A “typical” host family with 2 lovely children: that could be what comes to mind when thinking about what a host family is. However, it exists various types of host “families”, generally depending on which kind of program abroad you’re taking part in. This is a crucial factor to take into account when choosing your language course program.
On the one hand, host families participating in the Junior Homestay program welcome a teenager like a new member of their family so that interaction is intensive. They supervise the student and immerse him in their family and daily life. The family is really eagger to share a lot with the student and learn from his culture too, even if level of integration in the host family life still depends on each host family of course. They can either be a family with children or retired people. In this kind of homestay program, the student does not attend any language course, it’s a pure immersion program generally for juniors during summer holidays.
On the other hand, host families hosting students attending a Language school program offer room and board, it is a mere type of accommodation. Students of this language school program are usually young adults and must be quite autonomous, since this kind of host family is not asked to organize activities for and with the student. Students organize then their leisure time freely, go to school to attend language courses and participate in optional activities. They go back “home” to have a rest, to study, to have their meals and to sleep…
In this kind of program, students usually do not spend so much time in the host family during the day and prefer staying with their schoolmates or visit the town. In opposition to host families for homestay programs, there might be no intensive interaction with the members of the host family and it may mainly deals with daily issues and daily conversation. These host families can either be a family with or without children, a single-parent family, retired people, a woman living alone…
Now that you know the main differences between host families hosting students for Junior Homestay programs and host families for Language school programs, you’re ready to go abroad!
Three weeks ago we talked about “culture shock” and tried to understand better what it deals with. Here are some advices to make the culture shock less important and the recovery easier when going abroad.1) Cultural relativism: focus on the idea that no one culture is “right” or “wrong”. So don’t use your own standards to compare and judge other cultures with, but try to understand why the way of doing of the other culture differs from yours, and vice versa.
2) Get prepared:learn the language! Culture and language use are strongly linked. This will give you not only some control in the new culture once you get there, but also the opportunity to meet people and socialise. Making friends as soon as you can is important. Don’t forget to find out about food, customs and so on before you go, not to be unpleasantly surprised or even shocked.
3) Work on yourself: raise your self-awareness and listen to yourself! Be observant on what’s going on around you, and try to notice behavioral differences. Try not to lose your temper, keep your sense of humor and reserve judgement when you get frustrated.
4) Be sensitive, open and tolerant: when something goes wrong take a new look at yourself, try to understand if you might have done it the “wrong way” within the other culture. Don’t dismiss things you don’t know about. On the contrary, try to put yourself in the shoes of the other culture to better understand how their world is and why.
5) Be social and extrovert: even if you tend to be shy, adopt a new identity and be the person you’ve always dreamed to be. Forget stereotypes! You blind yourself to all the other charateristics peculiar to the other culture when you focus on stereotypes.
Some situations to avoid!
A common reaction to difference is seeking things you are acquainted with. This is part of the critical stage 2 in cultural shock process: you tend to over-idealise your own culture and as a result, to make the gap between both cultures become more important! So be careful, this generally leads to super ethno-centric moaning situations in which you tend to downgrade the benefits of your host culture. Don’t forget that the main objective when going abroad is not to entirely replicate your home country, do you think it would be worth going in a foreign country then?
In a nutshell
Enjoy differences! See the positive side of this experience, and make the decision to adapt your habits and behaviour by changing them a little bit to better match the culture you’re in. You will be surprised on how fast things will pleasantly evolve. People will apreciate the effort you make, and you’ll enjoy a lot this unique and rewarding experience!
Have you ever experienced cultural shock? What happened and how did you cope with it? Tell us about it!
Going abroad and leaving your country, the one you’ve grown up in, your culture and traditions… that’s not easy for anyone. You can even quickly feel homesickness, due to what’s called “culture shock”. This mainly happens in a case of a long stay (several months) in a different culture. Culture shock has been divided up into a process of 5 main different phases. Let’s see them with Rebecca Fong, a teacher of intercultural communication at the University of the West of England.
1. Euphoria or exhilaration
This phase is also called “the honeymoon period”. It usually takes from a few weeks to a few months depending on your personnality and the cultural distance, that’s to say how different both cultures are. Everything is new and great, you see it as an exciting experience and you tackle your problems with good humour. Actually you’re too busy to get depressed.
2. You realise that you’re an outsider
You start to experience the differences between both cultures and to face some problems: trafic problems, you don’t like the typical food there… Even if people are pretty kind to you, you just feel like you’re a misunderstood person. This is a critical stage because you begin to over-idealise your own culture and make the gap between both cultures become more important. Lots of people give up at this stage after having suffered it for a while.
3. Recovery and acculturation
This is the learning process, your language skills definitely improve and, as a result, your contact with the culture also improves and you integrate better with it. You also make more efforts to be part of the community, making friends and being interested in typical manners and customs of the country. You’re on the right track to recover from your culture shock! However, in this stage, you might still want to impose your own ideas rather than accepting the one of the host culture…
4. You adjust properly and appreciate the other culture
You really start to understand the norms and values of your host culture for what they are, and feel pretty integrated and comfortable with it. You might even believe that some of your host culture’s values are better than your own! =)
5. Going back home
Going back home can be quite a challenge too. Indeed, you might face some difficulty to re-adapt to your own culture after a long period spent abroad! This might be considered as re-acculturation or re-entry shock. But don’t despair, as Rebecca Fong says; “there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and the more times you experience culture shock, the easier it’s going to get.” (get more information about Rebecca Fong’s studies on culture)
Now that you know this 5-stage-process better, we’ll give you some advices on how to deal with culture shock when going abroad, how to acculturate and adjust properly to the other culture, making the culture shock less important and the recovery easier! In the meanwhile, you can have a look at these useful advices for students going abroad. See you next week!
You want to impove your French skills but don’t know what to do… Well, there are so many different ways to learn French in France like we’ve seen in the previous articles! But if you like practising sports and if you have free time in July or in August, then the French and sports summer camp in France is definitely made for you… Let’s mix study with pleasure!
Nacel Summer Camps in France are incredibly popular! It seems indeed that summer camps organized by Nacel, a well-known language travel agency that has been existing for more than 50 years now, have a big success within young people! Bookings for these programs don’t stop to increase year after year… and many of the sports camps are already full!
What are the keys of this awesome success?
Sports camps in France are organized in Vichy since several years now! Their success comes mainly from word of mouth, since students who take part to the summer camps even advise their schoolmates to book a place in the same program! It seems that former participants are very enthusiastic about the fact that sports summer camps in Vichy combine French language courses and sports activities. Indeed, many different sports are available such as Tennis, Basketball, Soccer and even Rugby and Golf! Some of these camps are really popular and get full very quickly.
Here is Pablo’s testimonial, a 16 year-old Spanish boy who took part in the program: “I enjoyed the experience very much and it was great that everybody at the camp was so friendly and helpful to us. It was a very enjoyable way to learn French. Thank you.”
The students who take part in the summer camp in France mainly come from English-speaking or Spanish-speaking countries. This kind of French and sports summer camps enables them to improve their French skills while having fun through sport! They also enjoy sharing a lot with the French-speaking chaperones who supervise them during the sport activities. Many times chaperones are professional sportsmen or women.
Even if most of the camps are full, I advise you to book the last available places of the Sports and French summer camp in France if you want to make a lot of friends from everywhere and spend an unforgettable summer!
Does a program combining French lessons, homestay in a French speaking family and discovery of Paris through activities exist? Yes, it does. Discover the Summer Language Camp in France…
If you want to make new friends from all over the world and to improve your French level dramatically in less than one month while enjoying Paris, then this program is for you!
1) Language courses in your tutor’s home: you will attend some French lessons with 3 or 4 other teens from different nationalities in the morning. All the group has more or less the same level in French, so that tutor will adapt his teaching to you.
2) Activities: visits, excursions… discover the area of Paris and the French culture in the afternoon! It will give you the opportunity to use what you’ve been learning in the morning!
3) Homestay in a French host family: you spend the evening and the week ends in a welcoming French-speaking host family. This family can welcome more than a student, often from a different culture from yours, so enjoy!
Don’t want to attend French lessons but prefer sharing the daily-life of a host family and getting fully immersed? Read more about the French Homestay in France!
Combining secondary school studies and homestay in an English speaking or French speaking host family… it’s the best way to dramatically improve your English and/or French language skills, don’t you think?! Maybe you should consider enrolling in an Academic Year in Canada…
Canada is not only famous for its natural scenic beauty and wonderful landscapes, but also for its ethnic diversity and warm-welcoming people. Just enjoy the video!
Here are some advices about life in Germany, especially in a German host family.
Inform the family
Inform the family and tell the members when you will be at home, when you need to wake up… so that they won’t be worried.
If you want to rest, tell the family that you are going to your room: don’t isolate yourself without advising your family. They could think you are feeling bad in their home.
Be thoughtful
A little present, like flowers for your hostess or a round of ices for the family, will show your hosts that you are generous. Your gift will be highly appreciated.
Be open to German activities
If your host family offers you to participate in activities, accept! If you say no because you are too shy to say yes, your family may take your “no” seriously. So say yes if you want to do something. Bring with you some clothes adapted to sports since German people love sports. Bring also clothes adapted to rain!
Children
If there are children in your host family, try to spend time with them. Try to communicate with them, but never reprimand the children.
Open up
Bring pictures of your family, home town… so you will be able to speak about your life home to your German host family. They will be very interested in discovering your life.
Always be polite
Always be polite with your host family. Don’t forget to say “Bitte” and “Danke” when you ask for something.
Vocabulary
When you try to communicate with your German host family, try not to use expressions that could be misunderstood. Instead of expressing things from a negative side (Ich will nicht, Ich mag nicht, etc.), try to use positive expressions (ich möchte lieber, es würde mir gefallen…).
Food
Try to taste everything your family offers you. Don’t do comparison and always congratulate your hostess.
Breakfast is really important in Germany: don’t neglect it!
If you want to cook a meal from your country, ask to your German host family their authorization, as well as how do electronics work.
We hope these advices have been useful!
Share your German experience with us!
Going to Canada? The advices below will help you with meals and manners there!
Meals
-Food in Canada can be different from the one you are used to. Try to sample everything, and if you don’t like something, say it (politely and tactfully) to your hosts.
There are 3 meals in Canada: Breakfast: usually taken between 7 and 8 am, it is milk or coffee, with toasts and marmalade or cereals and milk, and orange juice. It is an important meal, don’t skip it! Lunch: It is usually a quick, light meal. Usually, it will be a sandwich, a cake, a fruit and a drink. Dinner: Generally taken between 5 and 7 pm, it is the most important meal of the day. Usually, the whole family meets, and you will likely have fruit, meat and vegetables, and a dessert. This is the occasion to practice your English or your French!
-If your family is not from an anglosaxon origin (70% of the Canadian population), the food will likely be influenced by their origin.
-If you want to cook a traditional meal from your country to your Canadian host family, ask them the permission, and also how to use electronics, since they can be different from the one you are used to.
-If you are not going to be home for a meal, inform your host family. Manners
Always be polite with your family: use “please” and “thanks” when you ask something.
Communicate with your Canadian hosts: if you need something, you will have to ask them since they can’t know otherwise.
Always tell your host when you will be home or out, so that they don’t worry.
Upon arrival, ask their hosts about their habits: when the television can be watched, in which rooms you can go or not…
Don’t isolate yourself. Since Canadian people are really respectuous of others’ private life, if you shut yourself in your room they will think you don”t want to be disturbed. If you are tired, just tell them you need to rest a little.
Don’t expect your hosts to come to you to speak, watch TV… They will expect you to come spontaneously.
If you want to bring a friend over, first ask to your hosts.
You are planning to live in a Canadian host family? The advices below will help you to have an enjoyable experience with your host family abroad!
First day
Upon arrival, you will likely be very tired, and speaking in English or French with your Canadian family could be difficult.
Don’t worry, your family knows that. Don’t try to speak about too complicated subjects: instead of that, try to speak about where you come from, your family… You will have plenty of time during the rest of your stay to have long conversations with your Canadian host family.
Canadian host families
Canada is a multicultural country: Canadian citizen come from many countries. Even if they are not Canadian natives, they will speak with you in English or French, depending on the location of your stay.
The nuclear family is not as common as before: you may be with a divorced parent for example. Almost all women work in Canada. Even if this is different from your own family, you must try to adapt yourself: be open-minded!
Canadian Room
You may have to share your room with another foreign student, usually from a different country. This will be something you will know before departure.
Also, in some Canadian houses, rooms can be small: if you don’t have enough room for your things, tell it to your Canadian family: they will indicate you a place to put your things!
Washing clothes
Ask to your Canadian host family when they do your laundry, so you can give your clothes. Offer to do your own laundry if they show you how the machine works.
Bathroom
You will have to share the bathroom with the other members of the family. Try not to use it for more than 15 minutes. Ask to your Canadian host family which time is the best for you to take your shower. Bring your own products (shampoo, soap…).
Sundays
Sunday is a relaxing and religious day in Canada. Your family will be pleased if you accept to accompany them to church.
Household
In Canada, cleaning is made on weekends. Since women work, all family members participate in the house chores.
As a host, you will be expected to do little chores on a daily basis: make your bed, keep your things tidy.
Offer to dress up the table, and after eating help to clean up.
We hope these advices have been useful. Don’t hesitate to share your Canadian experience with us!
You are flying to Australia and will live with an Australian host family. You may feel a bit afraid since you don’t know what to expect of the family, or how to behave. Here are some general advices to help you get along well with your Australian host family.
Don’t go there as a tourist!
The whole point of a host family is to help you experiment the everydaylife of the country. It is really likely that your Australian host family will work and won’t have a lot of time to take you out!
Enjoy the time you will have with your Australian host family but don’t expect them to have so many time.
If you are going there with a group program, don’t go there to meet your friends: you will be in Australia to experiment the Australian life, so you wouldn’t benefit as much of the experience if you are always with friends from your country.
Don’t go there only to improve your English!
Your family knows you want to improve your English and will always be pleased to correct you when you are wrong. However, they wouldn’t understand that you have traveled to their country and live with them only for this. Share your own culture, try to be open. Also, if a member of the family or a child in the neighborhood is learning your own language, you would please him/her by challenging him/her sometimes!
Open yourself to your Australian host family!
Give your friendship to your Australian host family. Share your feelings with your family, but always pay attention to the vocabulary you are using, since some expressions like “I don’t care” or “It’s stupid” is a bit strong.
Your host mom and host dad will want to be your Australian parents: call them how they tell you to do, without hesitating!
Share your family expenses!
Even if you don’t have to, your Australian host family will appreciate small marks of attention: for example, flowers for your host mother, or a round of ices.
Also, if the family takes you out, always offer to pay for your part!
We hope these advices have been useful. Remember that a host that is open-minded, smiling, polite and generous will always go well with his/her host family! Share your experience in Australia with us!
So you’re going to Spain, and you want to know how meals are taken there? Read this short article to get more information about Spanish meals!
In Spain, there are three main meals. Meals are usually taken late.
Breakfast (desayuno): Usually taken between 7 and 10 am, it is usually milk or coffee, with cereals and milk or toasts, marmalade and butter.
Lunch (comida): Usually served between 2 and 3.30 pm, it is often taken as a snack: sandwich, with a fruit, a cake and a drink. However, in restaurants, it is much more generous.
Dinner (cena): It is served late, around 10pm. It can be salad, meat and vegetables and a fruit or a dairy product. In some families, dish is put in the center of the table, and everyone serve itself with its own forks and knife.
Spanish food is really various, and each regions has its own specialties: try to taste it! If you go to a restaurant, tapas are served in generous portions.
Spanish food can be considered as tasty, but with a lot of sauces and fat, so pay attention!
Share your own experience of Spanish food with us!
You will stay in Germany for a while. Here are some useful sentences and words to use while there!
Meeting people How are you? Wie geht es Ihnen? I’m happy to meet you! Es freut mich, Ihre Bekanntschaft zu machen. Did you travel well? Haben sie die Reise gut überstanden? I travelled well. Die Reise war gut. You have a very nice house. Sie haben ein schönes Zuhause.
First practical information Where is the bathroom please? Wo ist das Badezimmer bitte? Could you show me my room, please? Können Sie mir mein Zimmer zeigen? I really like my room. Mein Zimmer gefällt mir sehr. I’d like to phone in [your country]. Ich möchte in [your country] anrufen. I called the wrong number. Ich habe mich verwählt. The line is busy. Die Leifung ist besetzt.
Meals When do we have breakfast? Wann frühstucken wir? When do we have lunch? Wann essen wir zum Mittag? When do we have dinner? Wann essen wir zum Abend? We eat around 1 pm. Wir essen um (gegen) 13 Uhr. Can I help you? Kann ich Ihnen helfen? I’m going to dress the table. Ich decke den Tisch. I’m really hungry. Ich bin sehr hungrig. I’m thirsty. Ich bin durstig. It’s excellent. Es schmeckt köstlich. Thank you, I’m not hungry anymore. Vielen Dank, ich bin satt. Could you prepare me a packed lunch (for excursions)? Können Sie mir einen kalten Imbis zubereiten.
Health I’m not feeling really well. Ich fühle mich nicht wohl. I’ve got an headache. Ich habe Kopfweh. My teeth hurt. Ich habe Zahnschmerzen. I have caught cold. Ich habe mich erkältet. He has a cold. Er ist verschnupft. He has a lot of fiever. Er hat hohes Fieber. I have a sore throat. Ich habe Halsschmerzen.
Shops Can I help you? Kann ich Ihnen helfen? I’m just looking. Ich sehe mich nur um. Can I try it? Kann ich es probieren? It doesn’t fit me. Das gefällt mir nicht. It’s cheap. It is billig. It’s too costly. Es ist zu teuer.
Miscellaneous Where is the post office? Wo is das Postamt? Where can I change money? Wo kann ich Geld wechseln? Can you give change this bill for coins? Können Sie mir wechseln? How do I go to [a place]? Wie komme ich nach [a place]?
In this kind of program, students usually do not spend so much time in the host family during the day and prefer staying with their schoolmates or visit the town. In opposition to host families for homestay programs, there might be no intensive interaction with the members of the host family and it may mainly deals with daily issues and daily conversation. These host families can either be a family with or without children, a single-parent family, retired people, a woman living alone…
1) Cultural relativism: focus on the idea that no one culture is “right” or “wrong”. So don’t use your own standards to compare and judge other cultures with, but try to understand why the way of doing of the other culture differs from yours, and vice versa.
3) Homestay in a French host family: you spend the evening and the week ends in a welcoming French-speaking host family. This family can welcome more than a student, often from a different culture from yours, so enjoy!
