My Homestay Experience

I’m Andy, an international student, from Taiwan. Before I came to Australia, I had not been to any western countries. I was wondering about my language skill, differences of life style and missing family. However, I have had a friendly host family since I left the airplane, more than two year. They are just like my Australian parents.

I was leaning English in my first year in Australia. When I had questions about language, they were so kind to teach me in term of my presentation and essay. I remembered that some English grammar was different to explain event they are native speakers. Thus, they googled that definition of the grammar to me. Sometimes it made a lots of fun.

My degree is studying about international communication which is associated with cultures, languages, and societies. I really enjoy intercultural communication. My host family and I often discuss about the society of Australia. And I also explain the situation of Taiwan. Thus, I can compare the same issue in two countries.

In addition, they help me not only studying but also daily life. I bought a second hand car last year, they helped me to connect with the seller and took me to check the car. After that, they also helped me with the car insurance and any legal formalities of car. Additionally, I had a BBQ party at home. About 15 classmates were invited to this party. My host parents were helping me from preparing to cooking. They are so friendly and helpful.

I feel like a member of their family. Sometimes, I eat dinner with their children, both of them are less 4 years older than me. They are like my brothers. The older son has a family. His baby was born in the beginning of September, 2017. They shared this joy to me. I was so glad to hear that too. I was also invited to their family party. That was another good opportunity to go with people from other culture.

Last Christmas, my mum and brother came to Australia for traveling. We were invited to join the Christmas meal with their family. This is my first time to celebrate Christmas in Australian culture. The weather was hot and the event was so interesting. My mum and my brother were so happy as well. Both of them had the lovely time in Australia. We felt very enjoyable.

Overall, we have celebrated Australian holidays like Christmas. We also celebrate the festivals from Taiwan. I cooked dumpling and shared with my host family on Lunar New Year. I bought moon cakes to them on Moon festival. That is the best way to share our cultures.

Homestay is like my second home. It gives me supports when I need a help. Actually, I have not felt cultural shock in Australia. On the other hands, I have experienced lovely time in Australia, not only in the uni but also in my daily life. I have one year left before I graduated from the uni. I will do my best to enjoy the life in Australia.