Monroe County Community College is seeking host families to house international students for one month or up to two semesters at a time. The college has posted a notice on its web site, and has been running notices in The Monroe Evening News, about the host family request.

There actually are several programs available in Monroe County where you can take in an international visitor for an entire school year if you like, or for a much shorter time, depending on the particulars of that program.

The one my family has been involved with is the Monroe International Friendship Association, which coordinates summer high school student exchanges between Monroe County and a city in Japan. The visiting students in that program spend 10 days with one family, 10 days with another.

We’ve also hosted weekend international visitors through family and co-worker connections.

Anyone who has been involved with, or volunteers, for international exchange programs will tell you one of the challenges is finding good host families. There are usually so many questions that potential host families have that they often stall out before they find the answers.

But money is not as much of a stumbling block as you might think. Here’s how my husband and I look at the situation: when we host an international visitor, we get a chance to learn about other countries or cultures without the expense of leaving home.

Yes, you do want to pay for the international visitor’s dinner, water park fee or movie ticket if you go on a family outing. Yes, you do want to provide a gift for their parents, a Christmas gift, an Easter basket, a birthday cake, etc. depending on the circumstances of their stay and the cultural expectations. Yes, you should purchase a language dictionary if your visitor will be staying for more than a couple of days.

However, the short-term visits in particular do not need to be budget busters. Conversation, experiences and patience are far more valued than money. I have even amused some international college students by taking them on a tour through downtown Monroe and insisting they pose for a photo at the Little Brown Bear statue.

What we’ve found that international students (and visiting out-of-state college friends) really want are:

• Home-cooked American food.
• Home-cooked food from their culture if those products or equivalents can be found.
• Regional or local restaurants. Avoid taking your visitors to restaurant chains they already know – find ones they haven’t tried yet. Maybe do this once during a short-term stay.
• Laundry services.
• Internet connection.
• Learning what American (or Michigan) families do for fun – be that sports watching or participating, attending a concert, going to the beach, visiting a festival or the county fair. Aim for active, hands-on activities so language skills don’t get in the way.
• Sight-seeing at little-known places with great stories. Once, we had a chance to show a visiting college student where a mutual friend went to high school.

You may also want to read one of my previous posts, “Hospitality on a budget.” And there is a thread on the Frugal Village forums about hosting foreign exchange students.