ICES Blog | Kari Owens

Kari Owens

Kari is the National Training Director for International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES). She’s passionate about youth exchange and has experienced it from every angle. In high school, she spent an academic year in Rancagua, Chile as an exchange student, and has since been a host mom to more than a dozen exchange students. She and her husband also supported both of their daughters during their exchange years to Germany and Ecuador. Currently, Kari spends her days providing training to ICES field staff to equip them to provide outstanding support to students and host families throughout the U.S.

Recent Posts

By Kari Owens On October 23, 2020

Learning Culture from the Front Seat

I gathered my purse, snacks, jackets, and lap blankets and headed out the door to enjoy a soccer game with the kids: my three...

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Tags: Culture Shock

By Kari Owens On September 29, 2020

Exchange Students & Contact with Home: Helpful or Harmful?

Your exchange student is living thousands of miles from home for an extended period of time. Virtually everything is different...

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Tags: Student Support, Exchange Student, Culture Shock

By Kari Owens On September 25, 2020

Road Trip! Kicking off the Exchange Year with a Cross-country Adventure

What better way to start their year in the U.S. than by traveling from coast to coast! After discussing the idea with both...

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Tags: Student Experience

By Kari Owens On August 15, 2020

Hosting an Exchange Student Leads to Happily Ever After

Sometimes love is found in the most unexpected places. We at ICES hear about students and host families’ wonderful,...

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Tags: Host Families, Cultural Exchange, Exchange Student,

By Kari Owens On August 3, 2020

Can’t Host an Exchange Student All Year? Be a Welcome Family!

The first ICES exchange student of the season arrived last week! Tina has made the long trek from the Czech Republic to her...

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Tags: Welcome Family, Host Families

By Kari Owens On July 6, 2020

Are Foreign Exchange Students Still Coming This Fall?

The 18-year old me spent the summer listening to Spanish lessons on vinyl records, obsessively checking the mailbox for news...

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Tags: Cultural Exchange, Exchange Student, Study Abroad,

By Kari Owens On June 12, 2020

How to Become a Host Family: Step-by-Step Guide

Now, more than ever, we are looking for ways to bring unity, peace, and understanding to our world. Hosting an exchange...

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Tags: Welcome Family, Host Families, Cultural Exchange,

By Kari Owens On May 9, 2020

8 Reasons I Love Being a Host Mom

How many kids do you have? What used to be a straightforward question has become more complicated over the years. I’ve...

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Tags: Host Families, Host an exchange student, Host mom,

By Kari Owens On April 10, 2020

Why Social Distancing Feels So Hard--and Tips for Getting Through It

Each fall, I welcome a new group of exchange students to the Oregon coast and watch them begin the process of adapting to...

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Tags: Cultural Exchange, Culture Shock, Youth Exchange

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