If you have found your way to this blog, there is a good chance you are considering letting your high school son or daughter study abroad for an extended period of time. By "extended period of time," I mean more than a 2-week trip with his or her high school foreign language class. I am talking about one or two semesters during the school year, where your child attends high school in a different country and lives with a local family. I'm talking about seriously cutting the cord and letting go.
If you are considering letting your child study abroad, there is a good chance that you know the advantages for your child living in a foreign country. Good! Convincing you of the desirability of this adventure is not my intent. I firmly believe in raising citizens of the world; I sense you do, too.
If you have started the study abroad process, you might be a bit nervous about the whole adventure. Maybe you studied abroad as a high school student; maybe you did not. If you did, you know firsthand the joys and challenges your child will face (which may - or may not - make you feel calmer). If you did not study abroad, ignorance may not feel like bliss to you. Perhaps the organization you are working with has been less than organized or efficient getting information to families. I hope this blog becomes a place where you can ask your questions, voice your concerns, and get real answers from parents who have experienced (or currently are experiencing) what you are going through.
If you have been through or are currently going through the process with your child, please post your experiences and advice. I have one 17-year-old daughter living in Germany through the organization Youth For Understanding (YFU). Your child may be having a completely different experience in a different country with a different organization. We want to hear about it all!
