If there’s one word that sums up the past 10 months in the lives of American Foreign Services exchange students, it’s family.

Students from Italy, Panama, Chile, and Thailand joined the ranks of Old Rochester Regional High School and Old Colony Vocational Technical High School this past year.

They say a large part of what got them through a year of strange cultural practices, challenging classes, and homesickness was their adopted families.

“They become a part of the family,” said Donna Crowley. Donna and her husband Jay hosted Panama native Jose Murrilo, their eleventh exchange student this past year.

“All of our kids call us mom and dad,” she said.

When Murillo, who studied at Old Colony, arrived on American soil, he knew almost no English.

“I came just knowing what I’ve got in my suitcase,” he joked.

Once he stopped asking if it was OK to raid the refrigerator, he became just like anyone else in the household.

And Murillo said over the year, he experienced things the same way as his host family.

“When our dog died, all of us were really upset about it,” said Murillo. “I felt the same pain they were having.”

For the Berry family, welcoming Thai student Pearl Sawaspanich into their home was a bit of a leap of faith. While many host families’ have children in high school or older, Patty Berry and her husband have three young kids.

“I’ve never been a mother to a teenager!” said Berry.

Once Sawaspanich settled in — adjusting to the “cold” New England August – she became a big sister to the Berrys kids, even scolding them in a sisterly way.

“We really wanted to add enrichment and energy to our home,” said Berry, of the decision to participate in the AFS program.

During a recent accident with one of her sons, Berry said Sawaspanich was right there when she needed her.

“She jumped in like a big sister would,” she said. “She’s a great role model.”

With the AFS program, which is largely volunteer run, host families get to choose students who have similar interests with them.

For Joe Corazzini and his wife Kim, the school nurse at ORR and AFS club advisor, bringing Linda Rinaldo into their home was a way to connect with Joe’s Italian roots.

“It’s been kind of nice being Italian. We had that rapport,” said Joe.

While Rinaldo attended ORR, Joe said he was hoping to learn some language skills of his own.

He joked, “She was going to try and teach me Italian. That didn’t work out very well.”

Over the years, ORR has had at least 25 foreign exchange students.

“At Old Rochester, our students have gotten accustomed to having exchange students,” Kim said. “To them, it’s part of our culture.”

To keep the tradition going, however, the school needs more host families. So far, only one family has signed up for the next school year.

Kim said some families think they’re too busy to host. But she said students don’t need special treatment. “They are supposed to be integrated into the family.”

Some families also believe they need a certain level of income to participate.

Berry said, “You don’t have to go to Disney. It’s not economic related. You don’t have to have a big backyard.”

And the rewards far outweigh the apprehensions, said the host parents.

“You’ve got a family for a lifetime. We’ve got a son for a lifetime,” said Jay.

Students feel the same.

“I was glad to experience it all,” said Rinaldo. “I really wanted to love this year, and I did.”

To learn more about the AFS program, contact Jay Crowley at 508-922-3582 (Jay will be out of town for five weeks) or Kathy Good at 401-829-9597.