Positivity, an Open Heart, and Hosting in Toronto with Rosalyn Benatar
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
Release Date: 05/13/2019
What Effects the Coronavirus COVID-19 Has On Homestay - EP 47
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
We were scheduled to come back in early March and then the pandemic struck. We are physically distancing and staying home, so the Homestay Kitchen had to re-work the podcasting schedule to fit a new routine. In the meantime, let's check-in with you. How are you doing? Erin is the multi-tasker extraordinaire working from home while maneuvering all five of her kids which includes two students. Mary is also navigating working from home while everyone is also home, so finding a new routine is challenging.
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End of the Student Homestay Experience
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
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 it's time to drag the luggage out and dust off that passport, we need to start thinking about our pre-departure rituals. What is it like when your student finally leaves? What strategies are you going to put into place when it comes to saying goodbye?
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Boundaries and Rules During Homestay Experiences
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
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. Boundaries around the house, food, laundry, safety issues, and even personal boundaries. What are they and how can we enforce them?
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Dealing with Homesickness
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
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 difference in actions. Or sometimes, it only happens when they are hidden away in their rooms, when the lights are out trying to fall asleep. When do you intervene and what do you do to alleviate homesickness?
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Long Term Students vs. Short Term Students
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
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 said that (and even after we finished recording this episode), we were still debating what differentiated a long term student from a short term student. Any way you look at it, hosting short term students and long term students can be very different experiences. In this episode, Mary and Erin go toe to toe on the pros and cons of hosting long term students versu
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Experiences of Being a New Homestay Host from Jennifer Longworth
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
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 total of 3 times for very short periods and all from Japan. We talk through what it's like to be a very new host and what were some of the most surprising aspects of hosting. And it wouldn't be right to talk to our fellow neighbours to the south without pointing out a couple of differences from our countries, like hockey for us and southern food for her.
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Food & Meals for Your Students
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
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 experiences. Not only the culture of different foods to eat and explore, but also how we eat and when.
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Fearless Communication Skills and Owning Your Moxie with Heather Thompson
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
One of the major challenges of hosting international students is to navigate the language barrier. Communication is key to any relationship, so how do you have the confidence to speak your mind when your student doesn't speak your language? At times you need to be fearless and in today's episode we chat with Heather Thompson who shares this grit with a side of humour.
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10 Steps of Culture Shock
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
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's not about what each culture is doing right or wrong, but about how things are done and are acceptable in different countries. Culture shock can be entertaining and fascinating to new students at first, but then it could also lead to confusion, feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and disoriented, which could induce homesickness. So what is this cycle and what sign
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Cultural Expectations with Master Homestay Host Tatiana Robertson
The Homestay Kitchen: Cultural Connections with International Students who Study Abroad
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 hosted before, sometimes you've got to weigh the pros and cons. There are so many details that could be overlooked and really, you don't know what you don't know. So we tapped into the knowledge of Tatiana Robertson, who has hosted short and long term students from all over the globe for over seven years.
info_outlineHow 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 west coast of Canada provide to an international student?
In this episode, we chat with Rosalyn Benatar, a recent transplant from Toronto to Victoria, BC. She shares her hosting experience from her perspective of living in the biggest city in Canada. She also reveals why you need to keep a positive attitude and an open heart when hosting international students and why your home is your sacred space, so students should respect your rules. Each homestay situation is so unique and has its own distinctive challenges, so let's listen in on Rosalyn's approach.
**Rosalyn Benatar** is the Owner Operator of Spa Birthday Parties for Kids & Owner Operator of De-stress Express. She is a holistic practitioner, holistic nutritionist, healing arts therapist, intuitive and event planner. You can connect with her through her website at [www.spabirthdaypartiesforkids.com](http://www.spabirthdaypartiesforkids.com) or find her on Facebook at [@spabirthdaypartiesforkids](https://www.facebook.com/spabirthdaypartiesforkids). Key Points From This Episode:
- Where is the “Best Place in Canada”?
- Rosalyn chats about her history of hosting students.
- We discuss ‘boy energy’ and why Rosalyn chose to host females.
- Is there a difference in the way people parent in Toronto?
- Find out why Erin’s student Jenny is moving to Montreal.
- Rosalyn answers Jenny’s questions about Canadian winters and what she needs to pack.
- Authentic Canadian winter activities her students experienced.
- We talk about Montreal’s reputation and Rosalyn makes recommendations for Jenny for her time there.
- We chat about students study habits and messy bedrooms.
- Rosalyn shares a story about one of her students who had to get a job.
- Rosalyn talks about positive parenting with an open heart.
- Rosalyn’s tips to get to know your students better.
- Food is so important to the homestay experience. Rosalyn shares how she made holidays special for her students.
- T&T store - the “Asian Superstore” - and Erin’s entrepreneurial idea!
- Rosalyn shares her favourite dish to make for students.
Links:
T&T
Fairway Markets
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