Anna Pike, Host Parent: We just really enjoy having people from other cultures coming to visit us and we really
enjoy showing them how we live, showing them our sense of humour.
Samantha Wheeler, Host Parent: They come out here as young kids and often times leave as quite a mature young adult.
I must say it makes you feel really good because you’re actually part of that process.
Anna: For us it’s just a total experience of sharing cultures.
Gustavo Vieira Tacla, Brazil: I’ve been in Australia for two months now; it’s been an amazing experience. Like Brazil,
it’s a very welcoming country, you feel like you’re home. The people are friendly.
They are wonderful beaches near your home and you can go wherever you want.
It’s a safe place.
Ka Ti (Diana) Tang, China: I considered with my parents about where I
should study and they thought Australia was the most appropriate place for me because
Australia – the Aussie lifestyle is better for me because they love sports and they like
to communicate with other people from other countries – it’s more suitable for me.
Gustavo: It was easy for me because I had contact with my [host] family before I came.
We talked on Facebook and Skype; they showed me how the family is, the things they usually
do. This helped me to feel more comfortable; knowing that I would be in a good home with a good family.
Samantha: When students arrive, we like to
say our students come in as a friend and leave as part of our family. We’ll take them on
holidays with us and show them parts of Australia, which, a lot of the time, they wouldn’t
actually get to see without a host family. Once they are settled within a house and within
a family we find that the student actually assimilates into the school a lot better,
they settle into their studies, they make new friends, and it’s great to see them
get out there and enjoy Australian culture and our way of life.
Anna: We sit down and ask them about who their family is, where they come from, so that we
encourage them to realise that they’re not here to spend all their time in their bedroom
but they are here to join in with all the experiences of the family and that they are
welcome everywhere in the house. Gustavo: Since I came here, it’s been wonderful.
My host mum is such a great cooker and my [host] dad is a joker guy, which is nice because he’s funny.
Diana: I think since I came to Australia,
it is a lot of challenges waiting for me. I think I have overcome some of them. I think
most of us students have come to Australia to try something new and we’ve gained a
new experience from living in Homestay. Samantha: If I was to give advice to a student
coming to Australia to study I would probably say to them: come out here with an open mind.
Come out here ready to get involved. Be involved in everything you can and experience every
experience that you can. Diana: It’s the trip of your lifetime and
it’s a big adventure. You will learn things to [help you] prepare for your future.
Anna: You should be aware that this is a great big new adventure for you and you need to
embrace the adventure and take as many opportunities as are offered to you as possible. Join clubs.
Go and do a different sport. Meet as many people from different countries as possible.
And really enjoy your time in Australia. Gustavo: I highly recommend New South Wales
as a study option because the school facilities are great, it’s such a good environment,
the people are very receptive, and it’s the experience of a lifetime
which you don’t want to miss.