08/24/2008

Associated Press

With many families cutting back on vacations and restaurant meals in tight times, some who might have willingly taken in a foreign exchange student are opting out until the economy improves.

Some say they aen't sure of their jobs, or even if they'll be in their house in the near future.

Thousands of high school arrive in the United States each August and September to study. Some agencies found new ways to recruit hosts. Others have reduced the number of foreign teenagers they accepted.

The Chicago-based Center for Cultural Interchange matched 39 students with Oregon families last year. As of late last week, 16 had volunteered for the upcoming school year.

The agency is short 150 families for 1,000 visiting students.

Portland-area representatives say families like the idea but with the uncertainty of a bad economy, they don't want to take on another unknown.

Host families are are expected to feed foreign exchange students, give them a place to sleep and absorb extra household costs. Students pay for clothes, mini-vacations and other extras.

Many hosts are middle-class, says Lori Tibbett, who oversees student-family matches at the Center for Cultural Interchange. Some consider it a low-cost alternative to travel.

"This is a way they can learn about another culture and share their culture with somebody else."

Pam Abbott has never been to another continent. But last year she and her family in Troutdale decided to learn about Brazil last year by hosting Leticia Shinohara through the Chicago center.

There was a detailed evaluation. Abbott's two high-school-age daughters, Jordan and Devon, agreed to share a room so Leticia could have her own. The whole family talked of making their guest comfortable.

Pam Abbott said it worked beautifully. "She could have lived with us forever," she said.

In her 10 months here Leticia introduced the Abbotts to Brazilian culture and cooking. And they introduced her to camping, American football, fondue and snow.

With three teenagers in the house already, they said theyy hardly noticed the extra cost.

Saying goodbye was hard, but they plan to visit her in Brazil this winter.

The family also plans to host another teenager next year.

The Washington, D.C.-based Forte International Exchange Association brought 60 high school students to American public schools in the United States last year including a few in the Portland area -- and had planned to bring 75 this year, but with a shortage of host families,, they capped applications at 40.

"We didn't want to get stuck with these students who were excited to come and then not have a home from them," says Sarah Crockett, the program manager.

AYUSA International, an exchange group with headquarters in San Francisco, will host its usual 1,500 high school students this year.

Some potential hosts mentioned financial concerns, but executive director Sherry Carpenter said the group concentrates on areas without severe economic problems.

And area representatives explain costs upfront.

"The economy definitely makes host families more leery to commit," Carpenter says. "But once you find the right host family and the right school that believe in the mission, it's fine."

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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com