{"id":924,"date":"2016-01-01T14:31:10","date_gmt":"2016-01-01T22:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/?p=924"},"modified":"2015-12-17T14:32:52","modified_gmt":"2015-12-17T22:32:52","slug":"4-mistakes-first-time-host-families-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/4-mistakes-first-time-host-families-make\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Mistakes First-Time Host Families Make"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If you\u2019re preparing to host an international student in your home, you\u2019re probably pretty excited, but you might also be a bit nervous, too. A lot of host families have the best intentions, but they still end up making the same mistakes with their students. Here\u2019s a quick guide to avoid the biggest goofs that first-time host families make.<\/p>\n

Speaking Way Too Loudly<\/p>\n

This is something almost everyone does when they speak to someone who doesn\u2019t speak their language very well yet. They\u2019ll try to speak slowly and enunciate their words, which is really great, but they\u2019ll also tend to take the volume up a few notches. That\u2019s not necessary, and it can be off-putting.<\/p>\n

Failing to Communicate Your Routines and Traditions<\/p>\n

Before your student arrives, take a look at your regular daily and weekly schedules at your house. Then take a look at the calendar for when your student will be staying with you. Do you have any routines or traditions that are going to be out of the ordinary for your student? When your student arrives, take the opportunity to talk about them, explain them, and invite your student to join in, too.<\/p>\n

Taking It Personally<\/p>\n

If your student accidentally breaks a rule or seems rude because they\u2019re having trouble communicating or they have different customs where they come from, don\u2019t take it personally. Instead, use it as another opportunity for communicating and learning about each other\u2019s lives and cultures. Chances are pretty good that your student didn\u2019t mean any offense and will probably feel pretty bad that they offended you or hurt your feelings, so don\u2019t stew about it or take it personally.<\/p>\n

Smothering Them<\/p>\n

Finally, when your student arrives, they\u2019ll probably have just gotten off a really long flight, and they\u2019re probably going to be tired. Give them a little while to unwind and decompress, and don\u2019t smother them with activities and constant attention. Do, however, make sure that you invite and include them whenever you can. It\u2019s a bit of a balancing act, but you\u2019ll get the hang of it quickly enough if you try.<\/p>\n

Hosting an international student can be incredibly rewarding, and you can avoid a lot of embarrassing, awkward, and unpleasant situations if you just avoid these four mistakes. For more information on becoming a host family, contact us today or start the application process right now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re preparing to host an international student in your home, you\u2019re probably pretty excited, but you might also be a bit nervous, too. A lot of host families have the best intentions, but they still end up making the same mistakes with their students. Here\u2019s a quick guide to avoid the biggest goofs that first-time host families make. Speaking Way Too Loudly This is something almost everyone does when they speak to someone who doesn\u2019t speak their language very…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=924"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":926,"href":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924\/revisions\/926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ushhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}