Homestay Kitchen

Episode 37: Erin & Mary’s Favourite Things

October 7, 2019 Homestay Kitchen Communication, Food, Self Care 00:43:55

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?

In this episode, we go through some of our favourite things. Whether they are student-related or personally loved by us, we share what keeps our hearts-a-flutter. Full disclosure, there’s a lot of food-related items. So get to know us and then let us know if you love the same things. Or if you have something that we need to know about. Maybe one of our future favourite things is actually one of yours that we don’t know about yet. So please let us know what you love to keep your life buzzing. Email us or find us on Instagram! We’d love to know. Thanks!

(more…)

Episode 36: Part 2 – Sending Your Kids to Study Abroad and the Homestay Industry with Jennifer Wilson from the Canada Homestay Network

September 30, 2019 Homestay Kitchen Family, Food, Guests, Long-term hosting, Parenting, Short-term hosting, Travel 00:25:18

This is part two of our conversation with Jennifer Wilson, the Managing Director of the Canada Homestay Network. As relationship experts, they are not only working with you as a homestay host, but also juggling relationships with agencies, student’s parents, and of course, the students themselves. However, in this episode, we hear how Jennifer’s role reverses by sharing her experience of being a parent sending her daughter to study abroad. Plus, we discuss the future of the homestay industry, and dive more into common issues that hosts might navigate through during their homestay hosting journey.

(more…)

Episode 35: Part 1 – Homestay Expertise and Building Relationships with Jennifer Wilson from the Canada Homestay Network

September 23, 2019 Homestay Kitchen Communication, Family bonding, Guests, Long-term hosting, Parenting, Short-term hosting 00:38:29

How do you build a successful relationship with homestay students? You ask the experts. In this episode, we chat with Jennifer Wilson, the Managing Director of the Canada Homestay Network. As a second-generation leader of the Canada Homestay Network, Jennifer is passionate about creating opportunities for building relationships and believes that homestay offers a unique opportunity for all of us to break down cultural barriers and make the world a smaller place.

(more…)

Episode 34: Back to School and Navigating Airports

September 16, 2019 Homestay Kitchen Birthdays, Family, Family bonding, Holiday, Long-term hosting, Self Care, Travel 00:44:58

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 students are arriving. What does that mean for your family? Students arrive all throughout the year, but summer and September are the high seasons for student arrivals.

(more…)

Episode 33: World Student Day with Languages Canada

July 22, 2019 Homestay Kitchen Food, Guests, Travel 00:36:34

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, 2019. This free public event is happening across Canada brought to you by Languages Canada, the voice of the Canadian language education sector.

(more…)

Episode 32: Impact and Benefits for Your Kids

July 15, 2019 Homestay Kitchen Family, Family bonding, Homestay Kitchen News, Long-term hosting, Parenting, Short-term hosting 00:41:28

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 have a spare room and are welcoming to people into your home, you can host! However, if you have kids, hosting students can really be a way to include teachable moments for your own children.

(more…)

Episode 31: How to Start Hosting International Students Today

July 8, 2019 Homestay Kitchen Holiday, Long-term hosting, Self Care, Short-term hosting, Travel 00:35:51

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 events that are ideal to be a tourist in your own hometown with your international student. If you’ve been wanting to get your feet wet with becoming a homestay host, this is the ideal time.

(more…)

Episode 30: We Are Canadian Through Multiculturalism, Diversity, and Being Very Apologetic

July 1, 2019 Homestay Kitchen Family, Food, Holiday, Travel 00:40:57

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 well-known Canadian musicians, inventions, and of course, we wouldn’t be the Homestay Kitchen without talking about food.

(more…)

Episode 29: Building Student Connections Through a Foundation of Boundaries with Dean Fox

June 24, 2019 Homestay Kitchen Communication, Family bonding, Guests, Long-term hosting, Parenting, Short-term hosting, Travel 00:43:12

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 even vacationed to Disneyland with another student.

(more…)

Episode 28: Encouraging Students to Make Friends

June 17, 2019 Homestay Kitchen Birthdays, Long-term hosting, Short-term hosting 00:25:54

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.

(more…)