7 Ways To Improve Your Chinese Homestay Experience

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Homestay is one of the oldest forms of cultural exchange. It is an opportunity for international students and travelers to get immersed in another country and experience the local culture with the locals. How to enhance this unique opportunity, here are 7 ways to improve your homestay experience.

01

Interact

Don't be shy. Your host family has more than likely already welcomed dozens of students and travelers to their home and have much experience tending to student needs, engaging with their guests and caring for their well-being. Your time during homestay will be smoother and more comfortable once you have a personal connection with your host family.Learn mandarin Chinese for kids.

02

Get Involved

Be a part of the family. Activities and meal preparation are two big parts of homestay. You certainly don't want to miss out on the special things local families will prepare for their new friends of the family.

03

Do Your Research

One way to ease your thought of staying in China or with a Chinese family is to simply do some basic research on what to expect of homestay. Knowing something about daily life in China before you arrive would help you become mentally prepared and reduce any chance of culture shock.

04

Be Open-minded

One main purpose of homestay is learning about a culture of another country. Your homestay experience will also reflect on your perception of life that's different to your home country. Aspects of another country's culture that are foreign to you will require an open mind to learn, understand and enjoy what it has to offer you. Going into it with a positive attitude will only make everything about it better and leave you with a fond memory.

05

Follow the House Rules

Host families will have a specific set of rules to their home. As a guest, make sure to be respectful of these rules to avoid misunderstandings or inconvenience your host family.

06

Share

Sharing is caring. Sharing anything will break the ice in daily interaction with your Chinese host family. Try sharing things such as photos of your family, activities and games from your home country, or gifts that are unique from your home country.

07

Use Your Mandarin

If you're seeking to do homestay in China, you probably want to explore China and learn Mandarin. For Mandarin learners you should make every effort to speak with your host family. You can get started by getting to know your homestay family and about China. The language use will come into play here. Don't be afraid of embarrassing yourself when it comes to speaking Mandarin.

With a homestay in China you can have an excellent chance to not only learn the culture but to live in it!