Compass How to Share Your Teenager's Experience | Page 3

relationships with their home country from the host
country’s point of view. Seeing both sides of the coin
adds a new dimension to everyone’s learning.

Your interest in the host country will be reflected in your
letters to your son or daughter. This could open up the
flow of information, based on the feeling that you are
also involved in the exchange.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR TEENAGER’S ADJUSTMENT PROCESS
Any move, whether it is across town, to a different
city, or to a different country, will cause a feeling of
dislocation. You may remember one or more moves
you and your fam¬ily have made, and you may recall
it caused some distress.
Your teenager who has gone on the YFU program
will be experiencing a dramatic move and an

adjustment process that is actually fairly predictable:
The excitement of arriving will wear off, and life in a
different country will become more routine. Learning
to speak the language more fluently and making
friends will demand a lot of your teenager. Do not
expect every moment to be happy or pleas-ant, but be
confident that your son or daughter will manage to get
along in the new and different environment.

YFU EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT FOR YOU AND YOUR TEENAGER
Your teenager will be receiving several more Compass
newsletters in the next few months. They are intended
to help both of you understand different aspects of the
exchange experience. All of the Compass pamphlets
can be accessed electronically here. The information in
these guides will be helpful to you, your teenager, and
his or her host family.

of trying to deal with new customs, languages, and
values. Many parents have found it useful to know the
indicators of culture shock (as well as how students
can cope with culture shock) as they try to understand
letters they receive from their children abroad, and as
they want to support them with their responses. You
may find it useful to read the Culture Shock pamphlet.

Two Cultures Together: The Adjustment Process for
Students and Host Families will explain the predictable
stages of adjustment, and give you some idea of the
feelings your teenager may be experiencing. The
section called “Advice for Natural Families” will give
you some suggestions for answering letters during
these times.

Going Home Again: The Re-Entry Process is relevant
toward the end of your teenager’s stay abroad. This
pamphlet talks about some of the reactions other
exchange students and their parents have experienced
when the students returned home. You may better
understand how your teenager will feel about leaving
his or her host country and returning home. It will a lso
give your teenager some suggestions on how to get
ready to leave his or her host country.

Culture Shock is another pamphlet that explains some
of the common reactions foreigners living in another
culture have when they experience the frustrations

Compass: Cross-Cultural Resources for Exchange Students

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