Foreign exchange students get taste of life in the U.S. Teens attend classes at St. John's as part of EF Homestay program.

Byline: Pam Pollan

SHREWSBURY - The 81 students from Spain, France and China who arrived in Central Massachusetts this summer may have found themselves outside of their comfort zone - but getting outside one's comfort zone is what the Education First Homestay program is all about. EF Homestay International, based locally at St. John's High School, gives foreign students the chance to study English and experience all things American while living with a host family.

Students arrived in Boston July 7 and were greeted in Shrewsbury the next day by their host families, many of whom held welcome signs and balloons. Some of the families got acquainted with their students before their arrival via email, phone or Skype.

Families were expected to provide a bed, which could be in a single or shared room with a host family sibling; three meals a day, including a bagged lunches for school each weekday; transportation to and from the school bus stop or school; and to spend some quality time getting to know their student, according to EF Educational Homestay Programs Operations Manager Pamela Shaw, who interviewed some of the families as they were considering hosting and told them about students they could host.

In most cases, students needed placement for four weeks, but some needed placement just for a weekend or a week, while their host family was away or if extenuating circumstances came up.

During a typical weekend, host families either bring their students to a bus or directly to school at St. John's High School, where they learned to converse in English about sports, music, fashion and other cultural topics, Site Director Ellen Onorato said.

After a bag lunch from their host family, students took afternoon bus trips to Higgins Armory, the Providence Place Mall, Patriot Place, and went bowling and swimming. Host parents and children could attend these afternoon trips, for a nominal fee or sometimes at no cost, she said.

In the evening, host families would pick up students at a bus stop or from the school and take them home for dinner.

Fifty-one of the students came from Spain, 15 from France and 15 from China, she said. The seventy-one host families were in Uxbridge, Auburn, Grafton, Shrewsbury, Westboro, Northboro, Worcester, Holden, West Boylston, Rutland, Upton, Stow, Mendon, Framingham and Holliston. Two other EF Homestay programs, run by Diane Sullivan, met at Shepherd Hill Regional High School in Dudley and had host families from Auburn...

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