The Sjoberg Family

-- Who they are: Bob, 43, a program analyst for the U.S. Department of Labor, and Muriel, 42, state coordinator of Nacel Cultural Exchanges, have five children: Katharine, 11, Jane, 9, Bobby, 8, Patrick, 5 and Joe, 4. This month they are hosting Ricardo Garcia, 17, a student from Spain.

-- Family activities: The whole family loves chess, even little Joe, who played in his first tournament this summer. The kids are on swim teams, participate in other sports including soccer, basketball and ping-pong, and take music lessons. Family outings are frequent, and the foreign students who are part of every summer come right along.

"We're very family-oriented," says Muriel. "We love hosting students because they enrich our life as a family. We believe family is the most important part of life."

-- About their visitors: For the past five summers the Sjobergs have hosted three-week Nacel students such as Ricardo from Spain, France and Germany.

"The world is getting much smaller today. It's very important that we learn about each other, and that we learn to communicate," says Muriel. "Hosting foreign students and sending American kids overseas helps shrink the distances. We hope to send Katharine to Paris next summer for French camp."

The Sjobergs became part of Nacel through Muriel's brother, Steve Murphy, a New York French teacher who brought the program to the U.S. in 1969. This summer 175 students will visit Seattle, and about 6,000 foreign and American youths will participate nationwide.

-- About hosting: "No pay, but a lot of rewards," adds Bob Sjoberg. "It's a delight to bring these kids into your family. You don't have to do anything special, just include them in everyday American life. Most speak some English. It doesn't matter what age your kids are, or if you even have kids, as long as you have time to enjoy them."