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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- For Brian and Kerri Archer, hosting exchange students is a great way to learn about new people and other cultures.

But they've also learned that some things will never change: teenagers are teenagers, no matter their nationality.

"They're all teenagers," he said. "With their own quirks and personalities, and it's great."

The Archers are hosting two foreign exchange students, Camilla Guldager, 17, from Denmark, and Marie Basten, 16, from Germany. Both girls are attending Ottumwa High School for their senior year. They are two of eight foreign exchange students at the school this year.

Guldager and Basten both said they wanted to study abroad to improve their English and to learn about another culture. They were both quickly introduced to the old "everything is bigger in America" adage.

"Everything is much bigger here," Guldager said. "When I flew over, I looked down and said, 'wow, what a big city!' and the American couple sitting next to me said, 'oh, that's nothing. Just New Jersey'."

The girls came to the States through the International Student Exchange program, which Kerri is involved with. The program places students with families across southeast Iowa and around the country.

Kerri compares the exchange process to a dating service -- the program provides profiles of potential students, and families are matched from there.

"There's so much we can learn from them being here," she said. "Especially the way that we -- our country -- views the rest of the world."

Both of the girls participate in activities and sports, Guldager was on the swim team, and Basten wants to join soccer and drama when they begin in the spring. They both say their actual schoolwork is a bit of a reprieve.

"School is much easier here," Basten said. "A lot of stuff they have in 12th grade, we have in 8th grade."

The Archers have hosted an exchange student before, a young man from Thailand. Brian said that he used to have one daughter, now, he has four kids in four different countries.

Kerri encourages anyone considering participating in an exchange program to do so.

"The rewards are beyond what we can measure, just, they're terrific, they really are," she said. "You get to meet so many people, you learn so much, it just opens up your world."

Guldager and Basten will be in the country until the school year ends in June. They both have dreams of doing a little traveling before they leave. When asked what they will miss most when they leave America, Basten said, "the people". Guldager? "The free refills."

If you are interested in hosting an exchange student, you can visit the International Student Exchange website at www.iseusa.com or contact Kerri Archer at 641-684-7051.