Exchange Hosting Opportunity with Costa Rica Students

Sign up to Host Costa Rica Student here

Global Scholar families, and all Mukwonago High School Students have a great opportunity for cross cultural learning through a hosting experience this winter.

The Global Scholars program has teamed up with Costa Rica Frika to offer a unique opportunity. January 13-27, 2022, fourteen students from Costa Rica will be travelling to Mukwonago and staying in our community to experience winter in Wisconsin and a taste of Wisconsin culture. While visiting these students plan to shadow Mukwonago students, attend classes, give presentations about their home town and participate in field trips to learn about American and Wisconsin Culture. (click here to learn about hosting expectations from Costa Rica Frika)

To make this opportunity happen we are looking for families that are willing to host a student or two from Costa Rica. In return, Mukwonago students who host a Costa Rican student are invited to travel to Costa Rica this summer to see the hometown of our guests, go to school in Costa Rica, experience the culture and environment first hand.

Expectations for Hosting

For families that are interested in hosting a Costa Rican student this is a great opportunity and expectations are pretty simple. Provide a place for the Costa Rican student to live, provide food like you would for any other guest and provide transportation to and from the high school, and provide a safe and fun environment with you and your family and friends. (Outline of expectations from Costa Rica Frika)

Sample Itinerary for Hosting

Above is a sample itinerary of what to expect. Early in the experience, Costa Rican students will spend time with your family and participate in any activity you would like to plan (visit family, play in the snow, go ice fishing, etc). During the school week, they will still go to school with your student but will then board a bus from the high school to participate in a cultural field trip that will take them places like the WI State Capital, Milwaukee Public Museum, etc. Toward the end of the trip they will go to school with your student to share in the experience of going to school in Mukwonago. Thursday, January 27 they will leave and go back to Costa Rica.

If you are concerned what to do with your visitors, here is a blog post from Costa Rica Frika founder talking about that very issue. (What to do while hosting?) Other families are hesitant because they have a large family or feel too busy. That concern is also addressed in the blog post.

Meet the Costa Rican students coming to Mukwonago

Ready to commit? Sign up here.

Have more questions? Feel free to reach out to Mr. Montanye and montama@masd.k12.wi.us. You can also contact Mr. Montanye to get an invite to join Dustin Dressler, founder and organizer of Costa Rica Frika for an informational meeting on Monday, November 22. Otherwise we have a list of common questions and answers below.

Questions About Hosting

Do I need to speak spanish in order to host?

No. While this is a great opportunity for students and families learning spanish to practice their language skills, the Costa Rican students have been learning English since elementary school. As a result your guests will be fluent in English and will be able to communicate with you and other families members, no problem.

Do I need to provide money for activities?

Students from Costa Rica will be travelling with spending money. So all field trips are paid for by them and any shopping they will be expected to cover. However they are not expected to pay for groceries and food. This is something you will provide as a host for our travelling guest.

What COVID mitigation measures have been taken?

The United States now requires that all foreign travellers that enter the United States are vaccinated. So all travelling students and teachers from Costa Rica and coming into your home have received a vaccine in Costa Rica. They will then follow all mitigation measures students at Mukwonago High School will follow and carry extra travel and medical insurance for any COVID related issues.

What will I know about my host student before their arrival?

Visiting students will be sharing information and making a video introducing themselves before their visit. So you will know a little information about them before they even arrive.

If I'm not in the Global Scholar program, can I still host a student?

Yes, while Global Scholars who host students are able to check of one of their "Global Citizenship" requirements, this is an opportunity open to all Mukwonago students.

Can I host more than one student?

Yes, if you have room and would like to host more than one student, or one of the teachers travelling with the student that works as well. When signing up you will identify how many students you are able to host and if you want a student or a teacher.

I don't know much about Costa Rica Frika, has Mukwonago worked with them in the past?

Costa Rica Frika is a small but great company. The founder, Dustin Dresser is a Wisconsin native who started the company to help make cultural connections for students in both Wisconsin and Costa Rica where he now lives. He has worked with area schools and in January of 2019 he brought a group of Costa Rica students to Mukwonago High School for a one day shadow. It was a great experience for all involved. They loved our school and we loved learning from our guests. This year they are making Mukwonago one of their main hosting sights which is why they are looking for Mukwonago families to host.

How do I sign up?

First be sure to discuss hosting with your family. It is an excellent opportunity but parents and students need to be on the same page before signing up. You will then sign up using the google form here (Sign up to Host). It will ask for information such as age, number of family members and pets to be sure any allergy issues will be avoided.