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t is perfectly normal to want to contact your natural parents and tell them that you are having difficulties. But remember they are not familiar with or aware of the entire situation in your host family. So asking for help from your natural parents is not the quickest way to solve the problem.
Wait before contacting your parents if you want to talk about day-to-day difficulties. Try instead to talk with your host family. More importantly, give yourself time to work it through and understand the situation. Before unnecessarily worrying your parents, you may find that the issue has improved or been resolved thanks to the cooperation with your host family. Your local YFU area representative is also important to contact should you have problems with your host family that you need to talk about. “I now realize that trust is very important when you are in a country so culturally different than your own, such as India. And that it is very important to believe that YFU has your best interests at heart. If you do not do that you will, probably, go home. It is natural to talk to your parents at home, and take their advice; however it took me ten weeks to understand that they could not help, even though they wanted to.“ ––Sunniva from Norway (exchange to India) Without communication it is quite possible there will be misunderstandings that make your home stay less comfort. Sharing your problems with your host family will help them get to know you better, and demonstrate that you appreciate their help and are making an effort to be part of their family.
Remember that contacting your parents every time you are experiencing some troubles may give them the wrong impression. They may start thinking that your experience is really troublesome. It is better to stick to a schedule if you want to contact your parents. This will give you time to think about and react to your experience and emotions first. Then, when you have contact with your parents, you can share both the good and bad experiences. This will give them a better feeling about your decision to participate in a home stay program.
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FU staff and volunteers, specifically your local area representative, can help you to solve normal, day-to-day problems. Additionally, they will be able to assist you with legal, visa, medical or emergency issues that you might face. YFU has over 60 years of experience working with different cultures and students, so they can understand many of the challenges you face. It is important to contact your local YFU volunteer if you have problems with your host family that you need to talk about. Try to be honest and open when you request help from your YFU volunteer. It is important to call your YFU volunteer once in a while and work together, so you can form a two-way relationship. If you never contact the volunteer and always say I am fine, the volunteer cannot build trust with you. This trust will be needed when dealing with bigger problems later on. The volunteer is like your “lifeline” for you outside of the host family. © Youth For Understanding International Educational Services
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