Dish Up Multicultural Entertainment For Foreign Guests

27 October, 2009

Do you sometimes have family or friends visit from foreign lands? Are you considering inviting a foreign exchange student or an au pair into your home? While many folks of any age do travel to new places with the goal of learning a new language and immersing themselves in the host country’s culture, all those sudden differences can be a little overwhelming.

There are many simple ways that you can help to make the transitional phase both comfortable and rewarding for any foreign guest in your home.

Try to find out about their typical routines, preferred foods and general habits. If you incorporate and consider these at your place, it may make it that much easier for them to settle in, learn as much as possible with a positive mindset and confident outlook, and create fond and lasting memories.

One example could be the guest’s preferred start to their day; do they like to have a croissant with a slice of cheese rather than a bowl of bran flakes? If so, it should not be a stretch for you to pick up those items on your trip to the market. Do they regularly enjoy a cup of coffee or tea with breakfast? That might not be the routine for your family, but there’s no reason not to allow your guest to keep up with the foods and beverages they regularly consume at home. There will be plenty of time for them to revel in traditional American fare like hamburgers, pizza and copious quantities of energy drinks.

Be considerate of the newcomer’s nature. Do they prefer a good deal of alone time, or are they gregarious, outgoing and truly like to have plenty of company at all times (or maybe fall somewhere in the middle)?

If you have satellite TV reception in your home, it’s easy to add on international programming. DISH Network offers feeds from practically every conceivable nation. If you have a visitor from France, there are shows from TV5monde network, Eurochannel, Euronews and Paris’ TraceTV (a 24-hour French language music video channel that most young people truly appreciate). Having this entertaining resource in the home is a wonderful way for your guests to relax and keep up with news from their homeland while also getting a comforting dose of their native language. Keep an eye out for money-saving DISH promotions.

Learning to speak at least a little of your visitor’s language should be mandatory. If you can also learn to prepare a favorite meal, and take them occasionally to a restaurant of their choosing, you’ll make great strides in easing their American transition while making your place feel like a true home away from home.