YEAR IN EXCHANGE

By Joel Herrig The 2023-2024 school year was a very different year in the Herrig household. As a host family for an exchange student, we welcomed Jules Magat into our home and family. Jules was a senior this past year at MCC and turned 18 while staying with us. Now that he has returned home I thought it would be a great opportunity to share what it was like hosting an exchange student and maybe encourage others to give it a try.

Just over a year ago, my wife asked the question, “Have you ever thought about hosting an exchange student?” To be honest I had never thought about it but the ball was in motion. Within days we had interviews, back ground checks, and a look through the house to make sure our home was suitable. The time between the interviews and my wife looking at bio’s of different exchange students was pretty short and soon we had a name and contact information for a French student who would be spending a school year in our home. On Mother’s Day, we had a video call with Jules and his family to meet them for the first time.

Over the next two months we prepared to welcome Jules into out home. It was late in August, one week before the school year was to begin. It is strange to look back at that time now because you don’t really know how well things will go when you bring in a new person to your home. Will you get along? Will you be good enough for an American experience for a student coming to America to learn about life in an area we know and take for granted? Is there enough to do here? Will we be too boring? The questions that you try to answer before meeting someone can be almost laughable now. As a new host family never being through the process, so many things were going through our minds, much of which we could not answer until he actually landed and began living with us. For all the time put into thinking about what was to become, we didn’t have much to worry about.

We picked up Jules from the Sioux Falls Airport on August 26th. It was funny; when we walked into the baggage area it took one glance to see him, waiting to grab his bag. In less than a couple hours we would learn so much about Jules. We learned jalapeños were not his friend and he wasn’t a fan of our wind. Over the next week we tried to teach him as much as we could about the area we live in, got him signed up for classes, and he got to experience Box Car Dayz in Tracy.

Jules was amazed about everything Slayton had to offer. Coming from a French village of 500 had him prepared for big city life in Slayton. He spent one day video chatting with his grandmother showing her the sights, two coffee shops, a gift shop, seven gas stations, and our very own grocery store. Things we took for granted he had not had in his own town.

With an exchange student, we got a chance to meet the other three exchange students and their host families. We quickly tried to include not only Jules into our regular lives but also share the experiences with the other students. Sofia, Sefora, Julianna, Jules and, in January, Francesca taught us a lot about their home lives. They got to experience an American Halloween for the first time, in learning how different our traditions are compared to those in France, Italy, Spain, and Germany. We also got to experience an American car accident, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and of course school events and activities from sports to homecoming and prom. The biggest eye opener was the differences in schools from here to what all four students experienced in their hometowns. The many activities and the constant changing of classes throughout the day were very new and liked by the students, even though it’s very different than home.

When the process to host an exchange student began, I wasn’t sure if what we do for fun would be enough for Jules, who has seen more of our country than I have. That wouldn’t be a problem, as we spent so much time doing little things. He was very surprised how much driving we do and how willing we are to drive a half an hour or forty five minutes to do anything from shopping to going out to eat. We spent a lot of the first couple months cooking some of his grandmother’s recipes or trying things he had never eaten before. We also discovered the common fondness for Monopoly. Wednesday nights and free evenings, especially on the weekend, a game was just around the corner. We spent a great deal of time just doing things anyone does on any given day. As we spent more time with all the exchange students, we learned to balance all of their interests. From playing games and teaching poker to watching horror movies, we found a way to have a good time together without always leaving the house.

We battled through winter which most remember wasn’t all that bad, but experiencing temperatures below freezing was new for all four students. I remember looking at Jules in the MCC parking lot in February when the temperature was 35 and he was wearing shorts after a basketball game. No coat, and he said “It’s a nice night.” I said “You have made it as a Minnesotan.” In September he had been asking what was wrong with our son, Simon, as he went to school for marching band practice on a morning when the temperature was about 50 and he didn’t have his parka along.

It was an amazing experience to not only host Jules, but also to spend time with the other exchange students that we spent so much time with, which isn’t always common.

I never thought about hosting an exchange student, but I am glad my wife did. If you are thinking about it and are not sure, I would say give it a try. Not all experiences are perfect, but if you have an open mind and are willing to communicate and share with others, it can be amazing. Our lives have been changed by not only Jules, but the other students who shared the year with us. Saying goodbye was not the easiest, but I think if it would have been easy, it probably would have meant the year wasn’t as good as it was.

If you would be interested in hosting an exchange student in the future, contact Shannon Rhodes.