By Khalida Sarwari
Hillary Clinton may have her opinions about Denmark–during the Democratic debate earlier this month when her opponent Bernie Sanders suggested that the U.S. should model itself after Denmark and other Nordic countries, she quipped, “But we are not Denmark.”
Cameron Moore feels differently. Splitting his time between the two countries has taught him there are a few things the U.S. can stand to learn from the Danes.
Driven by this notion, Moore started a program in January to invite students at a technical school in Aalborg, Denmark, to West Valley College for a week or two of adventuring in the Bay Area. The idea was to give the students a taste of Silicon Valley as well as a glimpse into how local families here live, said Moore.
Sixteen students in the ages 16-18 took him up on it, staying with host families in Saratoga, Los Gatos, Campbell and San Jose for a month. There was no one type of family they lived with, said Moore. The spectrum included everything from large traditional families to same-sex couples to older empty nesters.
While they were here, the students would go to school during the day and in their free time would learn about how Californians live. Their classes included an entrepreneur course where they learned about the history of the valley, another on starting a business in the valley and another on creating, designing and presenting an app they designed to a board for review, said Moore.
On the side, they took an English class where they were immersed in local history through lectures and literature, as well as field trips. Finally, they had a class taught by a Stanford professor who covered math applications as they apply to technical fields. One day a week, the students took a break from the classroom to visit local companies such as Facebook, Google and Intuitive Surgical.
The program was so successful the first time around, Moore wants to do it again. The new crop of students are due to arrive on Feb. 21 and stay through March 18. But just like the first time around, he is realizing that finding host families is the most challenging aspect of the program.
For the families, the program provides an opportunity to share their local community and culture and build lasting friendships with the students, he said. Such was the case for Saratoga resident Melanie Karren, whose family traveled to Denmark and stayed with their student’s family.
Melanie’s sister, Terilyn Karren, and her husband, Dana, also hosted a couple of students in their Saratoga home. The couple rented a big van and took 18-year-old Danish students Oliver and Marcus and some of their friends to Yosemite, and even threw a house party for them.
Karren said she appreciated that the students were respectful and open to learning the family’s customs, such as saying a prayer before dinner. The act at first was foreign to them, but when they left they thanked the family for exposing them to something new and different.
And the boys weren’t the only ones who learned something new. For Karren’s family, it was an opportunity to learn about their own Danish roots.
“Interestingly enough, my husband and I found we both have some Danish ancestry,” she said. ” I think it maybe gave us a little bit of a glimpse into what Danish life may be. I really enjoyed the conversations we had about the simlarites we have between our customs and families. I felt we learned a lot with them.”
They enjoyed hosting so much, she added, that they’ve already signed up to do it again next year, She compared the experience to having a babyin that while it’s not convenient, it can enrich one’s life.
“I don’t think it’s for everyone, but I think if your attitude is right it can be for everyone.”
The son of another local family traveled to Denmark to attend school there with the class that had been here.
“One of the other options,” said Moore, “is that the school there, under the Ministry of Education, has extended the opportunity for students here to attend school there tuition-free.”
For its part, the host family receives a stipend to cover the student’s basic necessities, such as food. The only requirement is that they provide a real bed for the student to sleep in, and not a foldout or convertible, as well as meals and a place to study. The students bring their own spending money and pay for their own insurance. The government of Denmark subsidizes the students’ airfare and tuition costs.
For the past 26 years Moore, the owner of an investment company in Denmark, has spent half of the year in that country and the other half in his hometown of Fremont. While in Denmark, he came into contact with the headmaster of a high school, who suggested that he look into starting an exchange program in the Bay Area.
He said he didn’t think twice about doing it, partly because 25 years ago his mother hosted an exchange student from Denmark that he remains friends with today, and also because he feels indebted to Denmark for giving him an opportunity to earn his doctorate degree in international business and global economics.
“I believe in karma, so I believe that anything you can do comes back to you tenfold,” he said.
Moore is working on recruiting up to 26 host families for the next session of his program. To learn more about the program, visit wvchostfamily.com or email Moore atwvchostfamily.com.
