Yellowknife (June 27/03) - Sir John Franklin high school had five international students wandering the halls this year.

They could have had more, but AFS Interculture Canada had more students wanting to come to Canada than space to house them.

The exchange program promotes global education and intercultural understanding by immersing students in a new country. Louise Nielsen, from Nykobing Falster in Denmark, feels so close to her new friends and family that she doesn't want to leave.

At first, the North was a scary concept and the 17-year-old cried for three days. Then she realized that a year wasn't as long as she had feared.

Now she loves it. Nielsen considers her host family to be her real family. She stayed with the Cartwrights and credits them for her incredible experience.

Nielsen said "they did things I can never pay them back for." She urges families to open their homes to young students.

"If you are willing to give a part of yourself to another person, then do it," Nielsen said, referring to local families harbouring a student for the year.

Plans for next year's exchanges are going well, according to AFS Yellowknife member, Bill Braden.

They already have three families lined up, but he will rest easier when another two volunteer.

It's hard on the kids to be uncertain of their living assignment when they are embarking on such a journey. But Braden acknowledges that "taking on an extra teenager is not a small responsibility."

AFS is having a drop-in at Javaroma on June 26. Families can stop in and find out about becoming a host family, or about sending their children overseas for a year. The information session starts at 7:30 p.m.