Home Stay Family to make students feel at home

January 19, 2021

More and more families in Maastricht welcome our students into their homes over the school breaks. They sign up for an unforgettable, cultural and educational experience and are willing to give one or more students a warm break at the same time!

Some scholars who live on our campus cannot go home during the holidays because of various reasons (for instance because a plane ticket is simply too expensive for them, whilst others come from conflict zones and it would be unsafe for them to return). But during this corona pandemic, many students couldn’t go home because of travel restrictions. For some students it is however important to have some time off campus. Two of them stayed at the Brouwers family during the recent winter break and share their story to show the importance of our Home Stay Families network!

 

Korpo

“The first term was a challenging one for me, I arrived a month late on campus, had to quarantine alone for 10 days and when I finally started school, I became depressed. There was so much to catch up on, I felt alone and dumb but most of all, I missed home,  especially my mom. When the winter break was approaching, things didn’t seem to get better and so I decided that I needed a week or two from school. And so I signed up for what turned out to be the most amazing experience of my life; homestay. I met this family that welcomed me into their home with open arms and treated me like one of their own. The week and four days I spent there was nothing but pure joy.  I feel really grateful for being afforded such an opportunity and my wish is that more students can have this awesome experience. Thanks to everyone that made it possible!”

Laila

“Arriving at UWC Maastricht was a dream that came true, but with this dream being so big and amazing to live, I had to face a lot of challenges along the way, from arriving over a month late to adapting to a very different education system. I went through stress and the normal feeling of being out of place in such a new environment, and when the winter break approached, I needed to recharge, mentally and emotionally. I signed up for a host family but had no expectations at all. However, I know that no matter how high my expectations would have been, the homestay experience would’ve been even better. I felt the family warmth for the first time in a while, I had so much fun baking and playing games with all of the family members, so many memorable days I will remember forever. Mrs. and Mr. Brouwers showed me so much love and support which I could not be more grateful for. The appreciation I have for them is beyond my ability to express. I love them all so much, and I feel less further away from home knowing that my host family is a couple of miles away.”

 

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