Brandon Twp.- Jose Iglesias lived with Steve and Colleen Francis as a foreign exchange student for one year. This summer, 30 years after he graduated from Brandon High School, he traveled from his home in Santiago, Spain back to Michigan to help celebrate the Francis? 50th wedding anniversary.
They were surprised, but to both Iglesias and the Francis family, which includes nine children, it was like a homecoming.
‘The Francis? opened their house to me as if I was another one of their children,? recalls Iglesias, now 48, who communicated with The Citizen via e-mail and noted at that time his host parents still had eight of their nine children living at home. ‘I always felt like another member of the family in every way I can think about, which is the best thing that can happen to any foreign student. I can only remember good times staying at their house. It was one of the best experiences that happened in my life.?
Steve and Colleen have been host parents to four foreign exchange students. Besides Jose, they have also stayed in contact with the first student they hosted, a Brazilian girl named Joseneide, who now lives in England, but regularly e-mails.
Foreign exchange students first began coming to the Brandon area in 1965 through the American Field Service organization. The community raised $1,000 to bring a student here and the AFS interviewed families to determine where the student would stay.
The first student was from South Africa and stayed with a neighbor of the Francis?. Joseneide came to stay with the Francis family in 1973.
‘We thought it was kind of neat and we didn’t have a senior that year,? said Steve, who explains that they didn’t want to host an exchange student while any of their children were seniors, since that is a special time for them and they didn’t want it to take away from their children or the host child. ‘We thought of the experience it would give our kids. She was wonderful.?
While foreign exchange students come to learn about the American people, culture, and language, hosting a student from another country was a learning experience for the Francis family, too, as their students taught them about their respective countries.
Besides Joseneide and Jose, the Francis family also hosted Lincoln, a boy from Brazil, and Mune from Japan, both in the 1980s through the Youth for Understanding program.
Mune was their biggest challenge and the only one they had to discipline, after they caught him smoking in their bathroom the first week he was there.
‘He apologized and said he would not smoke in America again,? said Colleen, who added that Mune also told her she shouldn’t party, ‘only Geisha girls party.?
Still, Mune loved music, particularly the Beatles, and would practice music with the Francis? sons.
Lincoln called the family out of the blue about five years ago to find out how they were doing, and they never heard from Mune again; however, the Francis? have had regular contact with Joseneide by e-mail, and Jose has also e-mailed routinely. His most recent trip to the U.S. was his third to see the family.
‘It means a lot to stay in touch with them,? said Colleen. ‘We treated them like our own children.?
‘I consider myself part of the Francis family, and for me, they are my ‘American family,?? says Iglesias. ‘When I stay with them or write to them, Colleen and Stephen are my mom and dad, and I have six more sisters, and three brothers as well.?

‘If they host once, they’ll host again…?
Exchange students are no different than American teenagers, says Mark Dingwall, local coordinator for Academic Year in America, one of three foreign exchange programs Brandon school officials use to bring foreign students to the district.
‘They like to play music loud, they’d rather be out with their friends than staying home with parents and they’d rather be out of school than in school,? he said, laughing. ‘Kids are the same no matter where they come from.?
Dingwall, who has been a host parent to three German students, says it is a fantastic experience that he would recommend to anyone considering it, and one in which lifelong friends will be made with the student’s entire family.
Requirements for host families vary by organization, but most require a criminal background check, that a student have their own bed, and a place to study. AYA further requires the host family to supply breakfast and dinner, while the student pays for their own lunch at school. Additionally, students cannot share a room with the opposite gender.
Dingwall describes hosting a student as just like raising your own son or daughter at that age, with setting rules and curfews.
He also notes that every once in awhile, there will be an exchange student that just doesn’t fit into the family and the local coordinator will work with the family to see if it’s something that can be worked out. If it isn’t worked out, the student will be moved to another family.
‘Like any program, there are always pitfalls,? Dingwall said. ‘We’re talking about human beings and families. The most major pitfall is saying goodbye at the end of the year. It brings tears because you lose a family member. Every student in the world should have to be an exchange student. They would learn that there is no difference between us, except for language, and we wouldn’t have these wars.?
He continued, ‘We always seem to find host parents, but there is always a need for them. If they host once, they’ll host again, because they enjoy it so much. There are so many advantages to it. We’re better people for doing it.?
For more information on becoming a host parent, contact Mark Dingwall at (248) 549-4672; Barb Kilkka (Youth for Understanding) at (248) 932-0811; or Sue Jones (Organization for Cultural Exchange Among Nations) at (480) 784-4671.