Foreign exchange students flock to eastern Idaho

Families across eastern Idaho are welcoming students from around the world.

Roughly 170 kids arrived at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport Saturday afternoon.

The students and families are participating in the EF Foundation’s foreign exchange program. High-school-aged exchange students from dozens of countries will spend the next 10 months living with host families and experiencing life in the United States.

“You get a family member for the rest of your life,” said Teresa Mortensen, the international exchange coordinator. “You can go over there and visit them and learn about their country, and you get to teach them all about America. And it’s good for them — it’s good for kids, it’s good for everyone.”

To learn more about the EF Foundation and apply to host a foreign exchange student, visit effoundation.org.