Supporting Educational Communities Around the World: Mark’s Homestay's Sam Casto Visits the “Other Georgia”

Written By: Sam Casto - Mark’s Homestay Marketing Coordinator

International students studying here in the U.S. come from a diverse array of backgrounds and locations. As part of the international education community in America, it is important that we do our best to understand and support international communities and be advocates for members of our global village.

In April, I went with a group from Marietta, GA's First United Methodist Church to visit Tbilisi, Georgia where we would work with a community of teachers, students and their families who had been displaced from their homes by conflict with Russian military in the 90’s. 

The students, teachers and families in these communities have accomplished so much in their efforts to re-build and offer quality education to their kids. Each child and teacher we encountered taught us more than we could ever teach them, and our new found friendship brought a richness to our lives. They taught us about supporting and seeking to understand one another despite cultural or geographical boundaries; about the importance of being advocates for each other through good times and bad, and about how really, at the heart of everything, we are all the same.

During our stay, we helped the community install electricity in the entrance of their school, housed in an old concrete soviet-style building; donated textbooks and literature, worked with the kids on art projects to brighten up their hallways and put smiles on their faces, and built relationships with the teachers in the community to encourage and support their development.

We would like to extend a big thank you to the members of the Tbilisi Sea School community for reminding us that in fostering cross-cultural relationships, we open doors to learning opportunities we can find nowhere else.

By becoming Homestay Hosts, we have a unique opportunity to experience this same valuable cultural exchange, and to help a member of our international community without ever leaving home. Click here to visit our website and learn more about applying to become a homestay host today.

Click here to learn more about how you can support Marietta First United Methodist's ongoing efforts to support international communities through global mission and aid.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Ye Olde Spring Activities To Do With Your Student!

Sunshine... the smell of corn dogs in the air... yellow pollen covering everything in sight!

These are the glorious (well... mostly) signs of spring!

When you and your student start to get cabin fever, the good news is that there are an endless number of options for entertainment during this favorite season of ours. Being a homestay host in Atlanta has it's perks. Here are just a few of our favorites.

1. Georgia Renaissance Festival

Fairburn, GA - 6905 Virlyn B Smith Rd

Photo attribution: garenfest.com

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Gather 'round and witness the coolest student/host activity in all the land! Take your student back in time to the medieval days with the Georgia Renaissance Festival. There will be birds of prey, costumes of olde, sword swallowers and a royal jousting tournament for all to marvel at. 

Admission: Open Saturdays, Sundays, and Memorial Day through June 8, 2014

Tickets range in price from $8.95 to $19.95 per person. Check the website for the most current pricing and to purchase tickets online. garenfest.com/

2. Shoot the Hooch
Atlanta, GA - Locations in Roswell, Atlanta, Alpharetta, East Cobb, and Sandy Springs.

Photo attribution: shootthehooch.com

Take your student tubing, rafting, paddle boarding or kayaking on the Chattahoochee river, right in our backyard! This is a great way to cool down as the temperatures start to rise. Grab your student and head to the 'Hooch this weekend to enjoy the benefits of one of our city's best natural recreational resources. Three cheers for our green city!

Admission: visit the website for current rafting, canoeing, tubing pricing.

shootthehooch.com/

3. May-retta Daze Arts & Crafts Festival

Marietta, GA - Glover Park , 50 Park Square, Marietta, GA 30060

Photo attribution: www.marietta.com

This rocking arts and crafts festival attracts visitors from all over Metro Atlanta. The festival features exhibitors and artists showcasing handmade goods including painting, pottery, woodwork, metal, glass, fabric, soap, candles and more. And the live entertainment is always a hit!

Admission: Free!

Saturday, May 3, 2014 from 10am to 6pm
Sunday, May 4, 2014 from 11am to 5pm

http://www.marietta.com/may-retta-daze

Students: Travel With Mark's Homestay & Experience Unique Cultural & Language Learning Opportunities!

Click here to register for Mark's Homestay's upcoming trip to Tennessee!

Living in an American host family home can improve a student's English language skills, orient them to American culture, and offer them a welcoming home away from home in a sometimes intimidating new environment. But did you know that Mark's Homestay offers many additional cultural education opportunities for students to take part in, including cultural learning experiences and creative ways to develop their applied English language skills?

Students on the BeltLine in Atlanta, GA with Mark's Homestay

Mark's Homestay's goal is to bring the best of American culture to students with trips that will connect them to unique cultural experiences that help them to learn and grow. More than just the tourist spots, our trips take students to places where you can observe authentic American culture, meet new friends, and see unforgettable parts of the U.S. Students also have many opportunities to utilize their English language skills in real world settings and develop their conversational abilities while having fun with other students. 

Students, don't miss out on the opportunity to get out and explore with us! Click here to register today and you could win an all expenses paid spot on our upcoming weekend Tennessee Tour! [see video at the top of this article! :-) ]

5 Basic Practical and Cultural Tips For Hosting An International Student

Hosts, want to make the most of you and your student's homestay experience? Here are a few tips for hosting an international student that will help you be prepared to welcome your student by equipping them with tools that will help them survive a new and unfamiliar environment, and that will bring a hosting experience filled with memories that you will never forget.

1. Local Map Materials: Your student is about to be immersed in a totally new environment; new country, new school, new home, etc. To help your student navigate this new world, go the extra mile by providing them with little tools they can use to get oriented - a map of your town or city, a map of their new campus, a bus route schedule and map if they are taking public transit, etc. All of these things can make a world of difference for your student in helping them get oriented to their new environment. Ask your homestay provider, Mark's Homestay, for help providing these materials if need be.

2. Show Them How: Even simple things like calling out of country or riding the bus can be different in other countries. Help your student get oriented to the way we do these simple things by showing them how to do it - go with them their first time or two to purchase a bus card or purchase a couple for them to start out with. Take them to get a calling card that they can use to call home with. Help them set up a bank account if they need one. These are all simple things you can help your student do that will make a great difference for them, because these tasks would likely cause some difficulty and confusion when they venture out to do it on their own.

3. Take Them Grocery Shopping: Taking your student grocery shopping with you a couple of times will help them become familiar with typical American foods, where to find foods they will want to buy, and where to find those little necessities they might need. It will also help you learn about what kinds of foods your student doesn't eat so that you can avoid cooking them for the student's meals. While we want students to be immersed in American culture and foods, there may be some foods your student doesn't eat for religious or doesn't like. Often students will feel that they cannot ask for what they want. Sometimes this is because it is rude to ask this of a guest in their culture. Let your student know that they can talk to you, and that you want to hear from about what they might need.

Click here to learn more about how you can live with an American host family during your studies in the U.S.!

4. Be Aware Of Your Student's Culture: Much of the things we do and say are culturally specific. It is important to try to be aware of how certain things you do and say might translate culturally to your student. Take a little time to research your student's culture and it's customs. Again, students are here to experience all of American culture, but being aware of things that might hurt your relationship with your student, and then having conversations about these cultural differences with your student, is an important step in cultivating a harmonious and rich relationship with them.

Some things that might be off-putting to an international student:

Be aware of body language: Gestures can mean different things in different cultures; for instance even simple signs such as a "thumbs up" can be seen as an offensive gesture. Some cultures, including some Asian cultures, try to avoid eye contact as a sign of respect - this can be easily misinterpreted by an American, since eye contact during communication is seen as respectful in the Western world. While we want to teach students what these gestures mean here in our country, it is helpful to be aware of these to avoid unintentionally conveying a negative message.

Be aware of physical proximity and gender rolls: Also in some cultures, including some Middle Eastern cultures, male/female hugging or other physical contact is considered inappropriate and might make a female student feel uncomfortable. It is good to be aware of that as well. Also, in many cultures male students are used to a female family member or maid taking care of them, cleaning up after them and doing their laundry. It is good to have a conversation with your student about what chores they will need to perform while in your home; such as keeping their own room clean, cleaning their dishes and washing their laundry.

5. Help Your Student Experience Your Culture and Traditions: Whether that is inviting them to take part in your family's traditions, or taking your student to nearby landmarks and entertainment centers; everything you can expose your student to is a cultural learning experience for them. This will also give your student another chance to apply the English skills they are learning in a new setting.

The most important thing to remember is that your international student is in a new and unfamiliar environment, and being suddenly immersed in a culture you know little about can be a scary thing. Think about things from your student's prospective, and you will be sure to have a rewarding and harmonious relationship with your student!

Click here to learn more about how you can host an international student!

Tennessee Weekend Tour: A Historic University, Amazing Aquarium and Lots Of English Practice!

Students: want to travel, see some amazing attractions, and practice your English with American families?

Friday-Sunday, March 28-30, join Mark's Homestay's Tennessee Road Trip: Weekend Tour! We will tour a historic university - Sewanee University of the South, take a nature hike and picnic in the Tennessee hills, explore historic downtown Chattanooga and visit one of the best aquariums in the U.S., the Tennessee Aquarium!

E-mail mark@markshomestay.com or call (404) 822-0071 today to reserve your spot!

Host Journals: Jill and Evelyn Welcome New Students With Southern Hospitality

Jill (far right) and Evelyn (bottom) pose with two of their new students.

On a Sunday in Marietta at the foot of Kennesaw Mountain, new homestay hosts Jill and Evelyn welcomed three international students to their new home away from home for the duration of their studies with English language school ELS Atlanta. The students had traveled from Brazil, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, and despite a little jet lag, they were happy to finally start getting to know the people they would spend the next several months with. And in true Southern fashion, the host pair had prepared a food-filled welcoming to make their new friends feel right at home.

Jill and Evelyn live in separate houses on several acres of land where they keep horses, tend a small orchard and enjoy other outdoor activities. Well traveled, Evelyn's home is full with brilliant decor and relics from a diverse array of cultures and eras, and Jill's welcoming abode is just as charming with elegant and comfortable spaces that make you want to stay and listen to stories from her wealth of knowledge about local and US history. Jill rents homes on her property and Evelyn is a professional personal chef, originally from the Carribean. Both women knew as soon as they learned about Mark's Homestay that hosting was something they wanted to do, and they knew that it could affect everyone's lives in a very positive way.

Evelyn poses with one of her horses she keeps on the property.

Learn more about hosting an international student in your home.

In the living room the group enjoyed appetizers and talked about their home countries. Although the students were new English speakers, there was much to talk about, and their patient hosts were glad to help with grammar and pronunciation. "This is one of the biggest reasons I chose homestay," said one of the students. "I know my English will improve a lot faster living with them."

One student, Shoma, was especially excited about the outdoor court on the property where he could play basketball, his favorite sport. And Cleia, a young woman from Brazil, was thrilled that she would be able to enjoy more outdoor activities. They were all excited to be able to experience American culture, and that Jill and Evelyn would be planning several trips and cultural outings to take them on during their stay.

                                     

Jill's cozy covered porch makes a relaxing space for studying or afternoon tea!

Learn more about how you can experience American culture, learn English and make new friends!

After appetizers, dinner was served. A buffet style meal with delicious chicken and broccoli - classic southern food. Jill explained that it is a tradition in the south that people serve themselves, buffet style. Jill and Evelyn invited each person sitting around the table to say a blessing from their own religion or culture. Then during dinner everyone shared about their own customs from home - foods they eat, cultural traditions, some that differed and some that were very similar. The Saudi Arabian student explained that in his culture, pets don't live inside the house, and he would have to get used to having Jill's small dog around. They all agreed that each culture's traditions were not better or worse than the other, but simply different ways of living.

Jill and Evelyn are one of many wonderful, welcoming and generous hosts in the Atlanta area who are helping to provide students with wonderful homestay experiences and positive cultural exchange, and we commend them for their hospitality and the difference that they will make in the lives of the students they welcome into their homes!

Stay tuned for our next story from Host Journals to hear more about how hosting international students brings together cultures while providing unique and positive experiences!

Don't forget to find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live updates about cultural exchange activities all around Atlanta!

"Laughter Does Not Have An Accent": 6 Year Host Mom Angela Shares About What Students Have Taught Her And Her Family

Angela Green has hosted students for six years. She has welcomed students from many different countries into her home, and they have had the pleasure of living with a generous, committed and genuinely caring host. Here, she writes about how hosting has transformed her family, and how it has brought a positive mentality about different cultures that has forever broken cultural stereotypes.

Angela poses with a few of her students.

For about six years I have been hosting students in my home in Smyrna. I'm so used to having a mini United Nations at the dinner table that I would miss it if I didn't have any new students. Students from all over the world have swooned over my cooking, especially my delicious pasta! Let me share what I have learned through hosting international students... It is amazing how much we are really all alike. Believe it or not, we all put on our "tidy whiteys" one leg at a time. My two grandsons, seven and eleven, have become very 'cultured', hearing so many accents during meals. I believe we have inspired understanding between the cultures. We have learned a lot about Muslim culture, breaking media stereotypes.  We have hosted many Muslim students and my boys known them as big brothers, friends, and yes, even video game rivals! My boys want to travel all over the world when they grow up. We even had a sixteen year old boy from Kazakhstan three years ago. How many American kids can even say Kazakhstan much less know where it is? Last Christmas we had a party for our students and all their friends. It was amazing. Number one rule: speak only English. That got a lot of laughs. The one thing I remember most about all the students we've met is their laughter. Did you realize that laughter does not have an accent? Warm Regards, Angela (A Host Mom)