The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
Channel Details
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
Join us, Mary Chan and Erin Eastman Paulson, as we serve up stories of being a homestay family - the ups and downs of making a connection with international homestay students. We’ll bring a plateful of stories, ideas, interviews, and hopefully, dish up some anecdotes to share with our community.
Recent Episodes
51 episodes
What Effects the Coronavirus COVID-19 Has On Homestay - EP 47
Helllllloooooo! Long time no chat! We were scheduled to come back in early March and then the pandemic struck. Now we are all physically distancing an...
End of the Student Homestay Experience
It's coming to the end of the year and some students may be leaving or some students may be heading home just for the winter break. Either way, when i...
Boundaries and Rules During Homestay Experiences
Boundaries. We've all got them or we should all have some in place. There are limits and rules to all sorts of things during a homestay experience. Bo...
Dealing with Homesickness
At one point or another, whether you as the host knows it or not, your student will get homesick. Sometimes it'll show through their emotions or diffe...
Long Term Students vs. Short Term Students
So what defines a short term student and a long term student? Mary defined a short term student as being anywhere less than 6 months, but after she sa...
Experiences of Being a New Homestay Host from Jennifer Longworth
In today's episode, Erin had work to do, so Mary got to chat with Jennifer Longworth from Lexington, Kentucky. A new host parent who's only hosted a t...
Food & Meals for Your Students
How do you meal prep for your students? What do you incorporate into your meal plans for them? Food is a big factor when it comes to homestay experien...
Fearless Communication Skills and Owning Your Moxie with Heather Thompson
One of the major challenges of hosting international students is to navigate the language barrier. Communication is key to any relationship, so how do...
10 Steps of Culture Shock
Culture shock can come in many different forms, not just language for international students. From food, to hygiene, and even the way people dress. It...
Cultural Expectations with Master Homestay Host Tatiana Robertson
When you decide to host international students in your home, it's not an easy decision, especially if this is your first time. And even if you have ho...
Erin & Mary's Favourite Things
What are some of your favourite things? Things to indulge in, to keep you calm, or things that you love and won't give up. What can't you live without...
Part 2 - Sending Your Kids to Study Abroad and the Homestay Industry with Jennifer Wilson from the Canada Homestay Network
This is part two of our conversation with Jennifer Wilson, the Managing Director of the Canada Homestay Network. As relationship experts, they are not...
Part 1 - Homestay Expertise and Building Relationships with Jennifer Wilson from the Canada Homestay Network
How do you build a successful relationship with homestay students? You ask the experts. In this episode, we chat with Jennifer Wilson, the Managing Di...
Back to School and Navigating Airports
So with summer here in the Northern Hemisphere fading away, it signals the time for back to school. Which means previous students have left and new st...
Summer Hiatus
We are taking a couple weeks off to be out in the sunshine, experience a little bit of travelling, and visiting family, so no new episodes this week....
World Student Day with Languages Canada
What if we had a day to celebrate our world's diversity by bringing the world to your doorstep? Well you're in luck. World Student Day is on July 26th...
Impact and Benefits for Your Kids
Homestay families can be any structure you can think of. Older couples with room in their home, singles, parents with or without kids; as long as you...
How to Start Hosting International Students Today
Hot town, summer in the city! This time of year is perfect for heading outside, exploring our natural playground, and taking in all the great summer e...
We Are Canadian Through Multiculturalism, Diversity, and Being Very Apologetic
There is a very famous "I am Canadian" rant that went along with a beer commercial back in the late '90's. In the same vein, in this episode we talk a...
Building Student Connections Through a Foundation of Boundaries with Dean Fox
Each student has separate, distinct connections with every member of your family. These connections build bonds to strengthen those networks, especial...
Encouraging Students to Make Friends
With new students coming into your home, it's always tough for them to adjust to a new culture. One way we believe that will help support your student...
Homestay Family Mindset with Jodi Johl
Being a homestay parent comes with many challenges and rewards. If you are new to hosting or considering taking on this gratifying experience, you'll...
Top 5 Things To Not Do as a Homestay Parent
This episode about what not to do as a homestay parent has a lot of laughter. Not because the subject matter isn't serious, but because humour boots c...
Food Culture and Improving Your Food Relationship with Carla Beer-Carpenter
Food brings people together, but what if food becomes a barrier? Eating disorders are mental health issues and some students arrive with a negative de...
Financial Reality of Hosting Homestay Students
Okay let's get real. One of the top or main reasons families participate in a homestay program is so that they can make some money or at least they th...
Positivity, an Open Heart, and Hosting in Toronto with Rosalyn Benatar
How do your intentions bring out the best in your family to have a successful homestay experience? What differences do the big city of Toronto and the...
Parenting and Being a Mom to International Students for Mother's Day
Mother's Day, in North America where we are and in a large portion of the world, is May 12th. To mark this occasion, we give examples of how we mother...
Awkwardness and Complexities on English Language and Communication
How do you say something in North American English versus British English? Throw in an accent and you can very well have an extremely funny scenario.<...
Top 5 Reasons to Host an International Student
In this episode, we share our top 5 reasons for hosting an international student. There are so many points, but these 5 things are the core of what we...
Creativity and Curiosity for Learning English with Greg Demmons From Real English Victoria
What happens when you open up your curiosity as a student or as a homestay parent? Education is essentially curiosity. We love this perspective from o...
Rest for Productivity
And we're back! Thanks for listening to the show and being so patient waiting for new episodes. In this episode, we go through what happened and why w...
Returning April 8th, 2019
Oh why hello there! Mary here dropping in for a quick hello! We had an unexpected break with family emergencies for me and then I forgot about spring...
Your Student Arrival Guide with a Homework Assignment
In this episode, we take you through the process of getting ready for the arrival of your student. Is the student bedroom made up? Got that extra hous...
Chinese Food Culture and Cooking with Students for Chinese New Year
In this episode, we are celebrating Chinese New Year. This year for 2019, CNY lands on February 5th and it's the Year of the Pig. In Mary's family, he...
Emotional Bonds and Departure Rituals For When Students Are Leaving
In this episode, Erin gets ready to say goodbye to one of her long-term students. To Mary's surprise, Erin didn't cry during the episode, but trust th...
Applying To Be A Homestay Host
In this episode, we steer you through the journey of applying to become a homestay host to an international student. It's quite the process as you do...
Resolutions, Goal Setting, and Fears for Hosting Your First International Student
In this episode, we are refreshed from our break and ready to tackle the fear of having a student in your home for the very first time. If one of your...
Still On Break - Bonus Episode 1
Thanks for being a subscriber to our show! Sorry, no new episode this week, but we'll be back on January 14th, 2019. Just a quick update about us from...
Reflection on Relationships, New Beginnings, Health and Soul-Satisfying Decisions
It's the end of 2018... and like everyone else, Erin and Mary reflect on new beginnings, growth, health, and some soul-satisfying decisions that were...
Sharing Holiday and Christmas Traditions with Students Who Study Abroad
In this episode, we reveal our Christmas past, present and future with our international students. Mary shares her non-Christmas household, but reveal...