Family members:
New Zealand host families can vary greatly. Some families consist only of the parents and the child who is hosting you, while others have two or more siblings. It is also possible that another exchange student from a different country is staying with the same family at the same time.
Everyday life:
The day begins with breakfast, which everyone eats on their own. Then the students go to school while their parents go to work. At school, your exchange student will take you to your classroom, or you may even have lessons with them. During breaks, you can either stay with your exchange student or talk to the other New Zealand students. After school, you go home and do something with your family or meet up with friends. The students at Lynfield College either come with us, go home and do their homework, or go to work. Dinner is then eaten together. Afterwards, everyone retreats to their rooms and goes to bed at the appropriate time. Of course, we don’t have school at the weekend, and the host families often have an outing or something else planned for you. Otherwise, the daily routine is the same.
Personal experience:
My host family gave me a warm welcome and helped me settle in. We got to know each other well through lots of messages before I arrived in New Zealand, so we have no problems with each other and already know quite a bit about each other. Here’s an example of their hospitality: in the messages before my arrival, I learned that my exchange student’s father not only plays the guitar like me, but also builds guitars. When I arrived at my host family’s house, there was already an acoustic guitar he had built in my room, and he said I was welcome to play it. A few days later, I asked him if I could try one of his electric guitars. Not only did he agree, but he also allowed my friends, who had dropped by spontaneously and whom he didn’t know, to play his guitar.
