By Brooke Guthrie
Olympia residents have opened their hearts, homes and families to the international students at Saint Martin’s University. Through a weekend home stay an international student has the opportunity to experience America with local family.
“Our students were excellent cultural ambassadors who were gracious guests,” said Kristina Hermach who has hosted students from Japan and China. “It became clear that we take our culture for granted – we don’t notice what might be foreign to others until seen a bit through their eyes,” she said. “The opportunity to learn from an ambassador instead of our books or internet was most impactful.”
This year, over 200 students will come from Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan to Olympia for a two to four week intensive stay living on campus and learning English. The weekend at a host family’s home is the culmination of the cultural experience for these students, said David Martin Saint Martin’s University Host Family and Volunteer Program Coordinator. Host families pick up their students on a Friday evening during a welcome reception and then return them for a farewell event and dinner on Sunday.
Students who have participated in the host family experience tell Martin they feel more connected and less homesick. They are able to experience America in a new way and left the U.S. knowing they had a new family in America, he said.
“The experience helps with cultural awareness for both the hosts and the students,” said Kathy Martin who has hosted students from Japan, Korea and China. “The knowledge that we have of other countries is what we read or hear on TV. The personal lives of our students help us understand the uniqueness of each culture and history of another country.”
“We both enjoyed learning about other cultures and sharing our own,” she said. “The students cooked for us. We played badminton, croquet, went canoeing, and played familiar games and taught them some new ones.”
“People should become host families because it breaks down stereotypes, offers an opportunity to learn about another culture and reminds us of how much we have in common despite our differences,” said Christina Martin. “Sharing our culture with others has allowed us to recognize some of the things we take for granted. It’s also a lot of fun. A great excuse for getting out of town and seeing the sights from a visitor’s perspective.”
“The experience of hosting is immeasurable,” she said. “Our girls have learned so much that can only be gained by hosting. They already talk about traveling to places around the world! They have no fear, only open minds and curiosity toward other ways of living and experiencing. I love that about this program.”
Most universities offer several weeks to semester long home stays – Saint Martin’s University is unique in offering weekend experiences. The university has been providing these kinds of experiences for the last 30 years – many students have taken a local American experience home to their countries and many lives have been impacted by this program.
Saint Martin’s University has a relationship with about 15 schools all over the world and they encourage students to come to America to study and specifically, to come to Saint Martin’s University. Most international students who participate in the home stays are between the ages of 18-22 and primarily travel from China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Historically, other exchange students have come from Vietnam, France, Germany, Russia, Brazil, Central America and the South Pacific.
To participate as a host or for more information, visit http://www.stmartin.edu/oipd/HostFamilies.
