While you are on exchange, hearing news and sharing the experience is important. Periods of loneliness are common, and during those times communication from home may seem to be the best medicine, but it actually isn’t! Homesickness is a common problem for participants who communicate too frequently with their friends or family. Below are some guidelines to help regulate communication during the exchange period so that you can adapt smoothly to your host community and culture.
When communicating with friends and family back home, you are powerfully reminded of your home culture, language, customs, and home activities at a time when you might be feeling vulnerable in an unfamiliar environment. The sound of a loved one’s voice can cause sadness for hours or days, as you are constantly reminded of the distance and the challenges you are facing in the U.S. This sadness adds to the difficulties of adaptation to your new environment and can be a distraction from this task.
AFS recommends that you and your parent(s)/guardian(s) discuss and determine how frequently you will communicate with each other BEFORE your exchange takes place. Frequent communication has been identified as a cause of adaptation difficulties.
You may want to send items home to your friends and family from the US, whether it's to send a birthday gift, celebrate a holiday, or cut down on luggage you'll be returning home with. Take advantage of AFS-USA's partnership with DHL to get discounts on international shipping!
Visits from Home Country Friends and Family Members
As our world becomes a smaller place, AFS-USA realizes that many of our hosted participants have relatives or family friends who live in the U.S. Additionally, many parents and other family members may have the opportunity to come to the U.S. on scheduled business or holiday trips. However, visits from parent(s)/guardian(s) or friends from home can often pose problems for a student’s adjustment into the host culture and community.
Visits from friends or relatives from your home country should not be planned until the very end of your program, at which point we recommend you program release and plan to travel and stay with them rather than your host family. Saying farewell to your host family and community before focusing attention on home country family and friends will be an easier transition for all involved.
If your family and/or friends are interested in coming to visit you please talk to your liaison and support volunteers about when an appropriate time would be and whether permission from local volunteers is required.