Linking students to a world of opportunity

We’ve been welcoming Canadalinc international students from China, Spain, Columbia, and France into our home for seven years now. Hosting students is a wonderful experience that enriches our family as we connect and share food, languages, and cultures. Long after our students go back home, we continue to cherish and nurture the relationships we’ve developed through the Canadalinc organization.

My name is Emily, I’m retired, and I have chosen to host International students as a way to connect with and learn about cultures other than my own, Jamaican/Canadian. Before hosting my first student in 1996 I was apprehensive about sharing my home with someone new, but was changed after my first experience. Now after more than 25 years with Canada Linc, I cherish hosting, and have welcomed students from eight different countries. I view every student that enters my home like family. It’s a decision I have never regretted making. Students get to enjoy a home away from home. The relationships I have built are lifelong.

Looking back on my 13 years years of providing a homestay for international kids, it's been such a rewarding experience. Not only have I had the opportunity to learn many things from my students but I have really enjoyed watching them grow and develop while they are here in Canada. I wouldn't change a thing. This has been such a rewarding experience!

We have had the pleasure of hosting students through Canada Linc.  The organization is well organized and compensates their host families fairly.  Families can also help each other out if they have a need. Canada Linc program managers are available and attentive to assist if any issues arise, however the students we have hosted have always been well mannered and respectful. Myself, my husband, and my children still keep in touch with some of the students we have particularly bonded with.  So, we have made friends to visit one day in Europe.

Our experience with Canada Linc has been nothing short of fantastic. The program is very well organized and we receive all the information we needed. The students were responsible, organized and blended in well with our family. We knew their daily routine and what was expected of us. The students were cooperative and pleasant we would recommend this to anybody. We have had students in 2018 and 2023.

We hosted a girl from Spain in 1999. She is one of my best friends. Our families have visited each other several times, she was a bridesmaid at my wedding and my family attended her wedding in Spain. She even came for a week to help me when I had my first baby! Now that we both have children, we try to get together for a summer vacation with our families at least every second year. Sometimes we have met in Spain, sometimes in the USA, sometimes in Canada and once in Portugal. Our girls are growing up to be good friends.

My trip to Canada was one of the best things I have ever done. I thought it was going to be difficult to adapt to a new culture but at the end it became the best experience of my life. My family was the best and I really enjoyed passing time with them. I am really thankful for my family because they welcomed me in a really good way and made me feel special all my trip. Niagara Falls was one of my favorite experiences.  It was joyful to be in the boat and the area is really cool with many things to do there. My favorite activity was Canada’s Wonderland. It is the best theme park I have met in my life.

My trip to Canada was an extraordinary and unique experience, where I not only enjoyed the experience but also learned to be independent, social, prudent and kind. I was able to meet friends from many different cultures and countries and I still talk to them today. I was able to feel at home with my host family. I got to know different parts of Canada like Toronto, Cambridge and Kincardine, not only with the school but also with other schools and my host family. On these outings we went with people from our same country with whom I was able to establish a friends ship and some today have become my best friends.

Being a homestay provider for international students at Canada Linc, has brought the world into my home. This experience continues to be mutually rewarding. One of the highlights of being a host is building positive relationships with students & they become family forever.

We have really enjoyed hosting students both in the summer and for longer stays during the school year.  We have made very meaningful connections with our students and their families and keep in touch with them even after they head back home.  Our students really enjoy taking part in our family life, like joining us for family and extended family gatherings and celebrations, going to concerts, sporting events and cultural outings, spending time outdoors hiking, skating, and playing sports, and even joining us on vacation when possible.  We are very grateful to Canada Linc to have given us the opportunity to open our home and welcome in a global community.

The best story I have is about our Spanish school year student. His parents and their son still keep in touch. He was willing to integrate into our family and appreciated everything we did to help him integrate into our lives and Canadian culture. He was a student that was very focused on academics, was top of his classes in our high school, and he had daily conversations with us. This led him to successfully pass his English test back in Spain at 2 levels higher, and then went on to qualify into medical field studies in Spain. He is still wanting to return to Canada in the near future and would then be able to work in the medical field here in Canada.  We miss him greatly. He will be part of our family forever!

On a daily basis we have been enriched by the unique experience that hosting a young International student provides. Inviting a young person into your home allows you to share all that you love about our own family, country and language and in turn they share their own family stories. It creates opportunities for your family to reconnect and bond, not only with the "new" member of your home but with each other as they make room and memories that last a lifetime. Moreover, hosting students has created an extended family which we are forever grateful for. The letters, photos and subsequent visits over the years keep us updated and connected. It is a blessing that will last much longer than the actual homestay duration; it is the ultimate cultural exchange. We highly recommend!

Hosting international students has been an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience for our family. From the moment they arrived, we were impressed by their enthusiasm to immerse themselves in our culture and their genuine curiosity to learn about our way of life. The cultural exchange has been invaluable, not only broadening our perspectives but also fostering a deep sense of global understanding and unity within our home. Our students have become like members of our family, and watching them navigate through new experiences and challenges has been both heartwarming and inspiring. The bonds formed and the memories created during these hosting experiences will undoubtedly last a lifetime, making it a truly positive and transformative journey for all of us.

My children have become host siblings to our homestay students- often bringing them to their social events, playing Canadian sports such as hockey with them, cooking in the kitchen and enjoying Canadian pastimes such as sledding in the snow. Our first student has now graduated from University of Waterloo and we still visit her! It's been a rewarding experience that creates lasting memories and relationships.

Since we hosted our first international student, it has been a wonderful experience. It has brought social interaction and brought us closer together as a whole entire family. Great learnings on both ends, just trying our best to make our International Students feel at home.

I have been hosting for 7 years now. It’s been a great experience meeting and helping families around the world with learning English and sharing our cultures together! Excellent experience for families and it is fun to see the students learn and grow.