Anyones dcs done a foreign exchange trip?

[snorkle]

Ds is having a French lad to stay next month and going back to stay with him at Easter (just 12 days each time). They received each others details this week and have been e-mailing/MSNing each other each evening.

Has anyone else done/doing this - what have your experiences been? I'm already a bit nervous!

DS1 had a german boy stay here just last week. He was in Germany in May. It was a wonderful experience for both of them.

I enjoyed meeting DS1's German friends and I think it's great that he has a contact somewhere else in the world. We've already invited said boy to visit and stay with us at any time. I'm hoping that when DS1 decides to travel independently he will hook up with his foreign exchange pals.

Your DS will love it! (I hope)

I think he will too - it's me that's nervous. I always get stressed catering for other people as my cooking's fairly dire!
I did something similar as a child, but I've been really struck how much modern technology helps with communication. They've exchanged photo's, timetables, google earth reference points and so on already and when they're stuck on the language, bablefish to the rescue!

Brings back memories! I did this 20 odd years ago.

Glad the German exchange worked out so well ML, It will be lovely if they do keep in touch. What sort of things did you do with him when he was here?

Both DSs have done French exchanges without too many difficulties. DS1 was introduced to cigarettes and booze whilst in France, my house was invaded by a group of teenage French girls and their hosts as the French girls had decided to henna their hair whilst away from home.Fortunately no mess on carpets and I gained several cheap plastic bowls.
Occasionally there are problems because of family difficulties or a child is extremely home sick but most get through. It is hard work for the parents though (a week or two of cooking proper meals etc!)

I didn't! School kept them busy and DS1 took him out with him and his mates. I went bowling with them. I say with them.... what I actually mean is a group of parents organised bowling for them all.... left them on the lanes and went to the bar! My kind of school social!

If he'd been here longer I would probably have taken him to see the sights.... but it seems school did that anyway. Oh and I fed him what I fed my own. Just expected him to eat and he did!

My dd, then 14, did a french exchange last year which unfortunately was not very good. The girl made it quite obvious that she didn't like dd within a couple of hours of arriving and she wanted to do was be with her friends from school. We took out sight seeing and she said nothing and just ignored us. Dd then went to stay with her in Paris and they were allowed to wander some of the least salubrious parts of Paris at midnight with no concern from her parents.

On the other hand my two sons both did exchanges which worked well and we are still in contact with the boy's mother and have visited her several times when on holiday.

for your dd larry, that sounds awful.