UVic Homestay • English Language Centre
HOST TIMES NEWSLETTER—FEBRUARY 2012

Staffing Changes: One Paula leaves, another Paula arrives!

Many of you had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Paula Leahy while she managed the Homestay Program. We feel very fortunate to have Paula continue within the English Language Centre as the new Associate Director. A big congratulations to her as she tackles the challenges of her new role! Whilst the Homestay Program will miss her, a new Paula has joined our unit. We are very pleased to announce the newest member of our Homestay team, Ms. Paula Ceroni, who was hired as the new Senior Program Coordinator this past November. She is excited to meet and get to know our Homestay hosts! This is Paula's tenth year at the University of Victoria, as she previously worked in the Office of International Affairs, International Student Recruitment and Admissions, and in the Faculty of Business.

ROAR! 2012 marks the Year of the Dragon

Chinese New Year: January 23, 2012–February 9, 2013

The Dragon is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of twelve animal signs. The Year of the Dragon will be marked by excitement, unpredictability, exhilaration and intensity! Hosting Students that are Dragons: The Dragon is a beautiful creature, colourful and flamboyant. An extroverted bundle of energy, gifted, passionate and utterly irrepressible, everything Dragons do is in grand fashion—big ideas, ornate gestures, extreme ambitions. However, this behaviour is natural and isn't meant for show. Because they are driven, confident and fearless in the face of challenge, they are almost inevitably successful. Dragons' generous personalities give them the ability to attract friends, but deep down, Dragons prefer to be alone. Those who truly know the Dragon know he is a loving soul who will become your best ally in times of need. Once the dynamic Dragon has given his friendship, he will not let his friends down and will never falter in his allegiance to his companions. To a Dragon, a friend is a friend for a lifetime.

We truly hope you have enjoyed, or are continuing to enjoy, the experience of having an international student join in your family activities, and we look forward to our continued relationship with you and your family through the Year of the Dragon and beyond!

Do you have a suite or cottage you rent out on occasion? Let us know—we're often looking for more private accommodations for visiting scholars, faculty, researchers and students!

Connect with other host families on Facebook

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Program Dates and Registration 2012

To register your availability to host, please contact Karla at 250-472-4268 or email homestay@uvcs.uvic.ca before February 15, 2012.

First impressions—first connections

Making a welcoming first impression helps create a strong connection between you and the international students that will join your family in Victoria. Currently, after placing a student, the Homestay Program sends an email introduction to the student with basic information on their host family, including the name of their host, address, contact details and family hobbies. In an effort to help create a strong bond between students and hosts from the start, we'd like to provide students with additional information on their host family in the introductory email, and would like to include the following:

• a general welcome message that we can send to all your placed students;
• a family photo;
• photo of the home.

This soon-to-be-enhanced introductory email is not meant to replace the more personalized welcome email that hosts send to their students upon receipt of the student's information. Rather, it is meant to help in making a positive first impression. Getting to know your students before they arrive can really increase their comfort level and feeling of welcome upon arrival at your home. Contacting students as soon as possible helps ensure that important information is exchanged early, and if any issues or problems arise, they can be dealt with in a timely manner. We look forward to receiving this information from you! Please email photos and message to Karla at homestay@uvcs.uvic.ca.

Reminders

Vacation Policy

With the December holidays now behind us, and the March break fast approaching (for degree students only), we'd like to take this opportunity to remind hosts of our Vacation Policy. Families that have been hosting with us for many years may remember a time when our Vacation Policy dictated that a smaller fee amount would be paid by students if they were away from the home while vacationing between programs. This was revised in the summer of 2009. Currently, it is the policy of the UVic Homestay that all students pay full fees to their hosts for the duration of their placement, whether they are in the home or not. Of course, private arrangements may be coordinated between individual students and their hosts, at the hosts' discretion.

Resources

All hosts have access to an online UVic Homestay page where you will find additional resources such as forms and documents. We will be adding new information to this site in the coming months, including cultural guides, shared tips from other hosts and insights. Please check back often! The link is: https://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/accommodation/hp/info/hosts/

Direct Deposit

Last month, all hosts were contacted regarding a break-in at the Administrative Services Building that took place on January 7 and 8. This incident is being investigated by Campus Security and the Saanich police, and a review is being conducted by an external party. While the theft of information has affected close to 12,000 current and past employees, the incident did not affect Homestay Program information and hosts’ payment details were not compromised. Your information remains safe, and the university is taking steps to prevent such an event from happening again.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has sent us the required forms to switch to direct deposit for payments coming through the University. Please note that it is very important that we continue to receive this information as our Accounting Department is phasing out cheque payments. It is important to note that information such as your Social Insurance Number is not required for payment purposes. With our summer specialized programs fast approaching, we ask that this information be submitted no later than April 30, 2012. If you haven’t filled out your form and need one, please contact our office for further assistance.

Culture Shock

The first few weeks living in a new country with a new family can be difficult for many students. They may feel homesick and frustrated with their new environment and the language. Some students deal with change better than others, but all new students will go through a predictable sequence of stages in adjusting to their new circumstances. The adjustment phase usually takes three to four months.

Honeymoon: Upon arrival in the new country, students are excited and eager to learn about their new home. Everything will seem new and wonderful. Typically this stage is relatively short, but helping your student socialize, introducing them to Victoria and involving them in family activities does much to make the overall transition a smoother and more positive process.

Culture Shock: As your student settles in to daily life, the novelty and excitement wear off, and your student may start feeling sad or unsatisfied. Students typically begin to miss their family, friends and everything that was familiar. Students long for home and may become depressed.

Recovery and Optimism: Once your student's new life becomes more familiar and s/he is more comfortable with living in Victoria, your student will be happier. Students that make friends and experience success in their courses reach this stage earlier. Encourage your student to meet others and socialize early on!

Adjustment/Acculturation: Students become more comfortable in their surroundings, can balance the new culture with their own culture, and embrace differences. Students will begin to appreciate their experience and living abroad.

Reverse Culture Shock: Your student will experience many of the same ups and downs when s/he returns home. Students appreciate staying in touch with their hosts and will want to talk about their experience and reminisce about the times shared.

Reintegration: Your student will learn to adjust his/her new perspectives into the home country's environment and eventually feel comfortable at how the experience abroad fits in at home. Their experience, while difficult at times, will help them become better global citizens.

As a host, you may already be aware of certain symptoms of culture shock, and may notice these in your student about a month into their stay:

1. Excitement and stimulation
2. Confusion, irritability or withdrawal
3. Sudden intense feeling of loyalty to home culture
4. Physical reactions such as appetite change or headaches
5. Changes in sleep patterns (more or less sleep is needed)
6. Depression, boredom or lack of motivation
7. Relationship stress

Many students don't realize that what they are experiencing is culture shock, so if you notice any of the indicators in your student, we encourage you to talk about it with them or inform the Homestay Program. Not all students will exhibit symptoms of culture shock, but most will experience the roller coaster ride of adjusting to a new culture. Here are some tips for helping your student:

• Be welcoming and offer help often. Be proactive in offering information.
• Make a welcome kit containing a list of important telephone numbers, family members' names, house key, etc.
• Encourage your student to decorate her/his room with pictures from home.
• Ensure that your student has private space.
• Make household routines clear, and let the student help establish rules if possible.
• Be attentive to your student's food likes and dislikes.
• Encourage students to bring friends home to study, share a meal or cook together.
• Be proactive in helping students become part of the family!

Developing a strong foundation for your relationship will help the student deal with culture shock and likely make the feelings and symptoms less severe. Make sure students know you are available to talk, and don't hesitate to get in touch with our Homestay Program coordinators if you need a sounding board—we're here to support you.

Keeping Us Up to Date

It is important for us to have accurate and up-to-date information on file for our hosts so that we can provide the most efficient communication and matching of students with host families. It is also our legal obligation to have accurate information about the physical layout and family composition of your home. Please inform our staff if there are changes or additions to any of the following:

• Email addresses
• Home, work and cellular phone numbers (especially important during placement periods and group arrivals and departures)
• Family members, including partners, children and pets
• Changes in the home such as renovations that may affect student accommodations, etc.

Also, please note that Criminal Record Checks have expired for some families. We will be contacting you in the near future if you are required to get an updated check. Criminal Record Checks are required for all persons 18 years of age and over that are living in the home or staying overnight; this may also include tenants (if you have a rental suite that requires access via the home).

Please contact us at homestay@uvcs.uvic.ca or 250-472-4268 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm weekdays with any changes. Thanks for keeping us current!

The Host Times is published three times a year (February, June and October). Please contact us if you have any thoughts or suggestions; we welcome your input.

UVic Homestay
Email homestay@uvcs.uvic.ca
Phone 250-472-4268
Fax 250-721-8774

Stay up to date; check our website regularly for more news:
www.uvic.ca/homestay/

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