Month: November 2018

Episode 7: Advocating For and Supporting International Students

November 26, 2018 Homestay Kitchen Holiday, Long-term hosting, Short-term hosting 00:47:37

In this episode, Mary challenged Erin to talk about her being a Mama Bear; tender claws out and ready to advocate for her students. Listen for the way Erin handles challenging situations including when she rescues Christmas for her student’s friend and dealing with high school teachers, which can be challenging all on their own. Then we take a little side track as Mary gets a delivery at the door… all before Mary shares her stories about how she saved a student’s romantic relationship, which causes Erin to feel like throwing up because of the suspense.

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Episode 6: Selecting International Students for your Homestay Family

November 19, 2018 Homestay Kitchen Holiday, Long-term hosting, Short-term hosting 00:44:11

In this episode, we share our experiences of how we select international students to become a part of our homestay family.  We chat about how one student in Mary’s short-term homestay experience got her to change her number one request on a student profile.  We walk through what you should consider when matching a student profile to your family, and ultimately, how we decide to host a student in our home.  Then we explore Erin’s detailed student profile applications, while she goes on one of her tangents to provide some very insightful tips for what to do with your kids when travelling with your students.

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Episode 5: Canadian Student Life, Parental Pressure Studying Abroad, and a Passion for Music with Jenny

November 12, 2018 Homestay Kitchen Cooking with Students, Guests, Holiday, Long-term hosting 00:38:59

In this episode, we dive in with Erin’s student from China, Jenny. She’s here on a high school program for a couple years and at the time of the recording, is one of two students in Erin’s home. Jenny has a love of music that we explore and hear samples of during the show. She truly is talented and has a passion for life, which we’ll hear about as she describes her student lifestyle in Canada, the pressures of studying abroad away from her parents, and what her dreams are for the future after completing her Canadian high school education.

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Episode 4: Weaving Birthday Traditions with Cross Cultural Experiences

November 5, 2018 Homestay Kitchen Birthdays, Cooking with Students, Food, Long-term hosting, Short-term hosting 00:38:06

In this episode, we dive into birthdays! Jon and Blake’s birthdays are one day apart, so we talk birthday plans and what Erin’s students have up their sleeves for Blake… while Mary reveals her one big mistake in communication about birthdays with her first ever student.

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