8/9/2007 - See the world in your own backyard
When you think of the exotic locations of the world Paris, Prague and Paraguay all roll off the tongue, promising cultural mysteries and romantic languages.
So what do you do if you can’t get there? Bring the culture to you of course!
Pam Midgley from Mildura is doing just that as part of an international exchange student program called AFS.
Sebastian Salinas is a sixteen-year-old Paraguayan student and he’s been living with Pam and her family for the last five months. He’s from the capital, Asunción which has a population about the size of Adelaide, but he’s quick to note South America is quite different to Australia.
“I live in a house with my brothers, my parents. It’s a bit different because we haven’t got the block like here in Mildura, so it’s a bit different lifestyle.”
He’s felt right at home with the Midgleys though and describes the Midgley boys as his brothers.
“I’ve got four brothers here in Australia… and it’s very similar to Paraguay because I have got one brother and two sisters so it’s actually the same. I feel like I’m home here.”
Living in another country gives you an insight into local culture and lifestyle but for Seb, as his friends call him, the steepest learning curve has been the language.
I’ve got four brothers here in Australia… and it’s very similar to Paraguay because I have got one brother and two sisters so it’s actually the same. I feel like I’m home here.
“When I first came here it was a bit hard for me because the Aussie people have a very strong accent. But then with time I became used to the accent so now… I can understand almost everything.”
He’s no stranger to foreign tongues though. After only five months in Australia, Sebastian now counts English as his fourth language.
The traveller is happy, so what is it like to be the host? Pam Midgely says the experience has been “a real pleasure, and a joy, an enrichment and something I’m so glad we did.”
Adding another boy to the family has been great, according to Pam. Her sons, she says, love having Seb around, adding that, “they’re always wrestling and bantering with each other… they’re really going to miss him.”
And it’s not just the family who will be sad to see him go when he returns to Paraguay in a few weeks. Pam says they expect about one hundred people at his farewell party. “It will be a very full and emotional two weeks ahead, ” she admits.
Pam says they expect about one hundred people at his farewell party.
Pam got involved in the AFS program several years ago when her son, then sixteen, went on exchange to the Netherlands. He’s now studying year twelve Dutch by distance education and hopes to use the language in his career.
There are currently six volunteer families in Mildura that take exchange students from all over the world but Pam explains they urgently need to meet demand and expand the program. Most students stay for between five and eleven months with their host family and Pam confirms that the benefits for her have been immeasurable.
For a local perspective on the AFS experience, Pam Midgley is happy to have a chat about the program.
For more information about the AFS Volunteer program, you can contact AFS Directly on 1800 023 982 or visit their website at the link below.
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