Exchange Students Turned Away in Host Family Deficit
A slowly but surely growing number of secondary school exchange students from abroad want to spend a year studying in Estonia. Meanwhile, the number of host families willing to take them in has shrunk. That's the experience of the globally operating nonprofit Youth For Understanding.
In the last 10 years, interest to study abroad in Estonia has grown every year for the organization, from just three 15 to 18-year-olds in 1999, to 34 in 2010. "[One of the reasons] is Estonia's greater presence in the world, especially in the European context, as a destination that is changing for the better," said the nonprofit's country director, Oliver Kontram.
The figure was to rise again this year. But all of the sudden there were not enough parents willing to volunteer as host parents, with the organization having to reject some of the applications, leaving just 31 exchange students for the next school year.
So are Estonians shy or unsocial? Host parent Leida Madalik, whose children persuaded her to volunteer their family as a host family, was skeptical at first, not knowing what the responsibilities would be, and how the experience would turn out. "There were many more questions than answers, but after [...] it seemed more like a challenge and adventure than an impassable hardship," said Madalik.
Now, the Estonian mother has taken in two exchange students. "We soon learned that opening the door of our home, also opened our hearts. It wasn't just a visitor who stayed for a year in our home; we got a new family member," she said.
The Estonian mother said she was able to put her foreign language skills to the test, try out new foods, and make friends. But the experience, she said, made her realize the benefits of being Estonian. "The Brazilian child had never seen snow before in her life. Seeing it for the first time, she grabbed the camera and ran outside," Madalik said.
Ott Tammik