Visit Us At the Upcoming Volunteer Fair in Dover, DE!

This Saturday, March 22nd, I will be at the Kent County Public Library in Dover for the volunteer fair from 2-4 pm.  I will be there along with more than 20 other organizations to speak with prospective volunteers…and we need some great volunteer host families for next year!  I’d also be happy to speak with anyone interested in coming on board as a local International Exchange Coordinator!

The Kent County Library is at 497 S. Red Haven Lane in Dover.  Hope to see you there!  The volunteer fair is hosted by the State Office of Volunteerism and the Kent County Public Library.

I can answer your questions as a coordinator AND as a host mom!  Want to see how great hosting can be?

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Monday Matches – President’s Day Edition

Due to President’s Day, Monday matches are a day late – but no less great!

The world flag 2006

Annabel, 16, Germany

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• Piano
• Violin

Annabel is a very ambitious girl. Usually, she is very busy with her school work and after school activities. Annabel is a musical and artistic girl. She has been playing the violin since she was 6 years old and the piano for 1 year now, but also loves drawing. After having spent an exchange trip to England for 4 weeks, it has always been Annabel’s dream to spend a whole year in the USA.

Annabel would like to spend her exchange in Delaware!

Alice, 17, Italy

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• Camping
• Excursion or Trips
• Swimming
• Cooking together
• Skiing
• Tennis

Alice is sociable and spontaneous girl. She loves spending time with her family and friends. Alice is very active and enjoys playing tennis, swimming and going on trips
and hikes. She also likes cooking, shopping and travelling. Alice is very excited to be an exchange student. She can’t wait to meet new people, to improve her English and to get in touch with new cultures and lifestyles.

Alice would like to spend her exchange year in Maryland or Delaware!

Carlotta, 17, Italy

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• Excursion or Trips
• Horseback riding
• Hiking
• Kick-boxing

Carlotta is a really nice and sweet girl. She is shy at first and she needs time to open up. She is charming and sophisticated. She likes horseback riding and kickboxing. She also likes watching movies and cinema in general. She is family-oriented although her parents are divorced. She wants to do this experience to discover the American culture and improve her English.

Carlotta would like to spend her exchange year in Maryland!

Beatrice, 17, Italy

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• Dance
• Excursion or Trips

Beatrice is an active and outgoing girl. Mature and polite, she loves to dance(she studies dance since she was 5 years old)she also likes photography, art and music. Her ambition for this year abroad is to grow up, to improve her English fluency and to know more about the host country. She hopes to visit her host country with her host family through trips and excursions. She hopes to study architecture at university one day. Talkative and funny she will easily have new friends.

Beatrice would like to spend her exchange year in Maryland or Delaware!

Daniëlle, 16, Switzerland

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS
• Board games
• Excursion or Trips
• listening to music
• Cooking together
• Jogging
• Working with children / elderly

Daniëlle is a very positive, open minded and interested student. She is very motivated to make the most out of her year and she is eager to improve her English to the best she can and get to know the American culture. Daniëlle is also a very active girl and likes to be outside in the nature. She likes to do sports and is active in scouting during her free time.

Daniëlle would like to be in the Northeastern US.

Bastian, 17, Germany

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS
• Cooking together
• Golf
• Skiing
• Excursion or Trips
• Horseback riding

Bastian is great boy who dreams of going to an American High School. He is really keen on getting to know the American way of life. Bastian is very into sports. He loves to ski in winter time and plays golf in summer. His family is really important to him and he loves to spent time with them. He is very open minded and will be a great exchange student!

Bastian would like to spend his exchange year in the Northeastern US.

Marten, 16, Germany

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS
• Chess
• Excursion or Trips

Marten lived in the US for 2 years and wants to experience the school system on his own. In his free time he likes to play computer games and reads books. He is very sociable and ambitious. His brother is doing a high school year at the moment so Marten is aware what to expect while he is abroad.

Marten would like to spend his exchange year in the Northeastern US.

Gara, 15, Spain

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS
• Board games
• Cooking together
• Golf
• Piano
• Choir/Singing
• Excursion or Trips
• Guitar

She is a athletic girl. She is practising a lot of sports..like golf which is her favourite sport. She has got a special musical talent. She plays very well the guitar
and piano. Also she sings in a choir. Apart of that, she loves doing a lot of sports and she loves ice-skating, gymnastic, dance. When she has got free time, sometimes she plays board games and cooks. She is looking forward to have an active family to do a lot of activities. She really likes going on excursions.

Gara would like to spend her exchange year in the Northeastern US.

Ilaria, 17, Italy

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS
• Cooking together

Ilaria is a polite, charming and well mannered girl. She results really natural in what she does and she likes the little things, like take a walk in the nature with her family and her friends or go to the cinema and watch a movie. She likes reading books, especially fantasy or lovestories, and cooking all kind of sweet like cakes and cookies. She wants to become more independent and learn more about how different cultures understand the same things. She is also really interested in languages.

Ilaria would like to spend her exchange year in the Northeastern US.

Eline, 17, Netherlands

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS
• Dance
• Excursion or Trips

Eline is a wonderful easy and relaxed girl. Little shy at first. She is social, likes to meet new people and to try new things. Very creative. Likes to draw and read. Very polite. Loves ballet and dances a lot herself as well. Great addition to any family.

Eline would like to spend her exchange year in the Northeastern US.

If you’d be interested in hosting any of these students, please complete the form below and we will contact you!

Monday Morning Matches: State Choice – Delaware & Maryland

We have some great students available for the 2014 – 2015 who would love to join a family in the First State of Delaware!

Alina, 15, Austria

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

  • Board games
  • Excursion or Trips
  • Gymnastics
  • Cooking together
  • Fitness Studio
  • Working with children

Alina is a open-minded, talkative and very funny young girl. She lives with her mother and sister in Austria. She has a cat at home and her name is Cleo. Dogs and cats are her favorite animals. Alina’s hobby is photography and this is the reason why she goes to the photography school. She also likes meeting friends and going to the cinema. Alina likes working out; she often goes to the fitness center and likes jogging. She wants to spend a year abroad because she wants to learn a lot about the American culture. She also wants to improve her English.

Annabel, 16, Germany

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

  • Piano
  • Violin

Annabel is a very ambitious girl. Usually, she is very busy with her school work and after school activities. Annabel is a musical and artistic girl. She has been playing the violin since she was
6 years old and the piano for 1 year now, but also loves drawing. After having spent an exchange trip to England for 4 weeks, it has always been Annabel’s dream to spend a whole year in the USA.

Caroline Gaarslev, 15, Denmark

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

  • Excursion or Trips
  • Running
  • Guitar

Caroline is an outgoing girl. She is likeable and positive. Her open-minded personality will do her great in the US. She enjoys being sociable and is very family oriented as well. She loves playing the guitar and music just in general. Music is her big passion. Caroline’s sister is on a high school year with EF at the moment, so she is excited to experience the American culture first hand and make new friends.  This high school year is a big dream of hers and I’m sure that she will do well.

Alice, 17, Italy

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

  • Camping
  • Excursion or Trips
  • Swimming
  • Cooking together
  • Skiing
  • Tennis

Alice is sociable and spontaneous girl. She loves spending time with her family and friends. Alice is very active and enjoys playing tennis, swimming and going on trips and hikes. She also likes cooking, shopping and travelling. Alice is very excited to be an exchange student. She can’t wait to meet new people, to improve her English and to get in touch with new cultures and lifestyles.

Beatrice, 17, Italy

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

  • Dance
  • Excursion or Trips

Beatrice is an active and outgoing girl.  Mature and polite, she loves to dance (she studies dance since she was 5 years old).  She also likes photography, art and music. Her ambition for this year abroad is to grow up, to improve her English fluency and to know more about the host country. She hopes to visit her host country with her host family through trips and excursions. She hopes to study architecture at university one day. Talkative and funny she will easily have new friends.

The following students would like to spend their exchange year in the Old Line State of Maryland!

Chiara, 16, Italy

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• Cooking together
• Swimming
• Excursion or Trips

Chiara is a lively and positive girl. She loves reading and sports, especially swimming.  She is an open-minded girl and her attitude will allow her to get along with the new family easily.  During her free time she likes to go shopping and to cook with her friends. Chiara loves to travel and to hang out with friends. She can?t wait to meet her new family, her new friends, and live in a different country learning its language.

Carlotta, 17, Italy

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• Excursion or Trips
• Horseback riding
• Hiking
• Kick-boxing

Carlotta is a really nice and sweet girl. She is shy at first and she needs time to open up. She is charming and sophisticated.  She likes horseback riding and kickboxing. She also likes watching movies and cinema in general. She is family-oriented although her parents are divorced. She wants to do this experience to discover the American culture and improve her English.

Adele, 16, Italy

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• Excursion or Trips
• Swimming
• Gymnastics

Adele is a polite and independent girl. She is an athletic person, actually one of the favorite activities is swimming. She likes drawing and writing too. When she is with her friends they like going to the cinema and to the theatre.  She loves animals and travelling. She is really excited about this experience because she wants to meet new people, make new friends and know a different culture.

Erik, 17, Norway

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• Excursion or Trips
• Hiking

Erik is a very kind and caring student. He is all into family activities, he love to socialize with friends and family. He looks to be with his coming host family and play table games, hiking and just be together. He will also love to learn better to play the guitar. Golf is also a great passion for Erik. He will do absolute great on exchange and his host family will such a great time with him.

Synnøve, 17, Norway

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• Camping
• Dance
• Global action program:  travelled to Bali with my school to build coral reefs
• Go out to eat together
• running
• watch movies
• Cooking together
• diving
• Global action program:  travelled to Tibet to build a school for the orphans living there
• hiking
• Skiing
• yoga

Synnøve is an independent girl who is highly motivated to become an exchange student.  She loves to experience new cultures and lifestyles. She has lived with her parents in Malaysia the last two years. She is eager to create good memories and meet new people.  Synnøve is super active as well.  She likes a lot of activities, but her favorites are dancing, skiing and cooking. She is looking forward to getting to know her host family and making new friends. She can’t wait to speak
English fluently and gain better understanding of the American culture.

Sara, 18, Sweden

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• downhill skiing
• Soccer

Sara is a sweet, active and outgoing girl who is also reliable and ambitious. She loves sports, especially soccer which she has played since she was five y/o and hopes she can continue with during her exchange. She is eager to try new activities and wishes to try surfing. Sara also has a special interest in traveling and one of her goals in life is to travel the world. She is social, talkative and easy to get along with and would really appreciate to experience the differences of how it is to live in a warmer climate.

Ebba, 16, Sweden

ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

• Board games
• Soccer
• Excursion or Trips

Ebba is a social, open-minded and talkative girl. She is active and has a special interest in sports, especially soccer. She would love to try new activities, maybe tennis or track & field.  Ebba is family-oriented and likes to go on trips with her family.  She would really like to celebrate holidays and go to sport events with her host family. Ebba loves to meet new people and is hoping to get to
know her host family’s extended family during her year as well.  She is proud of herself for taking this opportunity and finds it a dream come true.

Complete the contact form below if you’d be interested in hosting any of these students next school year!

Join Team MD / DE – Become an International Exchange Coordinator!

EF Foundation for Foreign Study, the leader in high school exchange, is seeking local coordinators to place and supervise international exchange students with caring host families within your area.

International Exchange Coordinators (IECs) are the heart of the organization, facilitating amazing cultural experiences for both host families and international students. Within your community, you would help us with finding families, maintaining relationships with schools, supporting families, and mentoring exchange students throughout the exchange experience.

Our students come from 13 different countries, and are between the ages of 15-18 years old. All of our students are thoroughly screened in their home country, by our respective offices, and held to a standard of maturity and academic achievement.

This opportunity is part-time and flexible, you decide your level of commitment based on the number of students you choose to supervise. You also earn a part-time income, travel rewards, and other incentives.

All coordinators must live in the continental U.S, be 25 years or older, financially stable and capable of providing students with accommodation when necessary, and most importantly, have a passion for cultural exchange.

By matching students from around the globe with host families in your area, you open worlds, you create lasting relationships, and you change lives, including your own.

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Foreign Exchange Friday: Fall Fun in the Mid-Atlantic

Here are some fun fall and Halloween related events going on throughout Maryland, Delaware and the surrounding areas that families and students can check out!

Jack-o-lantern

Jack-o-lantern (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 
If you’ve already picked out your pumpkins, learn how to carve it into a jack-o-lantern!

Want to more about why Americans celebrate Halloween?
 
If you know of some other Halloween or fall events going on around Delaware or Eastern Maryland, leave a comment!
 

Get To Know…Sweden!

    The flag of Sweden

    The flag of Sweden (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  • Official Name:  Konungariket Sverige (Kingdom of Sweden)
  • Language:  Swedish
  • Capital:  Stockholm
  • Currency:  Krona
  • Area:  173,745 sq. mi
  • Population:  9,555,893
  • Government:  Unitary parliamentary representative democracy under constitutional monarchy
  • Head(s) of State:  King Carl XVI Gustaf; Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
  • National Anthem:  Kungssången – Song of the King
  • Location:  Scandinavia; Northern Europe

Find out more about Sweden here.

Here are some kid-friendly crafts that are related to Sweden and its culture.

FAMOUS SWEDES:

Stockholm in the morning

Stockholm in the morning (Photo credit: TSelrahc)

  • ABBA – Band
  • Ace of Base – Band
  • Ingrid Bergman – Actress
  • Björn Borg – Professional Tennis Player
  • Anders Celcius – Scientist
  • Stefan Edberg – Professional Tennis Player
  • Peter Forsberg – Professional Ice Hockey Player
  • Greta Garbo – Actress
  • Stieg Larsson – Author, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
  • Astrid Lindgren – Children’s Author, Pippi Longstocking
  • Alfred Nobel – Scientist
  • Alexander Skarsgård – Actor
  • Annika Sörenstam – Professional Golfer

The Swedes were some of the first Europeans to settle in what is now the state of Delaware.  If you want to learn more about Sweden and it’s culture, we still have Swedish exchange students who would love the chance to spend a year in the US.

Fill out the contact form below for more information and someone will contact you within 24 hours.

Willkommen, Lena!

Today, we welcome Lena from Germany to her host family in Delmar, Delaware!

Herzlich Willkommen in Amerika, Lena!

We at EF Foundation for Foreign Study hope you have a fantastic year in the US!

Welkom willkommen Welcome Bienvenue Benvenuto

Welkom willkommen Welcome Bienvenue Benvenuto (Photo credit: Eyesplash – the new slow way)