High School USA Blog

Host family troubles. While being the most feared part of one’s exchange year, it is unfortunately inevitable. Many hours of language camp consists of learning how to communicate, but it...keep reading

Introduction When I received my host family placement, I was excited to figure out everything about my host siblings, host parents, what city I would be in, etc. - literally...keep reading

When I first began my exchange year, the participants were told a lot of possible ways to give back to our host families, as well as showcase our American culture...keep reading

I was super excited for Thanksgiving because I was not only going to try many new dishes, but I was going to bake a Peruvian pie after the recipe from...keep reading

To say the least… Halloween is not as big here. I did have the presumption that it would be a lot smaller than it actually ended up being. Many people...keep reading

It's no secret that fall is my favorite time of year, so to be able to share my fall favorites with Mara and Grace has been so much fun. Here...keep reading

Once I really started thinking about meeting my host family, my biggest question was, "How should I greet them?" The thought of whether I should do it in German or...keep reading

When I mention to people that we are hosting an exchange student, I get a myriad of standard replies: “What made you decide to do that?” “We’ve talked about hosting,...keep reading

Greetings! My name is Melissa. I live in Wisconsin with my husband Frank and our dog Kiah. We first learned about CIEE after hosting an exchange student through another organization...keep reading

On my first morning in Germany, I stood in front of my closet wondering if my host family ate breakfast in pajamas or dressed. After agonizing for a few minutes,...keep reading