– I cried every day. Not because I was homesick, but because I did not feel safe or welcome here, says Clara Brox (17) on the phone to TV 2 from Palm Bay in Florida.
– WANTED TO GO HOME: 17-year-old Clara Brox wanted to go home after she saw how disgusting it was with the host family she had been assigned in Florida. Photo: Private
–
For the USA dream was far from what Clara dreamed of in the girls’ room in Oslo.
The host mother she was placed with, who had told on WhatsApp that she had a job, was in fact unemployed. Upon arrival, Clara was informed that she would be a babysitter for her four-year-old daughter who was still in diapers.
– I had no one I could talk to when I was in pain. It was difficult for my mother too, and for a long time I just wanted to go home, says Clara.
Swimmed in the trash
When the host family picked up Clara, they were nice and as described in the messages. But when they got to the car, Clara got the first sign that something was wrong.
– DIRTY: When Clara arrived at the host family in Palm Bay, Florida, it was this sight that met her. Photo: Private
–
Clara was barely there between rubbish, old food and nappies. But Clara let it go and thought it might just be the car that was messy. She was wrong.
– From the outside, the house looked completely normal, but when my host mother opened the door, the whole place was filled with rubbish, empty boxes and diapers, and there were clothes everywhere. Then I panicked, because I was several thousand miles from home, says Clara.
The room she had been promised was also dirty. Behind a dresser was an old McDonald’s bag and the bed was full of used toothpicks. When Clara asked the host mother about it, she said that the man who had lived there before her had only moved out two hours before Clara arrived, and that she had not had time to wash.
– The whole room was dirty. I did not even unpack my suitcase, but sat awake and waited for my mother to wake up at home in Norway so I could call for help, she says.
– OLD FOOD: Clara found several old food scraps in the house of the host family in Florida. Behind a dresser in the bedroom were McDonald’s remains from the previous tenant. Photo: Private
–
Did not get food in two days
Clara spontaneously decided to travel to the United States six weeks before school started after hearing how much fun it was from friends who had traveled before.
With a great interest in American politics and culture, the 17-year-old looked forward to experiencing life as a teenager in the states, and the organization STS Education promised a cultural and exciting year with activities, concerts and experiences.
– BABY GUARD: Clara’s hostess had planned for the 17-year-old to be a babysitter for her four-year-old daughter, who was still in diapers. The diapers were strewn around the house when Clara arrived. Photo: Private
–
In messages to the host mother, Clara had told about her interest in exercise and diet, something the two allegedly had in common when the host mother said she worked with exercise and diet. Furthermore, Clara was promised that there would be healthy food on the table and in the fridge.
– I did not get a single meal when I arrived. In two days, all I had eaten was a bowl of cereal and an apple, says Clara.
– The first thing my host mother told me was that she could not make anything but rice because they ate take-away food every day.
– Had to ask Uber drivers for shelter
Mamma Gerd in Norway was frightened by what her daughter told on the phone from the USA, and sent photos and video of the living conditions directly to STS in Norway.
Within 24 hours, Clara received help from the Palm Bay local coordinator and was moved to a temporary host family. She still lives there today, three months after arriving in Florida.
– I have a good relationship with my new host family, but the problem is that it is a small apartment and we are three students who live here with them, Clara says.
– HIGH SCHOOL: Clara attends Heritage High School in Palm Bay, Florida. Here she is on her way to the school bus. Photo: Private
–
According to STS, no host family should take in more than two students a year, but a fivefold increase in students since before the pandemic means that there are not enough host families to take off.
Clara herself shares a bunk bed with her twelve-year-old host sister who has autism. The age difference and the host sister’s extra needs have made the situation difficult for the 17-year-old. But if she does not stay, Clara has been told that she must return home to Norway.
“We were told by the organization here that we should just stop people on the street or in the mall, or talk to Uber drivers to ask if they could let us stay with them instead,” says Clara.
The message came from Educatius, which is the local partner of STS in Palm Bay, Florida.
– Of my Norwegian friends here, two have been thrown out of the house with the suitcase behind them. Many have been shouted at and thrown on the street, she says.
Better today
– FLASH OF LIGHT: Although the first impression of the USA was bad, things are going better with Clara today. Here she remembers with her host aunt in a park in Palm Bay, Florida. Photo: Private
–
Clara is doing better today, even though she still lives with her temporary host family with the other two exchange students.
– I do not take things lightly and do not give up. It has been difficult, but now I feel that I have come so far that I want to finish the year, says Clara.
The school place in Norway has long been filled, and the bill to STS of almost 300,000 kroner has been paid. But Clara is clear on one thing: She recommends others who want to exchange to shadow away from STS and travel somewhere other than the United States.
– STS promoted itself as a great organization you could travel with to study and experience the United States. If I knew how it turned out, I would rather save the 300,000 kroner.
Will not answer
TV 2 has asked Mattias Bromander, director of STS Education, about a number of issues in this case, including how they ensure the quality of host families. We also asked why Clara’s first host family was chosen as her home.
Bromander responds to TV 2 in response to a request for Clara’s experience in the USA:
– STS does not comment on individual students, but safety and experience for our exchange students is always our highest priority, Bromander writes in an e-mail to TV 2.
– We are constantly working to develop and ensure that all our host families maintain a high level. In cases where the quality does not live up to the high expectations of our students and their families, we of course take it seriously and make a careful review of our routines to avoid these situations occurring in the future, he writes.
TV 2 has also previously focused on STS Education and how students have experienced the conditions in the USA.
Bromander will not answer the question of whether STS pays or provides any form of financial compensation to its host families for having Norwegian students living.
–
