It could have been overwhelming. Instead, Blount said those years led to some of her most valued relationships and connected her to a network of "family" living all around the world.
"I just remember my fondest memories of all that crazy time was sitting around the table after dinner was done,"Blount said."We just sat and talked. We had our jokes, and we talked about really tough subjects."
Now living in St. Charles with a family of her own, Blount carries on the tradition of hosting exchange students. Last year, she worked with the nationwide Program of Academic Exchange to host a high school student from Germany.
But according to Kris De Mattos, the regional director for PAX programs in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota, it's often difficult to find families like Blount's who will host students.
A shortage of host families
Through PAX's nationwide network of coordinators, host families are connected to exchange students between the ages of 15 and 18 for a semester of yearlong exchange experience. In Southeast Minnesota, PAX places roughly 50 students every year.
But finding host families for them, De Mattos said, is a yearly struggle. In fact, despite the reputation of Rochester's three high schools, those are some of the hardest to coordinate exchange students for.
Each high school in Rochester will accept up to three PAX students, but they need to be paired with host families in the school district by July 1 in order to register.
With the deadline so early in the summer, many families are on vacation and not thinking ahead to the school year.
De Mattos said she and local coordinators struggle every year to track down interested families and get them vetted in time.
They're currently experiencing that crunch, with just two PAX students registered for the coming school year. There's room in Rochester for seven more, but only if someone steps forward to host.
And the shortage isn't exclusive to Rochester. PAX places students in high schools throughout Southeast Minnesota, many of which accept two or three PAX students per year.
These have later deadlines, giving families more time to learn about hosting exchange students, but De Mattos said there are always openings for students that go unfilled because there weren't enough hosts.
Messy home? Not an issue
De Mattos said coordinators can address common fears stopping people from becoming host families.
"A lot of times people will have concerns like 'my house is too messy,'"De Mattos said, who has hosted seven students through PAX.
She said she shared these concerns when she started, but said she'd learned by hosting that"families are pretty much the same worldwide."
In other words, although the culture and language might be different, houses still get messy and parents still get frustrated.
Another concern stopping many from becoming host families is uncertainty about inviting a stranger to become part of the family for the year. But as Kari Berg of Lanesboro has found, there's no need for exchange students to be strangers.
