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Brenda Padilla Ericksen

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Brenda is the founder of GAP Academy, where J-1 and F-1 students gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to thrive in the USA. She provides cultural diversity and intercultural competence training for US exchange programs, sending organizations worldwide and personnel at multinational companies. Brenda has a Spanish Degree from Western Washington University and has been immersed in cultural diversity for over 30 years as a teacher, journalist and corporate trainer. She is from Seattle, Washington and has lived and worked in Spain for 30 years where she has raised four daughters. She is a former international student (Spain & Norway), host mother (Thailand, France, Austria & USA), and the mother of daughters who exchanged to France, Canada, USA, South Korea & Nepal.
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Recent Posts

Is hosting an exchange student everything you hoped it would be?

You are halfway through a story that you are writing together...


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Tags: Host Families, Cultural Exchange, Exchange Student,

You signed up to host a student, but what if it’s not working out? Or what if your life changes and hosting is no longer...


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Tags: Host Families, Youth Exchange

The honeymoon is over when homesickness hits. Your high school exchange student was so excited to get on that plane and fly into...


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Tags: Culture Shock, Homesickness

Students from Spain can earn credit back home for their year in the United States, but only if they follow meet Spain's...


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Ana from Spain was fresh off the plane when culture shock hit her like a rock. “Why doesn’t my host mother cook more often?” she...


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Tags: Cross-cultural training for teenagers

What might your typical American life look like through the eyes of a student from France? In this month’s survey, we discovered...


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Tags: Cultural Exchange, Exchange Student, Host an exchange student,

When a Thai student steps off the plane and into life in the USA, what is the first impression? We can learn just as much about...


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Students from Hong Kong have a unique eastern-western point of view. So, what happens when they come to the USA? How do they see...


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Tags: Culture Shock, Host an exchange student, Student Experience,

What can Polish students teach us about our American culture? Plenty! What surprises them? What are their own particular culture...


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Tags: Cultural Exchange, Exchange Student, Host an exchange student,

What do Brazilians notice when they come to live and study in the United States?


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Tags: Cultural Exchange

What does the USA look like through German eyes?


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Your exchange student has arrived – finally! And it’s so much fun to host until…Wham! Culture shock hits. And your sweet student...


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