WayUSA Student Stories

My American Host Family

Host Family
My American Host Family
So, if you’re an exchange student, you don’t get to choose the state, the family, or the city — they choose you.😯
I was chosen by the wonderful Scouten family from Toledo, Ohio.
My family is made up of a dad, a mom, and two sisters. My host dad is a firefighter👩🏻‍🚒 and my host mom teaches 4th grade.👩🏼‍🏫
I have two host sisters — one is 20 and the other is 14. I share a room with my older sister, but since she studies and lives in the neighboring state of Michigan, most of the time I get this huge room all to myself.😍🤟
My younger sister goes to the same school as me. It’s her first year in High School, she’s a freshman.
Honestly, I just love my host family because they’re such amazing people!❤️❤️ When I first arrived, they welcomed me so warmly at the airport. My host dad immediately started joking that I must be a Russian spy, asking if I had already googled their house and learned everything about Toledo.😉😂
My host dad is always joking and taking care of me, and my host mom helps me with everything!💕 They always make sure I’m not bored, show me interesting places, and do everything to make me feel comfortable.😊 And honestly, I feel so great in this family — I’m really grateful to them! 💘💘
I also love my host sisters. I don’t see the older one often, but with the younger one we’re always causing chaos together.🤣🤣 John (my host dad) still wonders why we’re so alike — probably because we both love to sleep in and we’re always late.😂😬
Every Friday night, we get some crazy amount of energy, and we always end up doing something wild🔥 (like playing Just Dance at 3 a.m. or having a random photoshoot with a mannequin we somehow found🤣🤣). Basically, the house is always full of fun and noise when we’re around.😂
My American Host Family
I’m actually the third exchange student this family has hosted, so they really know how it all works.😌 We also have a dog named Jax and a cat named Daisy — although Daisy totally hates me.🙀😹
In the end, I feel like I have the best host family in the world. I love them so much, and I already know saying goodbye will be really hard.😪❤️

Now it’s your turn — imagine yourself living with a host family in the U.S., just like me. Would you like to share a room, play Just Dance at 3 a.m., or discover new places with them? Become an exchange student and live your own story!