--- title: ICES Blog | Gratitude in the USA description: Gratitude in the USA | This blog is our means of sharing what we love most—seeing exchange students, host families, and the global community growing closer together through youth exchange. It’s also a way for us to do what we love to do—provide support to students and host families to help them have the best experience possible, and help those who are not (yet) an exchange student or host family understand why they should consider getting involved. --- [![ices@2x](https://blog.icesusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/ICES_Logo_%20sm_wht.png?width=77&name=ICES_Logo_%20sm_wht.png)](https://www.icesusa.org/)   - [INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS](https://www.icesusa.org/international-student-exchange-programs/) - [HOST A STUDENT](https://www.icesusa.org/host-a-student-overview/) - [AMERICAN STUDENTS](https://www.icesusa.org/american-student-exchange-programs/) - [WORK WITH US](https://www.icesusa.org/student-exchange-careers-and-partnerships/) - [ABOUT US](https://www.icesusa.org/about-us-overview/) - [CONTACT US](https://www.icesusa.org/contact-ices/) - [BLOG](https://blog.icesusa.org) [Let's Talk](https://blog.icesusa.org/contact)subscribe ### I’d like to learn more about Campaign Creators! # Welcome to Our Blog, It's Good to See You Subscribe to our blog today! ### Pick a topic, any topic. - [Recent Posts](https://blog.icesusa.org) ![](https://blog.icesusa.org/hubfs/Brenda%20headshot.jpg) By [Brenda Padilla Ericksen](https://blog.icesusa.org/author/brenda-padilla-ericksen) On November 7, 2025 ## [Gratitude Culture Around the World: A Host Family Guide](https://blog.icesusa.org/gratitude-culture-around-the-world-a-host-family-guide) When your exchange student doesn’t say “thank you” after dinner it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ungrateful. [Around the world,...](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.180391) *( read )* Tags: [cross-cultural gratitude](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/cross-cultural-gratitude), [Gratitude in the USA](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/gratitude-in-the-usa), [gratitude challenge](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/gratitude-challenge) ![](https://blog.icesusa.org/hubfs/Brenda%20headshot.jpg) By [Brenda Padilla Ericksen](https://blog.icesusa.org/author/brenda-padilla-ericksen) On October 10, 2025 ## [Things That Might Seem Rude...but Aren’t](https://blog.icesusa.org/things-that-might-seem-rude...but-arent) Imagine this: Your new exchange student sits down at dinner, slurps loudly through a bowl of noodles, and then says nothing about... *( read )* Tags: [Cultural Exchange](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/cultural-exchange), [cultural understanding](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/cultural-understanding), [cross-cultural gratitude](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/cross-cultural-gratitude), ![](https://blog.icesusa.org/hubfs/Brad%20Owens%20PR2.png) By [Brad Owens](https://blog.icesusa.org/author/brad-owens) On February 14, 2023 ## ["What I Love About My HOST State" Valentine's Contest Winners](https://blog.icesusa.org/what-i-love-about-my-host-state-valentines-contest-winners) When Valentine's Day was on the horizon, we asked our students to take the idea of "love" in an exciting new direction with a fun... *( read )* Tags: [Host Families](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/host-families), [Host an exchange student](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/host-an-exchange-student), [Student Experience](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/student-experience), ![](https://blog.icesusa.org/hubfs/Brad%20Owens%20PR2.png) By [Brad Owens](https://blog.icesusa.org/author/brad-owens) On February 14, 2022 ## [Share the Love Winners](https://blog.icesusa.org/share-the-love-winners) In preparation for Valentine's Day, we ran a photo contest in which we asked our exchange students to submit a photo showing us... *( read )* Tags: [Host Families](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/host-families), [Host an exchange student](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/host-an-exchange-student), [Student Experience](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/student-experience), ![](https://blog.icesusa.org/hubfs/Kari%20Owens%20headshot2.png) By [Kari Owens](https://blog.icesusa.org/author/kari-owens) On November 24, 2021 ## [Pictures of Gratitude](https://blog.icesusa.org/pictures-of-gratitude) In preparation for Thanksgiving, we launched a photo contest in which we asked our students and host families to share captioned... *( read )* Tags: [Host Families](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/host-families), [Host an exchange student](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/host-an-exchange-student), [Student Experience](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/student-experience), ![](https://blog.icesusa.org/hubfs/Brenda%20headshot.jpg) By [Brenda Padilla Ericksen](https://blog.icesusa.org/author/brenda-padilla-ericksen) On September 21, 2021 ## [How to express appreciation in the USA](https://blog.icesusa.org/how-to-express-appreciation-in-the-usa) Do you want your host family to adore you? Then this post is for you! *( read )* Tags: [Cultural Exchange](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/cultural-exchange), [American values](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/american-values), [Gratitude in the USA](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/gratitude-in-the-usa) ### Posts by Tag - [Cultural Exchange (141)](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/cultural-exchange) - [Exchange Student (106)](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/exchange-student) - [Host Families (97)](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/host-families) - [Host an exchange student (78)](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/host-an-exchange-student) - [Youth Exchange (68)](https://blog.icesusa.org/tag/youth-exchange) ## Subscribe to Our Blog Today! ![Boris\_ICES\_Ads](https://blog.icesusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Boris_ICES_Ads.png?width=749&height=698&name=Boris_ICES_Ads.png) - [INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS](https://www.icesusa.org/international-student-exchange-programs/) - [HOST A STUDENT](https://www.icesusa.org/host-a-student-overview/) - [AMERICAN STUDENTS](https://www.icesusa.org/american-student-exchange-programs/) - [WORK WITH US](https://www.icesusa.org/student-exchange-careers-and-partnerships/) - [ABOUT US](https://www.icesusa.org/about-us-overview/) - [CONTACT US](https://www.icesusa.org/contact-ices/) - [BLOG](https://blog.icesusa.org/) © 2019 ICES - INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE SERVICES - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.