Aaron Crutchfield/Atascadero News Foreign exchange student Danie, left, smiles for the camera with Margie Goldstein, her host mother. Goldstein and her husband, Jon, are hosting their eighth exchange student this year.

With the arrival of Nguyen Linh Dan, better known as “Danie,” Jon and Margie Goldstein of Atascadero are hosting their eighth foreign exchange student.

“It’s been wonderful,” Margie said. “They’re all individuals. It’s a cultural eye-opener every time. I see my culture more clearly and then I learn about another one.”

It all started in 1991 with a student from Sweden hosted for a full year. More recently, the Goldsteins have had a student from Korea, one from Taiwan and three from France stay with them for short-term stays over summers through the years, and then last year, they hosted Anaelle from Belgium before hosting Danie this year.

“It’s actually expanding our family,” Jon said. “Next summer, we’re going to Belgium to visit our last exchange student, and the one prior to that, who grew up in France, actually came back to visit us outside of the exchange program. We have a great time keeping in touch with them.”

That tradition goes back to the first student, who later became an American citizen and is working with the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation TV series with her degree in fashion. Now it continues with Danie, whose mom will be in California in January from Vietnam on business and will come up to Atascadero for a visit.

The foreign exchange student experience has also been a positive one for Danie.

“I like the way they teach education here,” she said. “And here, I’ve made a lot of friends and I have a lot of experiences. I feel more confident.”

With the variety of places from where the exchange students have come, the Goldsteins have gotten a regular smorgasbord of culture experiences.

“[Danie] has soup for breakfast,” Margie said. “Her whole dietary thing is a lot different than the European students but it’s a really neat learning experience.”

The Goldsteins also have gone through a variety of organizations that have placed students with them.

“We’ve gone through several different organizations,” Margie said. “The one we hosted the most recent students is called Home Stay International. You have the choice of either hosting a student for a short period of time or for the whole academic year.”

Margie also said that part of what got the Goldsteins into hosting exchange students is her own varied background, with her dad being in the Navy.

“I’m a navy brat, so I’ve traveled all over anyway,” Margie said. “So I just like people.”