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Always
ask questions if you are not sure about something! It may take a few
days to get know each other.
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Do not
bring strangers to the house without permission from the host family.
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If you
want to bring a friend home, please ask your homestay family in advance
if it is all right to do so. Do not forget to confirm the visiting hours
with your host family.
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Always
let your host family know what time you will be home. Host families can
get extremely worried about your safety.
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If you
plan to eat out, please call your host family at least 2 hours in
advance and let them know that you will eat out.
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Find
out when you can receive calls and for how long you can keep the phone
busy. If you make long distance calls from the host family's home, you
must use a calling card or make collect calls.
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Washing
your laundry - consult with your host family upon arrival about how and
when you can wash your laundry.
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Bathroom – If you are sharing a bathroom with other members of the
family, please find out when is the best time to have a shower and for
how long. It is your responsibility to provide your own bathroom
supplies such as towels, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste etc…
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Cleanliness – You are responsible for keeping your room clean. You are
expected to remove your plate and utensils from the table after meals.
However, you are not required to do home chores such as baby sitting,
gardening, house cleaning…etc
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Don't
forget to turn off the lights! Turn off the TV or radio when you are not
using them.
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Dial
911 in emergency situations to reach an ambulance or the police.
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You
should have medical insurance that covers any medical expenses that may
happen during your stay in Canada. Make sure to show proof of insurance
and emergency contact details to a VHA representative and the host
family upon arrival. Insurance can also be purchased in Canada within
the first five days of your arrival.
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Neither
the host family nor VHA-Vancouver Homestay Agency Inc takes any
responsibility for your medical or emergency medical expenses.
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Also
VHA–Vancouver Homestay Agency Inc does not assume any responsibility for
any injuries you suffered while in the host family's care. Please
consider getting insurance that covers both health care and emergency
medical.
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If any
physical or verbal abuse occurs, the student or visitor will be removed
from the home immediately. The incident will be reported to the police
and legal actions taken. (Applies to both the student/visitor or host
family)
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If you
have any concerns that you cannot discuss with your host family, please
contact your Vancouver Homestay Agency Representative and/or your
parents or your guardian as soon as you can.
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If you
accompany your host family on holidays, outings, or trips, you must pay
for travel arrangements, admission tickets and personal expenses. The
host family will pay for accommodation and food.
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Canadian multicultural society is what international students are bound
to learn and experience on a daily basis. At VHA in Vancouver, we make
sure that we accept families that are willing to speak English with the
student at all times in order to improve the student's English language
skills.
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International students who do a Canadian homestay must be willing to
learn about and accept possible differences in Canada’s multicultural
society, for
example: the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, women's rights,
freedom of speech, environmental protection, and animal rights.
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As a
user of this website and our company services and as a potential
homestay applicant, you must agree to our privacy policy. If you receive
any information or material from us regarding homestay placement, the
information and materials provided to you must remain confidential and
must only be used for the purpose of making a decision regarding
accepting or rejecting a homestay offer. Here is our
privacy policy
