6/1/2009 - Exchange Student Host Opens Her Doors to New Friends

By Christopher Behnan
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

Hamburg Township resident Ann Ruhman is happy to take in high school exchange students from around the world.

She’s done it six times, and this year is hosting Hakan Aras, a Bursa, Turkey, native; and Asman Wohya of Pattani, Thailand.

But Ruhman, also a local volunteer for AFS Intercultural Programs USA, said she’s eager to see more American students study abroad and learn about the world outside their own backyard.

One of Ruhman’s children is participating in an exchange in Formosa, Argentina, but that is an exception to the rule these days, Ruhman said. She said the United States takes in far more exchange students than it sends American students overseas.

She said exchange programs should be a “two-way street” among countries.

“We should be sending our kids out to learn about the rest of the world,” Ruhman said. “Our kids are going to have to deal with people from another country at some point.”

She has also hosted students from Switzerland, Chile and Brazil, among other countries.

Ruhman said Pinckney Community High School has 13 exchange students this school year, far above the norm in other high schools.

The U.S. Department of State oversees foreign exchange programs, which it only allows in high schools.

The exchange process is both an educational opportunity for students, and an exercise in self-exploration for American families, Ruhman said.

A New Land

Aras, 16, and Wohya, 18, are considered seniors at Pinckney Community High School, but both will be required to finish another year of schooling in their native lands.

They will receive class credit for their time here, however, and walk with other Pinckney graduates this year. Both arrived in Hamburg Township last August, and must leave the United States at the end of June.

In a matter of seven months, both have adapted to American high school life. Aras took up soccer at the high school, and Wohya joined the bowling team.

During a Daily Press & Argus interview, both wore T-shirts with the Pinckney Pirate logo on them, and were preparing to attend a school athletic event.

Their enthusiasm for American life is evident, though both notice stark differences in values with their home countries.

Wohya, a bowler at home, said, “We don’t take sports seriously in Thailand.” His home school doesn’t have a team, and the culture expects students to focus only on schoolwork. He said teens there are discouraged from taking jobs for the same reason.

Aras said Turkish children are expected to work by age 10, and was surprised to learn many Americans don’t work until well into their teenage years, if not later.

Lessons Learned

Ruhman said she’s learned a great deal about the dynamics of her family by hosting foreign students. Specifically, the process forces families to examine their actions and traditions.

In one instance, she was disappointed to learn her foreign guests initially rebuffed her offers to throw graduation parties. The students expected to throw their own parties independent of the host family.

“They didn’t get it. They saw all the parties around,” Ruhman recalled. “What they didn’t notice was families give these parties.”

In most cases, teenagers are teenagers, whichever country they call home, however, and they face the same conflicts and challenges as American high school students, she said.

Many would be surprised at the reasonable cost of hosting exchange students, Ruhman added. Host families are required to provide meals and boarding, but the students arrive with their own spending money. She said her family budget had to be only slightly adjusted to accommodate two extra plates at the dinner table.

It’s an unwritten law that host families make their guests part of the family.

For example, Aras and Wohya both joined the Ruhmans on a family trip to visit relatives in New York.

Aras and Wohya have encountered culture shocks of their own. They’re both used to using subways, trains and other forms of public transportation rather than relying on rides from parents and friends to get from place to place. The U.S. government prohibits exchange students from driving while in the country.

Both are also accustomed to longer school days and drastically different weather climates.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Press & Argus. This article was originally published here.