Society and Culture : Make Your Homestay In Queensland Perfect By Following These Important Tips!
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By: Adam Claydon-Platt
Date Submitted: 2009-08-04 02:23:54 - Article Views: 24
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If you're planning on doing a homestay in Queensland, Australia, and want to make the most of your time there, read these important tips before you go, and it'll help prepare you for the time of your life!
1. Make friends
The first thing to remember when you're traveling to a foreign country is that you should try to avoid making friends with people who speak your own language. It's very easy to get close to other people of the same nationality as you, because you share the same culture / language etc. But if you do so, you'll never be able to learn the language of the country you're visiting, because even if you only speak a little of your native language, it will slow down your learning of the new language a lot.
Also, it's much harder to meet local people when you're in a group of people speaking a different language, so it's important for you to challenge yourself and always speak in the language you're trying to learn. So step out of your comfort zone and make foreign friends ASAP. It can be hard to meet local friends - Queenslanders tend to stick to their groups (usually friends they've grown up with all their lives), so you might find it easiest to make friends with other foreigners that you meet in your English class etc., and the after you improve your English a little, you can make effort to start speaking to the locals more!
2. Don't contact home too much.
These days, thanks to the internet, calling / emailing / blogging / twittering home to your friends and family is so easy. Ten years ago, when students did a homestay in a foreign country, they only had contact with their parents back home via letters in the post, and occasionally Very expensive phone calls once a month or so... Culture shock back then was much harder to get used to, because even if you really wanted to, it was very difficult to contact anyone back home. Now however, it's completely different.
So when you first arrive in Queensland, you'll most likely feel homesick / culture shock etc., and will be tempted to contact home every day. This is the most important time in your homestay, when you can make effort to adapt, or give up, call home, and complain. Your primary goal should be to make effort to meet other people in the same situation as yourself (other classmates etc.), so you can help each other through the hard first stage of adapting to Aussie life. If you don't make friends quickly, you'll find yourself calling home often, complaining about the little things, feeling lonely, and missing everyone back home. Calling home regularly is the worst possible thing to do, so as soon as you arrive in Queensland, you should make effort to make at least 1 good friend in the same situation as you!
3. Choose a friendly family
Making friends can be hard sometimes. The benefit of staying with a homestay family, is that you'll be able to talk to them every day - they're like your best friends, who you can see every day. So it's very important that you make effort to get along with them too. Most homestay families are very interested in foreign culture etc., so they will be making effort to make you feel happy and comfortable too. So you should make effort to speak to them as much as possible, and you'll become good friends, and it will make your time in Queensland so much more enjoyable! So make sure you find a homestay family which cares about you, is interested in foreign culture, and wants to become friends with you!
4. Never say "no"
Everyone who does a homestay will have the opportunity to do some amazing things. You may have a shy personality, and sometimes, you may just want to sit in your room, read a book, and relax. But remember, living in a foreign country is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - you may never get to experience something like this again. So while you're doing your homestay, it's important that you should always accept when anyone suggests doing an activity.
Maybe you live near the beach, and your homestay family want to take you surfing. Maybe your English class organize a weekend barbeque, and you're invited. Maybe your university are having a special event day. Whatever it is, the more different experiences you have while you are in Queensland, the more fun you will have. Maybe it doesn't sound like fun when you are invited, but if you go with a positive attitude, you can make it fun! Most often, people regret things that they didn't do, much more than the things that they did do. So one of the most important things to remember while you're downunder in the land of Oz is that you should try as many new things as possible, and have the time of your life! |
Author Resource Required for Reprint:
If you Homestay Queensland, follow all the points above and you'll have a great time. If you're looking for a great homestay family in Queensland, come and stay with us!
http://www.homestayqueensland.net.au/
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Article Source: Fully-Explained.com 
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