surely the idea is you just pay the air fare and put up the German exchange student while his parents look after your son?
Is he old enough to hold down a part-time job? Legal drinking age in Germany is 16 so he could work in a bar, semi-traditional for Americans in Europe.
If he waits until he's university age, he can go through the Erasmus exchange scheme. http://www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus.htm
Until then a full year isn't necessary - he could just spend the long summer holiday out there. I learnt a lot French with just two weeks of immersion.
Agreed. The price quoted by Merri seems prohibitvely expensive.
It's a bit different if you're not from the EU, or if traveling to a European country is further than an 8-hour flight. Hell, a round-trip ticket to Frankfort from Chicago is $1300 right now. (Or was last I checked.)
Round I: Informational Meet & Greet - Completed
We met with the Rotary guy tonight to get the necessary information for applying. It was a bit bumpy beginning (we arranged to meet at a coffee shop which turned out to be closed for the day to a staff meeting), but overall, I think it went well.
Round II: Local Interview - Upcoming this week
He'll need to complete the initial application (two pages with general information and passport photo attached).
Round III: Regional Interview - November 3
The comprehensive, 10-page application with medical and dental documentation, personal statement, and photos of home and family must be completed and brought to the interview.
Estimated total cost: $3100 + spending money ($1000 by February; $1800 by July; $300 by September)
My cousin has volunteered to make a quilt to sell raffle tickets for. She's done this for other fund-raisers, and her quilts generally go for $1000 or more. On top of that, there are a number of companies in the community who are big on donating items to help kids with their education, so Jeremy plans to talk to them about additional raffle items, too. It would be nice to get a bit of help with the costs, but it's not so much that we couldn't do it without that.
I truly hope this works out for him. It was always a dream of mine, which obviously didn't work out. It would be wonderful to make the dream come true for one of my kids, anyway. :)
Quote from: merithyn on August 09, 2012, 01:41:46 PM
It's a bit different if you're not from the EU, or if traveling to a European country is further than an 8-hour flight. Hell, a round-trip ticket to Frankfort from Chicago is $1300 right now. (Or was last I checked.)
Are you looking at the price for flying today? If I look up a price in half a year, it's like half of what you quoted.
Quote from: Zanza on September 24, 2012, 05:57:26 AM
Quote from: merithyn on August 09, 2012, 01:41:46 PM
It's a bit different if you're not from the EU, or if traveling to a European country is further than an 8-hour flight. Hell, a round-trip ticket to Frankfort from Chicago is $1300 right now. (Or was last I checked.)
Are you looking at the price for flying today? If I look up a price in half a year, it's like half of what you quoted.
He needs an open-ended ticket, which is almost twice the normal cost. :)
Quote from: merithyn on September 23, 2012, 10:54:32 PM
Estimated total cost: $3100 + spending money ($1000 by February; $1800 by July; $300 by September)
Oh, that's bullshit.
QuoteI truly hope this works out for him. It was always a dream of mine, which obviously didn't work out. It would be wonderful to make the dream come true for one of my kids, anyway. :)
Meh. At a certain age, kids need to learn that dreams are made to be crushed. It prepares them for adulthood. And parenting.
But good luck anyhow.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on September 24, 2012, 08:19:26 AM
Oh, that's bullshit.
:huh:
$3100 + spending money for a year in Europe is "bullshit"?? That's including the flight, by the way (that's the $1800 in July). I'd say that's one hell of a deal!
QuoteMeh. At a certain age, kids need to learn that dreams are made to be crushed. It prepares them for adulthood. And parenting.
But good luck anyhow.
Agreed. :sleep: I just don't think it should start at 17.
Quote from: merithyn on September 24, 2012, 08:23:02 AM
$3100 + spending money for a year in Europe is "bullshit"?? That's including the flight, by the way (that's the $1800 in July). I'd say that's one hell of a deal!
He's gonna need more spending money. Good hookers are expensive. :licklips:
Quote from: CountDeMoney on September 24, 2012, 08:26:53 AM
Quote from: merithyn on September 24, 2012, 08:23:02 AM
$3100 + spending money for a year in Europe is "bullshit"?? That's including the flight, by the way (that's the $1800 in July). I'd say that's one hell of a deal!
He's gonna need more spending money. Good hookers are expensive. :licklips:
He'll be getting ~$300/month on top of that. :contract:
I just hope the good hookers are relatively clean. :ph34r:
Quote from: merithyn on September 24, 2012, 08:41:07 AM
I just hope the good hookers are relatively clean. :ph34r:
Of course they will be; we're talking European socialism here.
Why does he need open ended ticket?
Quote from: merithyn on September 23, 2012, 10:54:32 PM
I truly hope this works out for him. It was always a dream of mine, which obviously didn't work out. It would be wonderful to make the dream come true for one of my kids, anyway. :)
Neat, hopefully that works out. I'd always planned to try the Rotary route but got lazy as a teen. -_-
Quote from: katmai on September 24, 2012, 08:50:56 AM
Why does he need open ended ticket?
In case there's an emergency, and he has to come home immediately. There's no worries about how he'll get a ticket, etc. He can just show up at the airport and catch the next open flight.
It's much cheaper to buy a ticket with a set flight date and pay the rebooking fee than buy a flex ticket upfront. Just make sure the terms & conditions of your booking class allow for rebooking. It's usually just $100-200 rebooking charge.
And unless you have a high frequent flyer status, I doubt any airline in the world sells flex tickets where you can just show up any day and fly on the next plane. You'll always be stand-by/wait list, so if the flight is booked with people who bought a regular ticket for that flight, you are out of luck anyway.
Yeah Meri, open ended tickets are not worth it. Just get one that allows rebooking for a fee - which generally are the second cheapest option.
Quote from: Zanza on September 24, 2012, 10:22:24 AM
It's much cheaper to buy a ticket with a set flight date and pay the rebooking fee than buy a flex ticket upfront. Just make sure the terms & conditions of your booking class allow for rebooking. It's usually just $100-200 rebooking charge.
And unless you have a high frequent flyer status, I doubt any airline in the world sells flex tickets where you can just show up any day and fly on the next plane. You'll always be stand-by/wait list, so if the flight is booked with people who bought a regular ticket for that flight, you are out of luck anyway.
I don't have a choice on this one. It's a requirement for the program. The ticket must be an open-ended ticket so that there is no concern over money if Jeremy has to come home immediately (who has to pay, reimbursement concerns, etc). I get what you're saying - and agree with you - but the program dictates this.
What exactly is covered by the $3100? If $1300 of those go for the flight ticket, that leaves you with $1800 ~ 1400 Euro. That's not a lot of money for a whole year. What about e.g. health insurance? Does your insurance in the US cover his stay abroad?
Quote from: Zanza on September 24, 2012, 01:04:23 PM
What exactly is covered by the $3100? If $1300 of those go for the flight ticket, that leaves you with $1800 ~ 1400 Euro. That's not a lot of money for a whole year.
Although she hasn't stated it, I believe all of that is just the contribution that they have to make. The rest then gets picked up by Rotary club/its members. After all, he'd be staying a rotary member's house (or at least that was how it was when non-Americans came here).
Quote from: Zanza on September 24, 2012, 01:04:23 PM
What exactly is covered by the $3100? If $1300 of those go for the flight ticket, that leaves you with $1800 ~ 1400 Euro. That's not a lot of money for a whole year. What about e.g. health insurance? Does your insurance in the US cover his stay abroad?
$1000 is the fee, which covers some health insurance, various odds & ends, and a small stipend to the family receiving Jeremy. The $300 in September covers the special insurance he'll need in Germany. The plan ticket will be ~$1800, probably. So, of the $3100, $1000 in fees and one kind of health insurance, $300 in additional health insurance, and $1800 for flight.
That's a guesstimate. There may be less or more fees depending on what country he goes to (Switzerland is his second choice, and it's another $1500-2000 due to additional insurance, Visa fees, school fees, school uniforms, etc.). He's applying for Germany and tics all of the boxes for that country (and it has a LOT of open spaces), but the way the Rotary Club works, the kids rank all 40 countries from 1 to 40, and the kids are placed according to what's available where. Most (like 99%) get one of their top 10 countries.
On top of that, there may be additional optional side trips that the kids can take over the course of the year they're abroad that have additional costs.
Quote from: garbon on September 24, 2012, 01:13:11 PM
Although she hasn't stated it, I believe all of that is just the contribution that they have to make. The rest then gets picked up by Rotary club/its members. After all, he'd be staying a rotary member's house (or at least that was how it was when non-Americans came here).
Yeah, he'll be staying with 2 to 4 different Rotary Club families over the course of the year. (They like to mix it up for the kids when they can, and to take the burden off the individual families when they can.)
Quote from: merithyn on September 24, 2012, 12:54:39 PMI don't have a choice on this one. It's a requirement for the program. The ticket must be an open-ended ticket so that there is no concern over money if Jeremy has to come home immediately (who has to pay, reimbursement concerns, etc). I get what you're saying - and agree with you - but the program dictates this.
Ah, okay.
I take it he has a good grasp of the ins and outs of contraception ?
Quote from: mongers on September 24, 2012, 01:55:46 PM
I take it he has a good grasp of the ins and outs of contraception ?
:D
One of the rules is that the kids "not get involved romantically". I guess one 17-year-old kid ended up getting married while in Poland. All I can say is that if that's a rule, the two foreign exchange guys I dated in high school didn't follow the rules very well at all.... :whistle:
In answer to your question, yes, he does.
Quote from: mongers on September 24, 2012, 01:55:46 PM
I take it he has a good grasp of the ins and outs of contraception ?
Scheisse = low risk.
Quote from: merithyn on September 24, 2012, 02:00:48 PM
Quote from: mongers on September 24, 2012, 01:55:46 PM
I take it he has a good grasp of the ins and outs of contraception ?
:D
One of the rules is that the kids "not get involved romantically". I guess one 17-year-old kid ended up getting married while in Poland. All I can say is that if that's a rule, the two foreign exchange guys I dated in high school didn't follow the rules very well at all.... :whistle:
In answer to your question, yes, he does.
: :thumbsup:
Now you only have to worry about the problem of Americans encountering European proper strength beer for the first time. :cheers:
Quote from: merithyn on September 24, 2012, 01:20:28 PMThat's a guesstimate. There may be less or more fees depending on what country he goes to (Switzerland is his second choice, and it's another $1500-2000 due to additional insurance, Visa fees, school fees, school uniforms, etc.). He's applying for Germany and tics all of the boxes for that country (and it has a LOT of open spaces), but the way the Rotary Club works, the kids rank all 40 countries from 1 to 40, and the kids are placed according to what's available where. Most (like 99%) get one of their top 10 countries.
Switzerland is ridiculously expensive with their overvalued currency. I wouldn't even go there for a week on vacation right now.
QuoteYeah, he'll be staying with 2 to 4 different Rotary Club families over the course of the year. (They like to mix it up for the kids when they can, and to take the burden off the individual families when they can.)
Does he at least stay in the same city? Otherwise it's hard to make friends if you move around after three months again.
Quote from: mongers on September 24, 2012, 03:01:53 PM
:thumbsup:
Now you only have to worry about the problem of Americans encountering European proper strength beer for the first time. :cheers:
We actually had an interesting conversation about that last night. I'm a brewer, so my stuff isn't as weak as the typical American brand. (My meads average 12-14%.) That means that if I let him drink my stuff, he would know kind of what he's getting into.
Jeremy said that he would prefer to figure out what his limits are regarding alcohol while he's at home, especially given his diabetes. I don't know whether he should be drinking at all with diabetes, so I told him to do some research to find out what affect drinking has on his disease. If he can show me that moderate drinking won't cause serious problems, then I would be okay with letting him have the occasional drink at home with us so he could figure out what's a good limit for him before he goes where alcohol is easily accessible. (He'll turn 18 a week after he goes to overseas, if he's accepted.) I did the same with my older two boys, and neither are really binge drinkers. They just don't see the appeal.
The Rotary Club guy has said that there may be families who consider having a drink with the family almost an expectation. Jeremy doesn't want to appear rude - and I think he's also finally of an age where he wants to see what this whole drinking thing is about - which is where the conversation came from. IS this common in Germany/Europe? :unsure:
Quote from: Zanza on September 24, 2012, 03:06:30 PM
Does he at least stay in the same city? Otherwise it's hard to make friends if you move around after three months again.
Same city, same school. Just a different family within the local group.
If drinking is common for 18 year olds in Germany/Europe? Yes.
Anyway, if he can't drink, he can always start smoking pot. :P :ccr
He's very anti-drugs, and besides, being caught doing any drugs at all will get him sent immediately home.
Quick check online says that drinking lowers blood sugar, so he shouldn't drink a lot, nor should he drink on an empty stomach. Good to know.
Quote from: merithyn on September 24, 2012, 03:11:10 PM
Jeremy said that he would prefer to figure out what his limits are regarding alcohol while he's at home, especially given his diabetes. I don't know whether he should be drinking at all with diabetes, so I told him to do some research to find out what affect drinking has on his disease.
I'm pretty sure that you're really not supposed to drink at all if you have type I diabetes. Certainly my diabetic fellow curler never, ever drinks, and having a drink after curling is a pretty deeply ingrained part of the game.
Some brief googling suggests it can be safe to drink in moderation (1-2 max per day) if your blood sugar is well under control. :zipped:
Quote from: Barrister on September 24, 2012, 03:21:08 PM
I'm pretty sure that you're really not supposed to drink at all if you have type I diabetes. Certainly my diabetic fellow curler never, ever drinks, and having a drink after curling is a pretty deeply ingrained part of the game.
Some brief googling suggests it can be safe to drink in moderation (1-2 max per day) if your blood sugar is well under control. :zipped:
Yeah, that's my understanding as well. Until now, it was a non-issue. He had no interest in drinking at all. If he's showing an interest in seeing what it's like, I'd much rather I had some control in this experimentation than that he try it with his friends. That way, I can have him try to take his blood sugar after a drink or two to show him how hard it is to do and what affect the alcohol has on his blood sugar.
I'm lucky that he's waited this long to ask. And that he's asked me rather than just experimenting on his own. :ph34r:
OK now I'm thirsty.
Unless he is some kind of social outcast, you can expect him to drink alcohol with his peer group. That's what people in his age do in Europe.
Yeah. Whether its the smart well behaved kids or the scum everyone drinks, its just normal behaviour. If there's a medical reason though I doubt he'd become an outcast for not drinking.
I've a diabetic friend who drinks regularly and he's alright as long as he sticks to one or two. Once he got wasted though and...well it was a close call.
He is to go to Germany for a year, not have a beer and not get "romantically involved" with anyone :hmm:
Back in the day a lot of Germans I knew would confine themselves to just a couple of beers, admittedly on a more or less daily basis. Perhaps that culture has changed, Zanza will know.
Of course he might be the sort of person who, once he has two, has a couple more..........which could be dangerous.
A typical German beer is 5% btw, no different to American beer in that respect......what annoys about the likes of Budweiser is that it has all that alcohol in it and tastes like gnat's piss.
Bud light :mmm:
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 25, 2012, 02:58:27 AMBack in the day a lot of Germans I knew would confine themselves to just a couple of beers, admittedly on a more or less daily basis. Perhaps that culture has changed, Zanza will know.
My experience suggests that not drinking during the week and binge drinking on weekends is what 18 year olds do.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 25, 2012, 02:58:27 AM
A typical German beer is 5% btw, no different to American beer in that respect......what annoys about the likes of Budweiser is that it has all that alcohol in it and tastes like gnat's piss.
Never really understood this, why is stronger tasting piss a good thing?
Quote from: Zanza on September 25, 2012, 05:12:13 AM
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 25, 2012, 02:58:27 AMBack in the day a lot of Germans I knew would confine themselves to just a couple of beers, admittedly on a more or less daily basis. Perhaps that culture has changed, Zanza will know.
My experience suggests that not drinking during the week and binge drinking on weekends is what 18 year olds do.
Apparently even the French youngsters are like that nowadays, Europe is becoming a monoculture :(
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 25, 2012, 05:39:13 AM
Quote from: Zanza on September 25, 2012, 05:12:13 AM
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 25, 2012, 02:58:27 AMBack in the day a lot of Germans I knew would confine themselves to just a couple of beers, admittedly on a more or less daily basis. Perhaps that culture has changed, Zanza will know.
My experience suggests that not drinking during the week and binge drinking on weekends is what 18 year olds do.
Apparently even the French youngsters are like that nowadays, Europe is becoming a monoculture :(
No different than in the States, then. Good to know. :)
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 25, 2012, 05:39:13 AM
Quote from: Zanza on September 25, 2012, 05:12:13 AM
My experience suggests that not drinking during the week and binge drinking on weekends is what 18 year olds do.
Apparently even the French youngsters are like that nowadays, Europe is becoming a monoculture :(
What's more worrying, is this phenomenon showing up in Southern Europe as well. It's not as all of France was wine country anyways.
Jeremy's first interview with the Rotary Club is this evening. I guess I should say that OUR first interview, since the parents are part of the process from beginning to end.
I'm a nervous wreck, but Jeremy seems relatively calm. I wish I had that kid's nerve. <_<
It's great to be 17, the world is at your feet :cool:
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 27, 2012, 11:44:37 AM
It's great to be 17, the world is at your feet :cool:
That's not quite how I recall it. <_<
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on September 27, 2012, 12:28:15 PM
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 27, 2012, 11:44:37 AM
It's great to be 17, the world is at your feet :cool:
That's not quite how I recall it. <_<
Me either. I think we did it wrong.
Quote from: Tyr on September 25, 2012, 02:20:32 AM
Yeah. Whether its the smart well behaved kids or the scum everyone drinks, its just normal behaviour. If there's a medical reason though I doubt he'd become an outcast for not drinking.
I've a diabetic friend who drinks regularly and he's alright as long as he sticks to one or two. Once he got wasted though and...well it was a close call.
I don't drink. :)
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on September 27, 2012, 12:34:51 PM
Me either. I think we did it wrong.
My guess is the Trickster was getting his fair share of trim at 17.
Not a particularly good age for me.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on September 27, 2012, 12:28:15 PM
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 27, 2012, 11:44:37 AM
It's great to be 17, the world is at your feet :cool:
That's not quite how I recall it. <_<
Can't agree with you. I moved away from all my family and started college at 17, so it did seem like the world was my oyster.
Quote from: garbon on September 27, 2012, 03:50:32 PM
Can't agree with you. I moved away from all my family and started college at 17, so it did seem like the world was my oyster.
I got a rock.
I mooched off my parents for as long as possible. :)
Quote from: Ed Anger on September 27, 2012, 04:52:44 PM
I mooched off my parents for as long as possible. :)
How do you think I got through Stanford without student loans? ;)
Quote from: Admiral Yi on September 27, 2012, 03:28:55 PM
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on September 27, 2012, 12:34:51 PM
Me either. I think we did it wrong.
My guess is the Trickster was getting his fair share of trim at 17.
Not a particularly good age for me.
The Golden Age was some years later, but I'm thinking more of an attitude than the reality. If I was in Siena now with £5 in my pocket I would think "Shit! What am I going to do?". At 17 I would think "Cool, I'm in Siena. Ah.....enough for a couple of drinks, surely I can hit it off with a woman before the funds run out?"
It is that feeling of invulnerability, immortality and the world is your oyster........I miss it :huh:
I never had a golden age. :(
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 27, 2012, 05:21:31 PM
The Golden Age was some years later, but I'm thinking more of an attitude than the reality. If I was in Siena now with £5 in my pocket I would think "Shit! What am I going to do?". At 17 I would think "Cool, I'm in Siena. Ah.....enough for a couple of drinks, surely I can hit it off with a woman before the funds run out?"
It is that feeling of invulnerability, immortality and the world is your oyster........I miss it :huh:
:yes:
I can't believe all the stuff I got away with back then. Living off no money at all, passing oral and written exams without speaking the language, getting lots of female attention for just being the foreign exchange guy (it works unbelievably well). Good times :cool:
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on September 27, 2012, 05:21:31 PM
Quote from: Admiral Yi on September 27, 2012, 03:28:55 PM
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on September 27, 2012, 12:34:51 PM
Me either. I think we did it wrong.
My guess is the Trickster was getting his fair share of trim at 17.
Not a particularly good age for me.
The Golden Age was some years later, but I'm thinking more of an attitude than the reality. If I was in Siena now with £5 in my pocket I would think "Shit! What am I going to do?". At 17 I would think "Cool, I'm in Siena. Ah.....enough for a couple of drinks, surely I can hit it off with a woman before the funds run out?"
It is that feeling of invulnerability, immortality and the world is your oyster........I miss it :huh:
I never had that. I was always too rational. :(
The interview went very well last night. It seems that all of the children that applied will likely go, so... as of September 2013, Jeremy will be flying off on a new adventure. We'll find out in February which country he'll be going to, and in May/June we'll find out which town.
Wow. We'll have gone from a household of six to a household of three in two short years. Not what I expected when the kids were little.... :ph34r:
Quote from: merithyn on September 28, 2012, 09:38:23 AM
The interview went very well last night. It seems that all of the children that applied will likely go, so... as of September 2013, Jeremy will be flying off on a new adventure. We'll find out in February which country he'll be going to, and in May/June we'll find out which town.
.....
Good work. :thumbsup: