Studying
isn’t Everything
Most people
who travel abroad to pursue their studies are hoping for
something more. It could be proficiency in another language,
a chance to expand horizons and to discover how people live,
think, and enjoy themselves in another culture. For some,
the travelling is the important thing, the freedom to explore
other parts of the world. The problem is that the university
or college campus is a world itself, and a very international
one. Your determination to speak only English may not survive
your first encounter with others from your own language
group!
There
is so nowhere better than a campus to make friends from
every continent, but meeting the ordinary residents of the
country can be strangely difficult. In Britain, we have
a reputation (we think it is an unfair one!) for being rather
reserved towards strangers, but it is probably true to say
that an invitation to someone’s home is not very easily
obtained in many parts of the world. That’s why you
need to know about HOST!
If you come to
study in the UK, you will be able to join HOST. A HOST invitation
is just for a weekend so it doesn’t interfere with
your studies, but gives you a little break. Invitations
are also available, and very popular, at Christmas, enabling
students to participate in this festival – the only
one which is celebrated as a family occasion throughout
Britain.
There are hosts
living in every part of the British Isles, so an invitation
is also a way of discovering the country. Most hosts live,
not in big cosmopolitan cities, but in smaller towns and
villages, in the countryside and by the sea, giving their
guests a unique opportunity to know the “real Britain”.
The good news is that HOST is free. All you pay is the cost
of your travel. This is made possible because the hosts
themselves, and most of the people who work for HOST, are
volunteers.
Some facts about
HOST:
HOST is a non-profit
making organisation, founded by the British Council and
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is supported by
most of the universities and some higher colleges of higher
education. HOST’s volunteer regional organisers know
all their hosts personally, so students can apply with confidence
that it is safe to do so. HOST arranges visits for students
on their own, or for two friends together, and for married
couples and their children. HOST offers invitations to students
of any age, nationality or religion and special diets can
be catered for.
Further information
Although you cannot apply for a HOST invitation until
you are studying in Britain, you can find out much more
about HOST now by visiting
www.hostuk.org
Contributed
by: HOST
