By Suzette Lowe, Jackson Newspapers
RIPLEY, W.Va. — What Julian Hoss knew about West Virginia before coming here as an exchange student can be summed up in two words, “Country Roads.”
“That’s all I really had ever heard about this state,” Hoss said. “I did know the governor’s name and the state capitol. But I came here with no real idea what to expect.”
Hoss, who lives in western Germany, said his father encouraged him to sign up with the International Cultural Exchange Service (ICES) which matches students with families.
“I had never really tried anything so different from my daily life,” he said. “Others in the program said I’d end up making new friends and gain a second family.”
Tyler and Marie McCauley filled that role for the 15-year-old exchange student who celebrated his 16th birthday in November…