Local families sought to host exchange students - by Molly Lovell
Narrowing the great divide – Scarborough woman looking for families to host international students
By Molly Lovell
Editor
Scarborough resident Caroline MacDonald is trying to lessen the divide between international high school students and the United States through a non-profit agency called Terra Lingua USA.
Terra Lingua was formed in 1997 and matches local host families with students who stay for a semester or school year. MacDonald was recently charged with finding Maine host families.
Several students are already scheduled to spend some time in Maine, so MacDonald is excited to get the word out about the program. Three Spanish students are supposed to come for a month-long stay at the end of June and two French and one German student are committed to coming to the states for an extended period of time in August.
“It’s volunteer and you treat the student as one of your own,” she said of being a host family. “You eat meals with them, take them on family trips and excursions – all you need is a spare bed and a welcoming heart.”
Empty nesters as well as families with children are welcomed to apply. Once a family applies to be a host MacDonald would conduct an orientation making sure the family is aware of the cultural differences involved. She would also provide ongoing support once the student arrives in the states.
“There are many exchange programs in the U.S. but this one is special because it’s very small. We place 100 students a year and know every student by name. They’re not just numbers,” MacDonald said.
All students in the program are between 15 and 18-years-old and have had at least three years of English, however most have more.
Beryl Le Vigoureux, who heads up France’s Terra Lingua division said in an e-mail interview that most students in the program achieve high to average grades. “We accept students with an average (grade) level or sometimes a poor one if the motivation is strong and if the student is very talkative and very sociable,” she said.
Le Vigoureux said for all students, the motivation to come to the United States is a curiosity and fondness of its culture, people and language. “They are very motivated, they know they will need to make efforts to adapt and to understand our differences. America, for most French teenagers is a dream.”
She said a landscape like Maine’s is something a French teen has never experienced due to the small size of their country. “Maine is a very beautiful place that seems very wild with lots of lakes, mountains, the sea . . . we don’t have these wide spaces where nature prevails,” Le Vigoureux said.
Though students are excited to immerse themselves in the state’s natural beauty, Le Vigoureux encourages students to share in the human experience as well. “Discover new people, new habits, new sports – so many new things to discover with a host family.”
MacDonald said an important part of a host family’s application process is finding out their interests and matching them with a student who will be the best fit. A student’s preparation for the trip once a family is located is also rigorous Le Vigoureux said.
Students and parents attend an orientation meeting and are given information about the American way of life. “We go into all the major details the students need to know in order to adapt well, make their host family happy.” Students are encouraged to be “curious, talkative, helpful, smiley, and thankful,” she said.
Students are also educated about living on the outskirts of larger cities, where it’s almost always necessary to travel by car. They are also made aware that tobacco and alcohol use is forbidden before the age of 21.
When asked if students ever have a difficult time adapting to being in a foreign country, Le Vigoureux said it’s rare, but a team of Terra Lingua employees are in place to deal with such a situation and an adult chaperone accompanies each student on the trip abroad.
Le Vigoureux said fostering international travel among high school students is important because it opens ones mind and is an integral step when entering adulthood.
“I think that the world is shrinking,” McDonald said. “We’re becoming more of a global community and international travel is a way to prepare students for a global workplace,” she said.
“In this post 9/11 situation we’re in, many around the world see the U.S. in a tarnished light, sadly. However, this is a great way to be an ambassador for this country,” McDonald said.
Both Le Vigoureux and MacDonald have been international exchange students, which is what drew them to the positions they’re in now. MacDonald is originally from England. For information about becoming a host family contact McDonald at 329-2755 or send her an e-mail at terralinguamaine@maine.rr.com.
By Molly Lovell
Editor
Scarborough resident Caroline MacDonald is trying to lessen the divide between international high school students and the United States through a non-profit agency called Terra Lingua USA.
Terra Lingua was formed in 1997 and matches local host families with students who stay for a semester or school year. MacDonald was recently charged with finding Maine host families.
Several students are already scheduled to spend some time in Maine, so MacDonald is excited to get the word out about the program. Three Spanish students are supposed to come for a month-long stay at the end of June and two French and one German student are committed to coming to the states for an extended period of time in August.
“It’s volunteer and you treat the student as one of your own,” she said of being a host family. “You eat meals with them, take them on family trips and excursions – all you need is a spare bed and a welcoming heart.”
Empty nesters as well as families with children are welcomed to apply. Once a family applies to be a host MacDonald would conduct an orientation making sure the family is aware of the cultural differences involved. She would also provide ongoing support once the student arrives in the states.
“There are many exchange programs in the U.S. but this one is special because it’s very small. We place 100 students a year and know every student by name. They’re not just numbers,” MacDonald said.
All students in the program are between 15 and 18-years-old and have had at least three years of English, however most have more.
Beryl Le Vigoureux, who heads up France’s Terra Lingua division said in an e-mail interview that most students in the program achieve high to average grades. “We accept students with an average (grade) level or sometimes a poor one if the motivation is strong and if the student is very talkative and very sociable,” she said.
Le Vigoureux said for all students, the motivation to come to the United States is a curiosity and fondness of its culture, people and language. “They are very motivated, they know they will need to make efforts to adapt and to understand our differences. America, for most French teenagers is a dream.”
She said a landscape like Maine’s is something a French teen has never experienced due to the small size of their country. “Maine is a very beautiful place that seems very wild with lots of lakes, mountains, the sea . . . we don’t have these wide spaces where nature prevails,” Le Vigoureux said.
Though students are excited to immerse themselves in the state’s natural beauty, Le Vigoureux encourages students to share in the human experience as well. “Discover new people, new habits, new sports – so many new things to discover with a host family.”
MacDonald said an important part of a host family’s application process is finding out their interests and matching them with a student who will be the best fit. A student’s preparation for the trip once a family is located is also rigorous Le Vigoureux said.
Students and parents attend an orientation meeting and are given information about the American way of life. “We go into all the major details the students need to know in order to adapt well, make their host family happy.” Students are encouraged to be “curious, talkative, helpful, smiley, and thankful,” she said.
Students are also educated about living on the outskirts of larger cities, where it’s almost always necessary to travel by car. They are also made aware that tobacco and alcohol use is forbidden before the age of 21.
When asked if students ever have a difficult time adapting to being in a foreign country, Le Vigoureux said it’s rare, but a team of Terra Lingua employees are in place to deal with such a situation and an adult chaperone accompanies each student on the trip abroad.
Le Vigoureux said fostering international travel among high school students is important because it opens ones mind and is an integral step when entering adulthood.
“I think that the world is shrinking,” McDonald said. “We’re becoming more of a global community and international travel is a way to prepare students for a global workplace,” she said.
“In this post 9/11 situation we’re in, many around the world see the U.S. in a tarnished light, sadly. However, this is a great way to be an ambassador for this country,” McDonald said.
Both Le Vigoureux and MacDonald have been international exchange students, which is what drew them to the positions they’re in now. MacDonald is originally from England. For information about becoming a host family contact McDonald at 329-2755 or send her an e-mail at terralinguamaine@maine.rr.com.
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