UOW Homestay – a cultural experience for all

My friend Lizzie is a homestay host for international students attending the University Of Wollongong for study or exchange. Lizzie has been involved with this program for many years, with a break during Covid when international travel was brought to a halt.

This time her guest is Rina, who is from Kanagawa to the south of Tokyo, and lives in a house near the sea with her parents and two siblings. Although she is only 20 years old, this is Rina's second time in Australia as she visited Sydney when she was in grade seven.

Rina is studying childcare in Tokyo city, commuting by train from her home one and a half hours away. She is in Australia for two weeks, learning English and early childhood education at the University of Wollongong. She told me that she had learnt some English nursery rhymes such as Incy Wincy Spider. There are 35 young people in her group.

Apart from spending time in Wollongong with her friends, Rina’s group has been on a day trip to the Blue Mountains. She has also managed to find time to engage with local wildlife at Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh.

UOW Homestay connects international students with local families and both benefit from a rich cultural exchange. The students are encouraged to integrate into the family to experience a new culture and lifestyle. Visitors can range in age from as young as 10 to mature-age students and even teachers and professors, and their stay can be a short, medium or long-term one.

Knowing about my love of food and cultural cooking, Lizzie invited me to a traditional dinner prepared by Rina. It was a chance for Rina to learn some cooking-related English terms and for her to show us some of her Japanese cooking techniques.

Find out more about UOW Homestay here.

Get Rina's recipes here