Finding Community in 2020: Ruying's Homestay Story

FIUTS is about friendship, connections, and international understanding. 2020, in too many ways to count, challenged the team at FIUTS to be flexible and adopt to the new (and ever-changing) normal. In some homes, the office has moved to the kitchen table and co-workers have become squares on a screen. Yet, the mission of FIUTS has remained the same: to build and support community.

We have all had to adapt, but in a time that has caused many people to feel isolated, FIUTS has continued to put friendship first. One community member, Ruying, tells her story:

“I had a chance to experience the FIUTS Homestay program in May 2020 due to the disruption of COVID-19 pandemic. I previously decided to go back to my home country in March, however, due to various reasons, I was not able to return [until the end of May]. UW accommodation at the time was only provided for free until [the] 10th of May, which left me two weeks to stay in Seattle without a place. I was looking at Airbnb or to stay with friends at first, but neither options became viable as the former one was way too expensive, and the latter was infeasible as most of my friends were gone.

Since I had a chance to intern at FIUTS during the winter quarter, I got in touch to see [if they could] help me in any possible way. I still remembered the day I received an email from Samantha saying she had contacted some host families who were willing to offer me a room for free. I was really grateful and I still am right now.

My hosts lived near University Village, with two teenage kids around. The experience was fantastic as I got the last chance to immerse in the local U.S. culture. The family members were vegan, [so] I was able to try lots of delicious vegan food and calm my mind down for some days. I got anxious when suffering the impacts of COVID-19 alone. Having the chance to talk with others, even [about] little things, or just staying together helped a lot. I felt the same when coming to the U.S. the first time as an exchange student, and FIUTS [hugely helped me bond] with others through various activities.

Moreover, there were 4 cats and one rabbit in the house. Observing these little animals distracted me from the macro-environment and made me think how they communicate with each other. Talking about communication, I was nervous first when meeting with the host family as it’s like a sudden intrusion into someone’s intimate circle. However, everyone in the house was very friendly and welcoming. I was able to discuss lots of fun things and eat in the courtyard with them on the first day. They also helped me to dispose of some items that I could not bring back to my home country, which I really appreciated a lot.

[All in all], it will really be a cherished memory. I really want to express my thanks to FIUTS as they sincerely promotes cultural connection and international understanding, which is not easy under today’s uncertain environment.”

While our Homestay Program is currently on-hold due to continued risks of the pandemic, we look forward to the day our host families can safely connect with students once again. Until then, FIUTS will continue to do whatever it takes to serve our global community.

Click here to make a gift today to support international connections and diverse leaders.