Georgia opens its doors every year to thousands of international visitors who work, play, and study in communities all across our state. International students occupy one of the fastest-growing economic sectors and population groups in Atlanta as indicated by the more than 12,000 foreign exchange students who studied at Metro-Atlanta universities in 2013. In Athens, The University of Georgia is no exception. International students make up an increasingly large part of the University of Georgia’s population.
Who is welcoming these students? Where do they live? Many students consider living with a host a very integral part of their educational experience.
“I don’t know what I would have done without my host family. They have helped me with all kinds of things, from finding my way around, to helping me find where to purchase things I need. They are really like my second family, I love them,” said, Karim, an Atlanta homestay student from Saudi Arabia.
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A “homestay” is a cultural exchange between a local individual or family (called a “homestay host”) and an international student. The homestay host provides a basic furnished room, private or shared bath, internet and meals. In return, the student pays a monthly “homestay fee,” which is used to reimburse his or her host’s daily expenses.
Homestay hosts can earn an extra monthly income of anywhere between $630-$1700 a month for hosting students, leaving them with a much welcomed extra income.
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Gustavo and Willa Machado have been hosting students for several months. Gustavo, a former immigrant himself, says it’s been great helping others who are going through the same orientation process he went through. He says he really enjoys the mutual cultural exchange with his students.
“It has been a very easy task for us. We’ve been able to maintain our own lives and not had to dedicate more time than we have. They get out and be independent and explore using the language, and then come back and ask us questions. It has been really fun for us. And it’s not a chore but rather something joyous. It’s a mutual learning experience,” says, Gustavo.
Metro Atlanta homestay host Evelyn Paul and her neighbor both host students. She says that all of their students have been respectful guests and dedicated students, and that the experience has been fun and easy.
“They’re coming here very serious and focused. I love to travel, I like interesting people from different countries, and having the extra money always helps. My first student was from Brazil, and now I have a Turkish student that I love. Just having that real, up-close interaction with the culture is really fun and really interesting,” says, Evelyn.
“I have a very small house, and I thought we would step over each other and get in each other’s way. But it has been such a seamless transition.”
For more information on becoming a homestay host, visit www.markshomestay.com/host, email info@markshomestay.com, or call (404) 822 – 0071. Also, follow our homestay stories on social media at www.facebook.com/markshomestay.
