During The Stay

Some visiting students participate in volunteer experiences with their hosts.

Tips for successful stay:

  • Be as direct as possible. As with any experience where language and cultures are different, there may be times when you are not sure how the student is feeling. Being direct can clear up many concerns and questions during the stay.
  • Treat your student as you would your own son/daughter/brother/sister. Having the same expectations can alleviate many issues during the stay and also can make the student feel more like part of the family.
  • Try to live as normally as you can. It is wonderful to include your student in some of your favorite activities during the stay, but we find that families that stick to their normal routines as much as possible tend to enjoy the hosting experience more. While some families plan a few extra, local excursions, lots of extra planning can cause extra stress. Remember that most "normal" activities are new for students, so no need to make elaborate plans.
  • Contact your local language teacher or contact person during the stay when you have questions or concerns. Some concerns may be due to cultural differences, but many times issues can be caused by the student's limited language skills or other misunderstandings. The sooner families contact us with questions, the sooner we can help with answers.

SUPPORT DURING THE STAY

  • Students travel with a teacher/chaperone who will call students periodically during the stay to make sure things are goind well.
  • Local teachers or L&F staff contact host families after the first few days and then weekly during the stay to check if there are any questions or concerns. 
  • Phones numbers for foreign teachers, L&F office, and L&F staff are given in the Pre-Arrival Mailing in case host families or students need to reach these support people.


DEPARTURE MAILING
About a week before the student departs you will receive a reminder of the departure information by mail. You will also receive a Host Family Evaluation form for you to complete and turn in to us on departure day.