AFS-USA is a nonprofit organization that promotes intercultural learning and communication through student exchange programs in the US and to nations around the world. It also partners with the U.S. State Department to offer study abroad scholarships.
Sue Fershing is the NJ Area Team Chair of AFS and a resident of Livingston, NJ. She has worked with AFS for nearly 30 years, and was honored in 2013 for 25 years of her dedication towards the organization.
1. Please describe the work you do with AFS.
I am the Chair for all of the volunteers and activities sponsored by AFS in New Jersey. I interview many of the “sending” candidates for AFS and some families that want to host as well. I also run orientations for sending students, their families, and the host families. We also have orientations for the hosted students to help them to understand the changes in the culture that they are experiencing.
In the AFS philosophy, we encourage students to become fully functioning members of their host family while attending a year of high school. I am the Support Coordinator, and I assist students and families to overcome issues that might pop up during their relationship. I most often find myself saying “this is just a teenage thing” or “this is a cultural issue”. I have been volunteering for AFS since we hosted our first student in 1984, believe it or not! Then we hosted for 4 months in 1987 (Meike from Germany), 8 months in 1988 (Luisa from Sardinia, Italy) and 6 months in 1989 (Johanna from Finland). We hosted again for the whole 10 months in 2001 (Tania from Brazil) and in 2015 (Hilde from Norway). Our AFS daughters are still in touch with us and we try to see them as often as possible. We now have 7 AFS grandchildren, and one of them has already been an AFSer to the US and lived in Las Vegas for a year. What I have learned is that we are all more similar than different and it is so easy to welcome someone new into our hearts.
2. Why do you think cultural and language exchange programs are important?
In the US today, schools and families are interested in Cultural Competency. Our children are more than ever expected to be junior ambassadors, to be well travelled and well- spoken in several languages. Learning the language of another country shows our respect for that country and we can all benefit from the respect we feel for and from others.
3. What cultures and languages have you learned more about besides English, and how?
I am a medical professional and I have used language to help to relax my patients. I worked in a Cuban neighborhood, and speaking to patients in Spanish helped me relate to them in a respectful manner, and helped them to relax from their fear of me. The same was true when I worked for a Russian-Ukrainian doctor. I learned some Russian phrases and I would immediately see the patients relax when I used them to relate to them.
4. Favorite memory while communicating with people of different native tongues?
When my husband and I traveled to southern Brazil to visit our exchange student, we were in a park and noticed a young 5-6 year old boy and girl riding their bicycles past us. At one point, the children stopped and stared at us. I said to them “Fale inglês?” or “Do you speak English?” in Portuguese. Instead of answering, they sang Happy Birthday in perfect English! So cute!!!
5. What are your motivations and goals for language-learning?
My motivation for language learning is purely social at this point in my life. I still travel quite a bit and like to learn some phrases in the countries I visit so I can have fun. An example of this is that I know the words “push” and “pull” in many languages because the words are written on the doors in that country and help me to know how to enter the doorway.
6. Do you have any advice for students considering exchange programs or language studies?
My advice is always to remember: “It’s not right or wrong, it is just different!!” Being respectful to people in other countries is important and will help you to develop relationships with people very quickly. It is also important to be able to laugh at your mistakes, especially with language. It shows humility and modesty and a willingness to learn.
7. Fun facts in cultures with which you are familiar!
When I went to Japan, I asked a Japanese exchange student in NJ to tell me what words I should know before going there. Without blinking, she said “すみません” (sumimasen). This word means "excuse me" or "I’m sorry" in Japanese…a very important concept for one to understand. Knowing when to remove your shoes in a home is important as well. In Japan, I knew to remove my shoes when I entered the home but did not realize I should remove the house slippers when I entered my bedroom with a tatami rug.
In Iceland, each girl adds “dottir” to her last name and each boy adds “son."
It is also interesting to know that when Korean children are born, they consider themselves one year old. After 365 days, they consider themselves 2 years old.
When we visited our Finnish daughter in Helsinki, Finland she invited me to join her, her sister and her mother in the sauna. I happily accepted but when I saw that they were naked and I was in my bathing suit, I felt uncomfortable. They believe that to get the best feeling from the sauna, you should not wear any clothing. As an American, I was uncomfortable without my clothes, so I did not know what to do. After an hour of teasing me about my bathing suit, it remained ON!
Editor’s Note:
I met Sue this year, as she was my interviewer during my application process to the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) study abroad program sponsored by the US State Department. It sends American high school students abroad to learn languages, from Tajik to Korean, so this is a wonderful opportunity for any students interested in international affairs, language-learning, and cross-cultural understanding.
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