Welcoming international students and making friends from around the world 

Wayne and Veronica Guindon love hosting family and friends in their home.

When their kids grew up and moved out, they thought it would be a great opportunity to welcome guests on a more long-term basis, which is why they decided to become a host family for international students.

“It was a straight forward but thorough process to become a host family, which is exactly what we would want if our kids were staying with someone. We contacted Study Abroad Canada, provided the appropriate information about ourselves and arranged for a home visit. Once we were approved, they matched us with our first international students in 2020,” explains Wayne.

They have since hosted students from Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Mexico.

The Guindons love to learn and share culture with their students.

“One of our favorite things to do is cook with the students. They share recipes from their own countries, and we get to try new and tasty meals.”

The couple says they treat international students as if they were their own kids.

“We consider them to be members of the family and show them around the Island too. We’ve taken students to see Anne of Green Gables, Basin Head, Greenwich – we want them to have an awesome PEI experience.”

They are currently hosting two students from Germany.

“One of the girl’s parents came to visit last week. It’s great to meet new people and make international connections. They said we’d be welcome to come and visit them in Germany, which is really neat,” Wayne says.

The Guindons encourage Islanders to consider welcoming international students into their own homes.

“It’s an incredible experience. We’ve met lots of people over the years and look forward to welcoming many more.”

The Prince Edward Island International Student Program (PEIISP) welcomes students from around the world to live and study in PEI and works with Study Abroad Canada (SAC) to match students with local families to encourage complete immersion for their study abroad experience.

Host families receive $850 per four weeks in exchange for providing an international student with care, a private room with a space to study (desk) and three daily meals.

For more information about becoming a host family, contact peiisp@gov.pe.ca or homestay@studyincanada.ca