The dream of living in America has come true for a German teenager, at least for one school year, in of all places, Italy. Lisa Olschewsky, 16, is attending Italy High School as part of a foreign exchange student program coordinated by the Educational Merit Foundation.

“When I first found out where my host family lived it was funny to think that I had waited all this time to go to America and I was ending up in a town named Italy,” said Lisa jokingly.

Lisa is residing with the family of Andy, Julie, Hunter and Sadie Hinz – a typical busy American household full of activity with kids at Stafford Elementary School, extra curricular activities, and busy self employed parents.

“I love going to Italy High School. It has just been great. I have made so many good friends. I enjoy my classes and teachers. I’m on the A honor roll. I really like it here,” said Lisa.

She particularly enjoys the sports involved with American high schools, which has been one of the big differences between Texas and Germany.

“In Germany, there are no sports or extra activities in school. It is only school work. School is so much fun here with the football games, basketball games, cheerleaders and pep rallies,” said Lisa.

Learning to speak fluent English as well as studying the American way of life are often primary goals for foreign exchange students. Lisa speaks near perfect English that has gotten even better since living here.

“When I first got off the plane and was riding home in the truck with my host family, I was overwhelmed because it was the most English I had ever spoken at once! But now I dream in English and that’s how you know you’ve switched over,” she laughs. “It actually feels funny to speak German now with my family and friends and I find myself starting the sentence in German and slipping back to English.”

In addition to school activities, she has also enjoyed riding horses and competing in horse shows with her host mom, Julie, at the Flying Dollar Ranch. Lisa took riding lessons and leased a horse in Germany so coming to live on a ranch in Texas was an added bonus to the foreign exchange student program.

“We have really enjoyed having Lisa in our home and learning about her culture. She fit into the family very easily and my daughter just thinks of her as her real big sister! It’s going to be hard to let her go,” said Julie.

Julie has enjoyed the foreign exchange student experience so much, in fact, that she has become a community coordinator for EMF and is helping to find host families and overseeing the exchange students in their new homes.
“I am helping to locate potential families, screening the families with home visits and background checks, and working with the local school systems to get the kids accepted. Once the foreign students are here, then I give them an orientation to life in America and make monthly follow-up phone calls with the student, the family and the school, to make sure everything is going well,” explained Julie. “It has been very neat to see the kids coming from all parts of the world and learning about them. They are all really great, interesting kids who are very well behaved and make good grades.”

EMF places kids from Germany, France, Spain, South Korea, China and Thailand. EMF students have medical insurance, spending money for their personal expenses and expect to share their host family’s daily life including household responsibilities. They speak English, are well-screened and eager to experience life in America. If anyone is interested in potentially hosting a foreign exchange student, would like to apply to become a host family, wants more information, or to look at a list of 2010-2011 students, you may contact Julie Hinz at 469-337-9413 or 972-483-7774.