Episode 30: 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 about how we love all things Canadian. It’s Canada Day and we are proud Canadians who will share with you some of our favourite or...
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Episode 29: Building Student Connections Through a Foundation of Boundaries with Dean Fox
Today, we chat with Dean Fox, a veteran homestay host with his wife and two kids. Dean shares with us his perspective of being a homestay Dad with a very practical and matter of fact frame of mind. He describes how miscommunication can happen even when no words are being used and how his family...
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Episode 28: 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 students in having better success at achieving a great experience, is to make friends.
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Episode 27: 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 want to listen to our chat with seasoned host parent, Jodi Johl.
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Episode 26: 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 creativity and problem-solving. Laughter encourages risk-taking and develops thinking skills that we use to analyze situations to create more positive outcomes for you as a host and your...
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Episode 25: 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 dependency on food, without you even noticing. So what are the clues? Today, we chat with Carla Beer-Carpenter, a registered dietitian for almost 30 years with a passion for helping people...
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Behind The Mic
Mary Chan
Mary is the founder of Organized Sound Productions, a podcast editing company and voice-over artist based in Victoria, BC, Canada and has been hosting international homestay students since 2012. When she’s not busy running after her 3 year old daughter, she can be found knitting, sewing, baking, cooking, or canning… basically making everything from scratch; everything is handmade and homemade with love.
Erin Eastman Paulson
Erin works in graphic and web design, is a student supervisor at an elementary school, and has a background in communications based in Victoria, BC, Canada. She has been hosting international homestay students since 2017. Growing up, Erin had an international homestay sister throughout her high school experience. She’s a Mom of three awesome kids aged 11, 7 and 5. Her favourite time of day is dinner time when the family sits down together to talk about their day AND learn how to raise an eyebrow.
Episode 42: Experiences of Being a New Homestay Host from Jennifer Longworth
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