San Diego Home Stay Information

San Diego is considered the birthplace of California. It was discovered by explorer Juan Cabrillo in 1542. San Diego, whose city motto is "America's Finest City", is the 8th largest city in the U.S. It's a clean, modern, safe metropolis. It has wonderful, mild weather throughout the year yet lies within two hours of snowy mountains and hot, sandy deserts.

Location
San Diego sits close to the Pacific Ocean in the most southern part of California. By car, San Diego is 30 minutes from Mexico, 2 hours from Los Angeles, 5 hours from Las Vegas and 8 hours from San Francisco. Judo Training Training will be held at the Judo America San Diego Training Center under the guidance of coach Gerald Lafon, 6th dan. (See www.judoamerica.com/sandiego) Foreign Judoplayers will have an opportunity to compete while in the U.S. Most tournaments are held in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego and Mexico. The only requirement for participation is a valid Judo card or passport issued by your Judo federation. If you don't have one, you will have to buy a U.S. Judo Association card ($40 per year) in order to compete. Training fees are $50 per month for foreign athletes.

English Language Schools and High Schools
If you plan on attending a private English language school or an American high school while you are in the U.S., Judo America San Diego will be glad to help you make the right choice. Since mass transportation in San Diego is not as developed as in other parts of the world, it will be important to choose a high school or language school close to your host family and to the Judo training center you will attend.

For teenagers wishing to enroll in an American high school for the entire scholastic year, it is mandatory to be enrolled in an official foreign exchange program in your country. Your foreign exchange program will be able to provide you with the J-1 student visa you will need. For college age students, your choices are to come with a tourist visa (short duration) or with an F-1 student visa (long duration.) For students who come to the U.S. on an F-1 visa, where you go to school will depend on your proficiency of English. This is usually reflected in your TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score. If your scores are low, you will have to enroll at a private language school or be enrolled in an ESL (English as a Second Language) program at a university or college. There are at least 15 private English language schools in the San Diego area in addition to those ESL programs run by universities and colleges. These schools can issue foreign students the I-20 permit, which is required for the F-1 student visa. Typical cost to attend these schools is $500-700 per month. There are also free English language classes that can be taken through continuing adult education. These classes are usually held at high schools and 2-year community colleges. To save money while in the U.S., we advise college age foreign students to enroll in a private English language school for one month and then go to a free English language class offered through adult education for one month. This sequence should be repeated as long as you are in the U.S. or until your command of English is good enough to enroll in regular classes at a 2-year community college, college or university. These institutions can also provide you with the required 1-20 permit.

Colleges and Universities
For foreign students whose English abilities are good enough to attend an American college or university, San Diego offers the following institutions of higher learning;

Weather
The annual average temperature in San Diego is 21 C with an average low of 15 C in January and an average high in August of 25 C. Humidity is low (59%) and average rainfall is only nine days per year.

Main Tourist Attractions
In San Diego County; Sea World, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Reuben H. Fleet Space and Science Center, U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Japanese Friendship Garden, and lots of beaches. Within 1 to 3 hours (by car) of San Diego: Los Angeles, Mexico, Palm Springs, Disneyland, Universal Studios, ski resorts, Anza Borrego Desert

More information
For further information on the San Diego Home Stay program, please contact Gerald Lafon at glafon@judoamerica.com.