Best Of: Hosting Moments

Just in time for a new group of AFS participants to begin their program and meet their host families for the first time, we’re sharing a special 'Best Of' episode! We’ve gathered some of our favorite podcast moments about the hosting experience- from those early, nervous apprehensions, to the exact moment a guest becomes family, and the lifelong impact of exchange.

Episodes Referenced:

Reed and Ketsi
Apartheid, Iowa, and the Aftermath: Reed and Ketsi’s Story (Season 4 Ep 5)

Sarah
What is an AFS Host Parent? (Season 2 Ep 3)

Joselyn and Devin
Meet the Hummels: AFS Host Family and TikTok Sensation! (Season 3 Ep 7)

Mert and Ann
A Dynamic Duo: Mert and Ann's AFS Journey (Season 3 Ep 12)

Jim, Ethan, Juan Carlos
Hosting an Exchange Student: Insights from Host Siblings and Families (Season 3 Ep 3)

Keith and Doug
Keith, Doug, and their Danish Host Son (Season 4 Ep 6)

Dana, Camille, Ricardo
Celebrating 75 Years of Exchange: Dana Rutson & Family (Season 2 Ep 8)

Chad and Justin
Becoming a Global Family (Season 4 Ep 8)

More from AFS-USA: 🏠Host a Student | ✈️Study Abroad | 🤝Volunteer | 🏫For Educators | 📧Contact the Show | 🎧Collections

Transcript

Kate
Hello and welcome to The AFS Exchange. I'm Kate Mulvihill. On this podcast, we share real stories from the AFS community. We're here to explore how exchange programs change lives, one conversation at a time.

Kate
It is August! Which means… hundreds of AFS students are already arriving in the U.S., meeting their host families for the very first time. So, we thought this would be the perfect moment to pull together some of our favorite host family stories from over the years. And looking back over nearly 60 episodes, there are so many incredible stories about hosting worth resharing. 

Today, we’re going to do just that. For this episode I’ve selected clips about hosting from Seasons 2 through 4- spanning 2022 to 2024. If you’re a newer listener, these might be voices you haven't heard yet!

We’re breaking this episode down into three parts, spanning the host family experience. 
First, the nervous, excited, and vulnerable start- those 'just-before' moments and the early days of hosting a student. 
Second, the shift- when a student goes from being a guest to feeling like real family.
And finally, the impact. Clips from host families from the tail end of the program- or years down the road- reflecting on their hosting experience.

You'll hear some guests just once, while others will pop up across a few different segments. If you’re interested in hearing more from a particular person- diving deeper into their hosting experience- check out the show notes for this episode. There, I’ve linked all the full episodes shared today.

[Music]

Kate
In Iowa in 1982, Reed’s family decided to host an exchange student. They imagined someone from Europe. Instead, AFS came back to them, suggesting a teenager from South Africa. Reed’s family was open, but did not know what to expect.

Reed
So basically, in our family, we were of Swedish, Norwegian, German and English sort of background. And so we thought, well, this might be cool. We might get a student from Norway, we might get someone from Europe from somewhere, because that was what we all sort of thought.
And we applied, you know, I feel like we had a small interview. And then they came back to us with oh, we have someone from South Africa. And we were like, okay, like we didn't, we weren't upset about that, or had we just didn't have any feeling anyway, we assumed it'd be like, someone more from Europe. You know what I mean?
And we talked about it. So we said yes. And we went forward with it.

Ketsi
Explain to her, you were expecting something different from what you received.

Reed
Well, no, it's just, you know, back then, we were in Iowa. And there was maybe two African American kids in our high school. We had no idea like, MTV was just starting, TV was just starting to get cable. You know, so your vision of the world was getting more broad, but yet it was just starting. So it was very interesting, because the minute we heard like, once we sat and talked about it, then we thought, Who is this person going to be that comes off the plane? Like, is he going to be in a grass skirt with like, a bone in his nose and like, these things. We just were like, he's African. Like, what's, what's he going to be like? Because he like, Is he from the village, like from the bush? Or is he going to be like… Like, we had no idea what to expect.
And in the 80s, there were a lot of sanctions with South Africa. So like, we didn't know much, I didn't know much about South Africa, he didn't know much about America, because information was cut off, and they were not shared.
So the thing was, he gets off the plane, and he comes to see us, and we're like, Oh, my gosh, here's this guy who speaks this, like British English. He's like, he's taken ballroom dancing. He's so well mannered. So nice. So we were just like, Okay, this is just fine. It just knocked all of the other ideas out of our head.
I often think about that initial perspective. That’s one of the things I appreciate with like AFS is because, you know, it broadened my mind to other cultures, other people, other parts of the world that I had no clue.

Kate
Someone else who was kind of surprised by the student getting off the plane? Sarah from Maryland.

Sarah
Honestly, when I saw her get off the plane, my very first thought was, “Oh my God, I've gotten so old and what is she wearing?” But in seriousness, my first impression was just, she was full of this youthful exuberance, energy, and hopefulness. But she seemed very confident and independent. And I was both super impressed and a little worried that she'd be so independent, that we wouldn't build the close bonds that I was hoping for.

You know, and there was also some awkwardness as it really hit home for us that despite how committed we were and how excited we were to be doing this, we had in fact just met a complete stranger and she was going to live in our house for an entire academic year.

So there were a lot of emotions, but overall, I had a positive impression of her and she was open to hugs right from the get go. So like, even though I was worrying about everything, I figured it would be okay. You know, if you can take a hug first day that you're somewhere you're you know, I don't know, I just feel like if you're willing to do that you want to be there you want that love and that support that the kids tend to want and so I felt a lot better about everything.

Kate
Host parents Joselyn and Devin live in Missouri. Devin actually grew up with host siblings, and since he and Joselyn have been together since high school, she was already pretty familiar with the experience. But a few years ago, when Devin brought up wanting to become a host parent himself, Joselyn said yes- even though she had a few reservations.

Joselyn
So interestingly enough, I was very uncomfortable and nervous at first, because I knew all the things that could potentially happen, what if there’s sibling rivalry? What if, you know, they, they don't get along, meaning like, with our, with our girls, or what if you know, something's, you know, they're not getting along with people at school? What if they don't, you know, have the same level of education, and then we're struggling in school. And so when I met with the liaisons, to do our interview, you know, express some of these concerns like, and they did such a wonderful job of saying, It's okay, and I'm so glad that you have these reservations, because that's what's going to make you a great host parent, because you're recognizing that it's not going to be sunshine and rainbows, and that you are going to head off those things, because you're going to be aware of them and looking for them.
And so that really, after that conversation that, okay, I'm glad to be going into this with an open mind and, and going into it, you know, kind of knowing that we could go down some of these pathways.

Kate
A few years back, Ann in New Jersey welcomed Mert from Turkey. Ann wasn’ t new to hosting, but she knew this time would be a bit different.

Ann 
Well he's number eight, right? He's my first boy. And he's blind. 
And I was nervous because I was born with a hearing impairment. And I've never really forewarned any of my other kids, because I didn’t think it was necessary, because if you look at me, then I’m okay. But for him, I'm thinking, how are we going to do this? Because he's not going to know if he's looking at me directly. 
So, I was nervous about how we would communicate. 

[Music]

Kate
So, we’ve heard a bit of that initial apprehension. Reed didn't know much about South Africa until his host brother, Ketsi, stepped off the plane. Sarah was worried about how her Italian daughter would adjust to a new sense of independence. Joselyn reached out to volunteer liaisons for advice- which is exactly what they’re there for, by the way.  And, of course, Ann, who has a hearing impairment, navigating communication with Mert, who is blind.

Every single year, thousands of host families around the planet step into this process with their own hesitations and worries. But then, a shift happens. The student stops being a stranger or a guest, and starts feeling like family. People get comfortable. You start finding deep connections, sharing jokes, and seeing your student's true personality come out.

To kick off Segment Two, let’s pick up right where we left off with Ann and Mert- two people who, by the way, spent almost our entire interview laughing and cracking jokes with each other.

Ann
It's been very interesting. It's fun. I don't think we've really had any major issues. You know, some minor accommodations in the house, nothing major, like ceiling fans have things hanging from them, so he can find. Take down side lamps. But I don't think of him as my blind host son. I think of him as my host son.
We spend a lot of time talking every night. And he's like, “You have to be saying something. So I know you're still there, right?”

Mert
Then because she's sometimes looking at her phone. And then, I'm saying something really long or important. And I said, “Oh, did you hear me?” And she says, “No, I was not looking at you.”

Ann 
So, it’s learning.

Kate
In Jim and Ethan’s household, pranks and jokes mean that you’re a member of the family. When they hosted Till from Germany, one moment that stands out is when Ethan and his son Juan Carlos tricked Till into thinking he was late for school.

Jim
They told Till “Time to go to school, get up, get up” and he and Juan Carlos ran to the bus stop. Well, it was seven o'clock at night, instead of seven o'clock in the morning.

Ethan
He had taken a nap.

Juan Carlos
That was pretty funny.

Ethan
And I knocked on the door all frantic and said you gotta get up, get up, get up. And he looked at his watch, and it said seven o'clock. It was dark outside because it was in the winter, etc, etc. And I was down here making eggs and bacon for breakfast, pretending like it was breakfast time. And Juan Carlos got his backpack out, and they walked to the bus stop. And Juan Carlos said, Oh, I forgot my cell phone, ran back home and left Till there at the bus stop. It wouldn't be there for another 12 hours. So it was kind of fun.

Kate
Sometimes, you know someone feels comfortable with you when they’re brave enough to speak up for themselves. About pasta, or… really anything. Here’s Sarah talking about her host daughter from Italy…

Sarah
So I mean, she's gotten more independent, and resourceful as I think probably all of the exchange students do. She's learned how to do her own laundry, which she had never done in Italy. And she's also learned, and this is something that makes me so proud of her, that she can be confident in correcting my husband and I when we get something wrong, or if we say something that she disagrees with she knows it's okay to challenge us.

And that, I think, is one of the greatest life skills that you can have. Certainly not one that I had done, or that I could do as well at 17 as she can now. To just give you an example, pretty early on in her stay, we were making pasta and trying to decide what kind of noodles we were making. But anyway, I said, you know, “Not lasagna, because we don't have the cheese we would need for lasagna.” And she kind of got this look on her face that I thought looked a little worried. And then said very quietly, “There's no cheese in lasagna.” And then of course, like, you know, I burst out laughing because all my life I've thought lasagna has cheese and apparently not. But now, you know, she doesn't hesitate. If I say something about my understanding of Italy that's not correct, she'll jump right in and say "Well, actually, it's X, Y or Z."

Kate
Dana from the U.S. was hosted in Turkey back in 1977. When we spoke in 2022, she had just reconnected with her host sister, Yasemin, for the first time in decades.

Dana
AFS had placed us together with the impression that I had spoken some German because my aunt, my mother's sister lives in Germany and I had visited her, but in fact, I didn't.
So they came to us about a week later and said, “We understand there's no common language here. So we can put you with another family if you'd like.” And I looked at all of them. And I said, No, I love them. And we never had a common language until about three years ago, when Yasemin found me on Facebook. And now we've opened up the floodgates. And we're like a love story. Because we have so much now we have to say that we couldn't say.
And I did want to mention that when Yasemin and I finally Zoomed, after all these years, I had just found my journal, I kept a journal, from my experience. And in it, it says, “I talked to my Turkish mother all day today.” And when I spoke to her, this is a true story. She said, I just spoke to my mother today before we Zoomed, and she said, “Oh, Dana, and I would have long talks all day.” So it wasn't one sided. It was oh, we communicated without language, we went beyond language. And I think everyone here can do that. And I think that's the power of AFS.

Kate
Sometimes the bond starts even before you ever get to hug at the at the arrivals gate. For Joselyn and Devin, connection came via a frantic FaceTime call while their new host daughter was running around during her layover in the Chicago airport.

Joselyn
With our Swiss student, she actually got stuck in customs. And she texted us and was sending us pictures. I don't know if I'm gonna make it and being from Chicago, we were like, "Okay, we know O’Hare is big, it'll be okay. It'd be okay. Trust me." AFS is on the other side of the glass, because AFS was not able to come in. And she had a four hour layover, so we really felt like you're going to be fine. And every hour went by, and it was like, "Oh my gosh, okay, are you getting closer?" and she fortunately was able to find some other AFS students.

I do love that AFS has such a large number of students that even in custom, she was finding AFS students and they all kind of come in the same week. And she's like, I found some other ones. It's okay. And she kept getting nervous. And I said, it'll be fine. If we have to drive to Chicago tonight, we will drive to Chicago tonight, it will be fine. And, you know, so ended up that she had about maybe 30 minutes after she got out of customs AFS met her there, they took her to the to the concourse she needed to be at and said, "Okay, you're gonna go to this terminal, and then there'll be an AFS representative right there at the gate." And she called us on FaceTime. And I'm telling him at that moment was when I felt like, that's when I connected with her. That was when my mom heart went out. And I said, "Okay. It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be fine." I mean, I was almost in tears. And she's running through the airport, she had her phone facing. So we were able to kind of like, GoPro mostly. Okay. And then, like you said, at one point, you're like, "No, you're going the wrong way!"

Devin
That's 13 to 19. You got to turn around, turn around.

Joselyn   
That is like, immediately when we felt like, oh, my gosh, you know, this is our new daughter. I mean, we just connected right away. And it was such an amazing experience, unfortunately, that she had to go through that. But it also caused us to create that early bond that she immediately called us. And not anyone else, you know, that we were the ones that she called me helped get her to the gate. And I'm sure it was hilarious. Anybody else that probably would have thought they're like, What is going on here? She goes up to the gate and the AFS representative said, I'm sorry, they wouldn't hold the gate. They just closed it two minutes ago. And you know, of course, she just broke down. I said, Okay, I said, a handful of members of the AFS representative. And she did. And she said, "I've got her, and she's going to be fine, we're going to get her hotel for the night, there's no more flights out, she's going to stay in the hotel, there's several students because of customs that missed." She said she'll be on the first flight in the morning. And the communication was just, we're going to send you an email with the flight information, we're going to make sure that there's someone with AFS with her when she comes into St. Louis, with you guys as well.

It definitely showed how she was just, you know, they're just so nervous when they come. And I mentioned that with both of our students. When they leave, they're so confident. And I mean, I could drop them off, I wouldn't do this, but if at the door of the airport, and they would be asking anybody, they'd be probably helping other people, oh, this is what you need to do. This is how you do it, you know, that kind of thing. And so I'm just seeing that growth in them. That there's no fear, by the end. I mean, they're, they could take on anything I've said they could take on the world at this point. 

Kate
And lastly, Doug and Keith from Indiana, who hosted Mikkel from Denmark. Just a few weeks into his stay, they had to spend some time apart- and that distance was what made everyone realize just how fast that bond had cemented. Also, in this next clip, you’ll hear a bit of voiceover from the 2024 version of me.

Doug
He quickly became comfortable with us in our home.

Kate
However, after just a few weeks, the three had to separate for a bit. And it was pre-planned, but it was more difficult than they had expected.
So what happened was that Mikkel ended up arriving earlier than planned. Doug and Keith had organized a trip with Keith’s niece to Europe to celebrate her high school graduation. The trip was for the beginning of August, so the initial plan had been for Mikkel to stay with a temp family for his first few weeks on program, then to meet and move in with Doug and Keith once they had returned from Europe.
However, Mikkel’s high school started super early- the end of July, and the school requested that Mikkel come early to start classes. So… what ended up happening was Mikkel stayed with the Byrons for about two weeks, stayed with his liaison for about two weeks, then went back to the Byron family.

Doug
But we didn't quite realize how quickly, well we had gotten attached to him, but how quickly he had gotten attached to us until we were in France, and we got a call from the school, from his counselor, and you know, she's like, everything's okay. He’s just having a rough day. And we're like, Well, what's going on? And she basically told us that he really missed us. So of course, we're in France, and we're crying, but actually crying, you know, because we're like, oh my God, and I'm like, I'll get on, I'll get on a plane, I'll come home, I'll like, you know, I don't want him to, you know, I don't want him to be upset.

Keith
I reached out to him and said, you know, if you're having a tough time, pop us a note. Let's get on a video chat. We have technology that we can make that happen. He’s like, “I don't want to, I don't want to interrupt your vacation.” And I'm like, “That's very sweet, but it's part of what we're here for, is to be there for you. You. And if that's how it needs to happen, that's how it needs to happen.” And so we got on a video chat. We talked through it, and we came up with some ways to make it better.
So instead of after school, going to the host to the temporary family, he would come here to our house, hang out with the pets, play on the PlayStation, do whatever, and then the host family would pick him up here and and then he'd have dinner and sleep at their house. Yeah. And that seemed to help quite a bit.

Doug     
So within just a couple of weeks, we hadn't really realized until that moment how quickly we had become close. Yeah, it was, it was quick.

[Music]

Kate
So… a conversation about lasagna ingredients, crying in France on vacation… These are just some examples of this shift. Moments where you notice that a hosted student isn’t just a guest in your home anymore.
And once that connection takes root, it doesn't just stay inside the walls of your house. It spills out into the rest of your life, and can change how you see the entire world. Which brings us to our third and final part today, focusing on the impact.

In this segment, we’ll hear from folks articulating the impact that hosting has had on their lives. To start, we’re returning to Dana, who we heard from earlier. Before Dana spent her year abroad in Turkey, her family hosted a student from Brazil named Ricardo. In these next two clips, we’ll hear from Dana’s mom Camille, who is a former teacher, as well as Dana herself and her host brother Ricardo.

Camille
I felt like he changed my life because he made me understand that it's not where you come from. It's not you what language you speak, what your culture is. It's the soul that you connect with. And AFS should be required of all human beings, that kind of exposure to other cultures and other people. And we wouldn't have problems, we wouldn't have wars.
I can’t tell you how Ricardo changed my perception of life and the world.

I think I wouldn't have gone into the best teaching of my life if Ricardo’s influence wasn't there. Because I love teaching people English from other countries, I just, it's the best teaching of my life. So in a way, you inspired me to do what I was supposed to do here, and I can't thank you enough, but I don't need to because I think he knows.

Dana
I lived in Dallas for Rosewood and I was pregnant, nine months pregnant, and Ricardo was going to be flying through. He flies all over, does business all over, and we were going to meet for lunch. And I faxed him not just the place where we were meeting for lunch but the address of the hospital in case I was delivering. And lo and behold, there he was in the delivery room. My mother said “Ricardo is here.”

Ricardo
Exactly!

Dana
And he is my son’s godfather. He was a little nauseous and he had to run out of the room. But he earned the title of Godfather, so that’s a good thing.

Ricardo
And I saw a child’s birth. Wow.

Kate
So, a final clip from Joselyn and Devin. Important context for this one- they are very active on TikTok, and one of their posts featuring their hosted daughter Geraldine went viral a few years ago. You will hear a voiceover from 2023 me here.

Kate
So, one of the most popular clips on their TikTok is a video of Geraldine, Joselyn, Devin, and their daughter on Geraldine’s final day in the U.S. Set to the Forrest Gump theme by Alan Silvestri, the clip shows the Hummel family in the car on the way to the airport, then lots of tears and hugs goodbye before Geraldine heads through the security line. This was even reposted on Instagram on the extremely popular Good News Movement account just a few days ago- you can find that at goodnews_movement.
During the interview, when I asked what “Pass Peace Forward” means to them, they brought up this clip.

Devin
I think I'm gonna tie it back to TikTok. It is amazing on these posts, especially with the one with Geraldine departing, how many people posted about the United States and there are loving people here.
Love can be found, regardless of whether they're your kid or not their kid. They're, they're still a part of your family, and you treat and part of that family, even though they live overseas. So that's, to me, that's how we pass peace forward. Again, I want to make sure that when these kids leave, that they had a fantastic experience, every time that they're here. That's what I want to do. And, again, connect with your family and be able to carry that relationship forward.

Kate
A year after Mikkel’s time in the US, Keith and Doug went to Denmark to meet his family. While they were there, they attended MIkkel’s sister's confirmation ceremony, and the subsequent party, where they were minor celebrities.

Doug   
So what amazed me was that people were walking up to us and introducing themselves and just telling us we've heard so much about you. And we're like, “Oh, that's that's great.” And then it, you know, it, it wasn’t just one or two people. It was like most of the people there, and again, a lot of these people were family and, you know, close friends and whatnot. But it felt pretty amazing that Mikkel came over here. He spent a year with us. He had the experience. And he didn't just go home and leave it all behind, you know, he went home and he took it with him. And so that made me feel good, that we knew at that point, and I really realized at that point that you know just how part of his life we were.

Keith
Yeah, and you never know what is going on in someone else's head. So we know that we love that kid but you never know how they feel, until, you know, you say something, and the response is just so full of love. There was one point at which, while he was here, he said, you know, someday you're going to be holding your grandkid, and my heart just kind of fell right out of my body. And that was like, “Oh dear.” You know, he talks about how he doesn't have just two parents, he has four. And his parents, you know, Santa and Teddy, are exactly the same. They have explained this the same. They tell us, yeah, you're a part of the family.

Kate
Chad and Justin, a couple from Wisconsin, also recently reunited with their host student in Europe. Actually, host students- plural! Six of them, to be exact. Here are two clips from their story.

Chad   
So we decided to go to Spain this year and rent a house, and we sent out a note to them, and we said, hey, if anybody's interested, come to Spain, we'd love to have you for a week of vacation. And all six of our boys came, and so it was incredible to see. They all consider themselves brothers now. They all really enjoy each other, and we had a great vacation with them. And so our oldest is 22 and our youngest is 17, and it's really great to see how they continue to grow and mature in their lives after their exchange year. And we're in contact with them regularly. So it's great to see that.

Chad
Well, I mean, I can. It's easy for us to reflect on the trip that we just took this summer, which is, you know, we now have, besides the relationship we have with our boys, we have relationships with their families. And so we're very close with Javi's mother and father and his grandparents. We're very close to, you know, Mathias’ family. We're very close to almost all of their families. So it's like we have a global family. I know it sounds a little cliche, but it's true, like we have family all over Europe, and so it's expanded our family. It's introduced us to a lot of new cultures.
Our son, we made the decision not to adopt a second child, but we did not want our son to grow up as an only child. And now he has a new brother every single year, and those brothers adore him. And we have this digital picture frame in our living room that just rotates pictures, pictures, and he'll go up to that all the time, and he's like, “That's my brother so-and-so, that's my brother.” Anybody that enters the house, he loves telling them about his brothers all over the place, and so it is incredibly heartwarming to see that. And also, you know, my mother has got like, seven new grandsons that she just dotes over.

Justin  
Just adds a lot of color to your life. Adds a different perspective. The observations that they make kind of challenges some of, maybe some of your assumptions about sort of how things are, and watching the impact on our son is amazing. And just last night, you know, we were watching Netflix, and you know, Everett, our three year old, wanted to watch one show, but our exchange student wanted to watch another. So we just used it as an opportunity to say, “Look, you can't always have your own way. You know, everyone gets a voice. Everyone gets a turn.” So it's, you know, having exchange students, actually, I think makes us present those teaching moments more often, for our son.

Kate
And lastly, Sarah from Maryland, just doing a great job just summing up this whole experience.

Sarah
Goodness. Yeah, I mean, I guess I would just close with saying this. I went into it, hoping that I would gain a daughter throughout this experience. And I have no doubt that every single time I host, because we are hoping to host again, that I will be adding a child to my family. And it has been the most meaningful experience of my life. I'm sitting here tearing up thinking about it. But, you know, I've had jobs that have been meaningful. You know, my volunteer work is certainly meaningful. But it all pales in comparison to the life that I've lived with Andrea in my home and, you know, that's going to be a lifetime thing.

Kate
So there you go. Clips capturing those nervous, hesitant first moments; clips highlighting when a student becomes part of the family; and clips illustrating the lasting impact of this entire experience.

As I mentioned earlier, these are just brief glimpses from Seasons 2 through 4, and narrowing them down was not easy! If any of these voices resonated with you, or if you’d like to listen to the full conversations, you can find links to all the original episodes in today's show notes.

Since these episodes first aired, there have been a couple of big updates- one piece of sad news, and one piece of good news.

First, the sad news. The very first clip in today's episode featured Reed Davis and Ketsi Meka, from an episode titled 'Apartheid, Iowa, and the Aftermath.' It was genuinely one of my favorite episodes to work on and such an interesting story. Sadly, about a year after our interview, Ketsi passed away following a long battle with cancer. I feel so honored that I had the chance to connect with him and Reed to help share their story with the world.

On a brighter note, Mert- the student from Turkey who was hosted by Ann in New Jersey- happens to be a talented singer and pianist. In 2025, Mert competed on Turkey's version of the singing competition show The Voice. Actually, he was more than just a contestant. He won season 11 of The Voice. He is now a student at Berklee College of Music.

A big thank you to everyone whose voice I shared- well, reshared- in today's episode.

A huge thank you as well to all the host families who are opening their doors to welcome students this fall, and to the hundreds and hundreds of volunteers working behind the scenes to make it all possible!

If you’re inspired to host a student- whether for this coming school year or down the road- head on over to afsusa.org/host to learn more.

Kate
Thank you for listening to The AFS Exchange! I’m Kate Mulvihill. Let us know what you thought of this episode by sending a message to podcast@afsusa.org. You can also rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe there as well so you don’t miss any episodes in this 6th season.

This podcast was created by Kate Mulvihill. Social media by Julie Ball and Nina Gaulin.