As I mentioned this is an adventure we fell into by accident, but the difference it has made to our lives our children's lives and hopefully our host sons & daughters has been life enriching.
I was 27 newly married with a 5 year old daughter, I couldn't believe that colleges/ language schools would accept us as a host family. But accept us they did and with in one week we were meeting our two new host daughters ( Spanish & Brazilian).
We were nervous, excited, scared but above all wanted to make sure that they were comfortable & included in our family. We needn't have worried they were fab and fit in easily. They were to stay with us six weeks. I was aware that they had been an emergency move from another family but didn't want to be pushy and question why. After a few weeks they told me that they had requested the move because of the way the other family hosted
The girls said it was clear that they thought it a business. The girls had to leave the house in the morning by 8.30am, not to return home before 7pm, dinner was 8pm , meals weren't eaten with the family and once dinner was over the kitchen was locked with the girls expected to retire to their room for the night
It was then I realised that we had so much to offer as a host family, sure the few extra euros help but this is not a get rich job, in fact it's not a job at all.
So what does being a host family mean to us?
It means opening not only your home but your lives and sometimes even your hearts to some of the most wonderful people you might ever meet. It means treating your host son or daughter how you would like you or your children to be treated. But above all it's about being a family that welcomes and includes.
In return you will benefit by making new friends learning new things and the happiness that only a thank you card or gift can give you
No comments:
Post a Comment