Days with Local Hosts

You will spend two full days with local FIUTS community hosts, who are volunteering to spend time with you and help welcome you to Seattle! The goal of this experience is to give you a chance to learn about the city from a local; meet someone who is interested in learning about you and your home country/community; and engage in a rich and meaningful cross-cultural exchange experience.

Normally, SUSI participants spend a full week in a local homestay; however, this is currently not possible due to covid public health concerns. We hope that even though you are not able to spend quite as much time with your hosts or stay overnight in a homestay, that you will nonetheless take full advantage of the two-day hosting experience!

Your Host

All SUSI participants will spend two Sundays with hosts. Some participants will be placed individually and some will be placed with the same host as another participant. Hosts are chosen through a careful selection process.

Each year, FIUTS places over 200 students in homestays and with hosts for other activities, and we are dedicated to supporting students and hosts to make the experience a valuable source of cross-cultural learning and friendship!

American Diversity, Host Diversity

The United States is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse countries in the world. Almost every ethnicity and religion calls the United States "home." During your stay in Seattle, you will have the opportunity to experience real America, rather than the America you may see in movies or on television.

Some hosts are older, some younger, some are families with children, some are retired couples and some are single. All hosts come from a wide range of national, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. Host families reflect the diversity of the United States. They have different lifestyles based on such factors as education, salary, geography, and religion. What they will have in common is an eagerness to welcome you to Seattle, to get to know you, and to share their lives with you for a short time.

All of the SUSI hosts are carefully screened and selected and are well qualified to be hosts. Everyone’s experience will be different and special in its own way. Your experience in the U.S. will depend on your efforts to learn about and understand all kinds of American lifestyles.

Hosts are Volunteers

Volunteer activity is an important part of American civic, political, and social life. Participating hosts are all volunteers and receive no money from FIUTS or students for their hospitality. The host's only form of payment is the pleasure they receive from getting to know you and learning about you, your life and your country.

Help them get to know you!

Your host has volunteered for this experience because they want to get to know you and learn about your country. They want to share their ideas and help you understand the United States and how people here live and think. During your time with them, please engage actively - be open to the activities you join them for, talk to them, ask questions, and share about yourself! Time with local hosts can be one of the most effective methods of cultural exchange, and one of the most fun too!

You will learn more about your specific host after you arrive in Seattle.