The Case for Cross-Cultural Homestays: Generalized

Consider how the lives of Fort Worth Country Day students might change if each and every one of them had the opportunity to spend two weeks in a home and at a school not in Fort Worth, not in Texas, not in the United States.

Seeing how other people, especially people from other cultures, go through their normal lives can be impactful. The incredible impact does not come easily. Resilience is required. “Living” with a family outside your typical comfort zone can present challenges simply by being different. A child “living” with a family in another culture has to expect some discomfort. What does the family eat for breakfast? It might be very different from his or her family’s routine. How does the hot water work in the shower? A child might find themselves turning the wrong dial and taking a cold shower for a few days before learning to ask for help. What do the kids wear to school? What do the kids talk about between classes? How do the teachers interact with the students? What do the students know and think about the United States? So many components of everyday life can be different when you explore a new culture. 

While a two-week cross-cultural homestay’s challenges and discomforts are real, those challenges pale in comparison to the rewards. A student comes away from an extended time in someone else’s home more self-aware ... of their own culture and of their own routines. The same student processes stories about the culture they are visiting differently when the lens through which they look is personal. Generalizations and preconceived notions of a culture so often do not fit what the student actually experiences. A single experience testing impressions against realities can change the lens through which a student sees the world.

An essential goal for us as educators and parents is for our students and children to develop their ability to think, to evaluate, to make decisions. We prize “critical thinking” in particular: We are called to ready young people to live on their own, to establish their own relationships, to create their own path in life. The further along toward independence and critical thinking our graduates are when they get beyond the Bryant Irvin berm, the more successful we have been. A simple two-week homestay taking our students beyond their cultural berm can be transformative.