Winter Hosting Exchange 

Hosting info mtgs Oct. 21, and 29 at 8pm at https://meet.google.com/euq-zcet-kac 

Exchange Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x7JlSBB4_Q 

If your family would like to host please fill out the form at the bottom of the page :) 

Hola a tod@s!

Welcome to the official site for the winter hosting exchange.  This page contains all the relevant information related to the exchange such as itineraries, activities, and host family / exchange student contact info.  Questions can be emailed to dustin@costaricafrika.com or Whatsapp / Imessage +506 8478 2100.

Families will have the opportunity to welcome exchange students into their homes for two weeks.  Students are all high school aged between the ages of 13 and 18.  Depending on the school there could be from 10 to 20 visitors.  During the week students have group activities planned and then nights and weekends they spend with their hosts learning and experiencing winter.  

• Host families are needed from the following high schools: Slinger, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Grafton, Monona Grove, and Stoughton, Wisconsin as well as  Barrington, Illinois and New Prague, Minnesota. 

Dates:  January 14-28, 2026

Host family requirements:

• Provide room, board and transportation to/from high school (can share bedroom with host of same gender)

• Interest in sharing your culture and learning about Costa Rican culture

Host families do not need to change anything about their normal routines. Costa Rica Frika organizes all transportation to/from high school for field trips and initial arrival/departure to/from Costa Rica. 

Whatsapp group:

• Each host school will have their own Whatsapp group chat for host families during the exchange. The link to join the group will be emailed once all the families have been paired with students.

• Download Whatsapp on your phone (https://www.wikihow.com/Install-WhatsApp), and you'll use this app to communicate pre-exchange with your student and you'll be invited to a group chat with all the host families from your community. 

• We'll use this to communicate drop off and pick up times, changes to the itinerary, reminders about activities and will be the recommended way to initiate communication with your exchange student.

Key Takeaway:

For the exchange students this is their big opportunity to immerse themselves!  They have the Fri-dom to totally change their personality in their second culture / language.  They are told not to be afraid to step out of their comfort zone and/or embarrass themselves.  The exchange is too short and we want them to experience as many memorable moments as possible.  Everyone is going to experience the exchange in their own way and there is no telling what impact it may have on them so please take advantage of every moment.  

As a host family you are the prime facilitators of this experience and stand to benefit just as much from the experience.  Previous families have commented that hosting "forces" them to do things together and participate in activities that they might not normally do or used to do.  Hosting is also gateway that could inspire you to host others, exchange back to Costa Rica or to other parts of the world.  The experience doesn't end after two weeks, but rather continues in the digital age where communication is only a short Snap, Instagram, or Whatsapp away.  We look forward to your participation!    

Read/watch the following and if you'd like to host please fill out the form at the bottom of the page:)  

Want to travel to Costa Rica? Check here for info on the optional return exchange.