Homestay

Saleh2020 wrote:

Do you think we can establish a homestay system in Riyadh for kids?

It can be for different periods!

Regards,

I'm not sure what you mean by this.  More detail, please?

if you mean like a day care facility...i think you will get a great response

Students usually stay with a family when they travel abroad for improving and practicing a language.

Can this be applied here in Riyadh?

Regards,

Saleh2020 wrote:

Students usually stay with a family when they travel abroad for improving and practicing a language.

Can this be applied here in Riyadh?

Regards,

Yes, I know what a homestay is but I'm still not sure what you mean.  Do you mean foreign students coming to KSA to study and stay with a family here?  Or do you mean Saudi students leaving for other countries and staying with families in those countries?

If you mean students coming to KSA, the visa requirements make it very, very difficult to enter this country.  I think if a student wants to study Arabic, for example, he or she would go someplace easier, like the UAE or Kuwait (or Egypt if it ever settles down there).

But you do propose an interesting idea if I understand you correctly.  Do you think Saudi families would be willing to take foreign students into their homes?

I think Saudi families will not be able to do that nowadays at least. What I meant is the other way around, Saudi kids can stay with other non Saudi families who live here in Riyadh. Some families send their kids abroad but others can't especially for very young ones.

It can have certain arrangement though.

Regards,

Wow, what a very interesting idea!  Do you think it would work?  Would Saudi's entrust their children to foreign families?

They entrust families abroad and away from them, how about something arround you?! As long as you meet the family and have an intrview with them and may be meet your kids frequently (depends on the agreement) why not?!

Let's establish this business Alliecat

Regards,

Saleh2020 wrote:

They entrust families abroad and away from them, how about something arround you?! As long as you meet the family and have an intrview with them and may be meet your kids frequently (depends on the agreement) why not?!

Let's establish this business Alliecat

Regards,

I'll tell you something interesting, Saleh.  I know that people in KSA want to improve their English and I've often wondered why they don't invite native speakers into their lives.  If a Saudi family were going for a picnic in the desert, for example, and invited me to come, we'd be speaking (practicing) English for the entire afternoon!  They'd be getting several hours of free instruction and I'd be getting a nice afternoon out.  It's win/win but nobody does it!

I will do that from now. How do you want to start?

Regards,

Saleh2020 wrote:

I will do that from now. How do you want to start?

Regards,

Do what?  Invite me for picnics? lol

lol...great idea...i think there is some informal foreigners already doing this. usually in a compound, it is very safe for the kids. a language exchange program would be nice, i would sure love to learn more arabic.
some of the families of the physicians here offer english tuition to saudi ladies as a part time job and they say it is financially rewarding.

imraan007 wrote:

lol...great idea...i think there is some informal foreigners already doing this. usually in a compound, it is very safe for the kids. a language exchange program would be nice, i would sure love to learn more arabic.
some of the families of the physicians here offer english tuition to saudi ladies as a part time job and they say it is financially rewarding.

I do a lot of free lance tutoring myself but ... wouldn't it be great to have something different?  Where it's not a job; rather, where it's an enjoyable social setting with no money exchanged.  Instead the expat gets to go someplace she/he wouldn't ordinarily be able to go and the Saudi family gets an afternoon of speaking/listening with a native speaker.

@Alliecat...i think were on the same line... i am doing some language exchange program free, with some locals here and get some arabic in return, i also get to spend some time in some amazing places. i love to learn about cultures so any opportunity i get i am out with some1 new. i spent a weekend in the desert with ppl who did not know a single word of english. what amazed me is our ability to communicate. i mean here i was stuck in the middle of no where, not knowing arabic and we had so much fun communicating in so much body language and broken english. i highly recommend you try it out, it may be not something we r used to but it is fun just to see what ppl are up to and btw, did u go to janadriya festival?

@ Allie - Its a Win Win situation for every one and a great Idea. Somehow I feel its unrealistic in the present scenario

imraan007 wrote:

@Alliecat...i think were on the same line... i am doing some language exchange program free, with some locals here and get some arabic in return, i also get to spend some time in some amazing places. i love to learn about cultures so any opportunity i get i am out with some1 new. i spent a weekend in the desert with ppl who did not know a single word of english. what amazed me is our ability to communicate. i mean here i was stuck in the middle of no where, not knowing arabic and we had so much fun communicating in so much body language and broken english. i highly recommend you try it out, it may be not something we r used to but it is fun just to see what ppl are up to and btw, did u go to janadriya festival?

It's because I've done this that I know it's a lot of fun!  But it doesn't happen enough.  Usually people just want to pay me. Of course, it probably all comes back to gender.

And, I'm going tonight!

we got a group going down but maybe i am not gonna be with them maybe another weekend of studying.

yes Alliecat, I will just give me your contact and will arrange something.

Imraan, I went yesterday and I wrote about it here:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=142567

Regards,

Interesting concept.

What if the picnic sucks because both families didn't click?

Saudi Guy wrote:

Interesting concept.

What if the picnic sucks because both families didn't click?

I wasn't referring to families, actually.  Was talking about myself, and seriously I'd only go if I kind of *knew* them before hand.  In otherwords, I wouldn't answer a classified ad on expatriates.com

Saudi Guy wrote:

Interesting concept.

What if the picnic sucks because both families didn't click?

Alliecat : Always suspicious, Cat in Black

@ Saleh2020 : I would be happy to help you improve your French by the way ;)just book me a place in your 4*4 :p

Abu_Adel wrote:

Saudi Guy wrote:

Interesting concept.

What if the picnic sucks because both families didn't click?

Alliecat : Always suspicious, Cat in Black

Dude! You've got to learn to read these things!!  I didn't say that--Saudi Guy did!!!

Hey Alliecat, how ya doing?