With enthusiasm and fun: Interview on student exchange support in Cape Town

Lohmar, 24.04.2024_ - The exchange organization international EXPERIENCE e. V. is very committed to supporting young people who spend time abroad with a host family: it does this in the best possible way for its program participants because it has dedicated and professional contact persons for the students. Some members of the team in Germany have lived in the region for a time, traveled there extensively, had their children there during their time abroad, and are still big fans. This is also due to the good support they provide for their exchange students there.

In Cape Town, Verena Wolters had the opportunity to speak to Regina Bailey. She looks after young people and host families for the exchange organization international EXPERIENCE e. V. and accompanies them on their cultural journey.

Like everyone in the iE team, she has experienced for herself what the exchange students are now experiencing: how to learn to cope with the intricacies of settling in another country, the initial surprises, language barriers and cultural differences.

In our interview, she gives some insights into her work as a supervisor of young people and host families on student exchanges:

Question: Regina, you have been looking after pupils and host families in Cape Town for a long time. What makes this job special for you?

Regina Bailey: From a German perspective, there is a lot that is unknown about Cape Town and South Africa as a travel destination. Most people have little or contradictory information, but are rightly curious about this exciting, multicultural city.

For me, the special thing is working with young people, seeing how they overcome difficulties and challenges and how they - often quite effortlessly - get to know the country and its people and become fluent in English within a very short space of time.

Question: Cape Town has once again been voted one of the most liveable cities in the world, does this also mean that the big city is safe for young exchange students?

Regina Bailey: Yes, of course the safety of the students is particularly important to us. It's the same as with our own children! As I have lived here for 38 years, I have the advantage of knowing my way around very well. I know which areas to avoid, which public transport to use, which schools have a good reputation, in which districts and suburbs I can place exchange students with host families and so on. And the host families themselves pass this safety information on to their children - just like parents anywhere in the world.

Question: What is particularly important to you in terms of childcare?

Regina Bailey: First and foremost, reliability, a sense of responsibility and warm-hearted care. I am available around the clock and often meet with the students. We talk about problems, work out strategies, find solutions... and laugh a lot. Personal support is the most important thing for me.

Question: Do you always experience the same issues with all the young people and host families? Or do they also surprise you?

Regina Bailey: All students and each host family have individual needs and expectations. My aim is to build trusting relationships and ensure that everyone feels comfortable and supported. It's always exciting for me to see the development of how former strangers can suddenly become really close. Yes, and of course they often surprise me too.

Question: Do you have an example?

Regina Bailey: One student didn't get on with the rules and customs of the host family at the beginning. However, after many tears and several conversations, she not only managed to integrate, but also to become a real member of the family. Her parents and siblings have taken her to their hearts. Even after 15 years, she is still the daughter or sister in her South African family. In the meantime, she has visited here many times and her host family has also visited her in Germany. Everyone has been invited to her wedding in June this year.

Question: What is your day-to-day care like?

Regina Bailey: There's hardly a day that goes by when I don't hear from "my kids". Someone always gets in touch with a question, a concern or a problem. Then we either discuss it on our cell phones or meet up for a hot chocolate. A visit to a host family is often on the agenda, or an interview with a new family that has been recommended to me. Or I have an appointment at a school. At the weekend, we occasionally go on an excursion - to the Cape of Good Hope, Penguin Beach or a hike up Table Mountain.

At international EXPERIENCE e.V. we have a very close exchange with the program supervisors in Germany. It really is a communication job!

Question: You already know the host families in your country, one half of them. What is it like when the guest students arrive in Cape Town?

Regina Bailey: I can usually get to know my host students in advance at the iE preparatory seminar in Germany. In any case, I see them as soon as they arrive at the airport in Cape Town. From there, we drive directly to a youth hostel where our 2-day orientation seminar takes place.

During the student exchange, I keep in regular contact with the families and students. I am there if there are any challenges - be it with communication, integration or coping with homesickness.

Question: What message would you like to give parents and young people about a time abroad in Cape Town?

Regina Bailey: A student exchange is a unique opportunity to explore the world, make new contacts, overcome challenges and gain new perspectives. Personal support is essential - it creates trust and enables an enriching experience for everyone involved.

All of us at international EXPERIENCE e. V. see confirmation every day that a student exchange is a life-changing experience. Such a time abroad in the protected home of a host family enables young people to confidently embark on unforgettable experiences abroad. And if it happens to be Cape Town, the young people have hit the jackpot.



Verena Wolters' sons have also spent time abroad in South Africa in the Western Cape. The mixture of different ethnicities, the positive young atmosphere and the opportunity to take advantage of the nature and activities in the Cape region continue to inspire them. Even years after their time at school, they still visit their friends, climb Table Mountain and enjoy the beautiful region.



Interested parents and young people can obtain individual advice from international EXPERIENCE e. V. on which program is suitable for their time abroad.

Initial personal contact is also possible at an education fair, e.g. in the coming weeks in Berlin, Aachen, Darmstadt, Augsburg, Frankfurt etc. An exchange student from Germany recently posted a detailed report of his impressions on the Instagram account of international EXPERIENCE e. V.



Initial information can also be obtained at the virtual information evening, e.g. on 29.04.24:

Short-term exchange programs from summer/autumn 2024

Meeting ID: 841 1545 4265

Identification code: 830577

link

Further topics: News and dates - international-experience.net

international EPXERIENCE e. V.
Amselweg 20
53797 Lohmar
Germany

https://germany.international-experience.net/

+491726208618

v.wolters@international-experience.net

International EXPERIENCE e. V. Brief profile
International EXPERIENCE e. V. advises and accompanies students and families for a year abroad in 14 countries. The employees of iE e. V. have specific experience. With colleagues on site or long-standing partner organizations, intensive preparation, continuous availability and a tailor-made online tool, they guarantee all the prerequisites for an unforgettable year abroad. Surpluses from iE e. V. are passed on to selected participants as part of a pocket money scholarship.

- Every year, around 700 exchange students go abroad with iE e. V. to the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, France, Spain, Italy, the UK, Ireland, Chile, Argentina and Finland.
- The students prepare intensively in a two-day preparatory seminar in Germany, followed by a parents' session.
- A close partnership with international EXPERIENCE USA and its accreditation as an advisor with the CSIET Council on Standards for Educational Travel guarantee excellent support in the most popular destination country.
- iE e. V. has been certified by the German Institute for Service Quality since 2017 and is a specialist for Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
- Founded in 2000, iE now has six representative offices worldwide.

This release was published on openPR.