I was reading some posts on the unofficial RYE message board where there was a thread on the first night with a host family. Rotary provides a list of questions for the student and one for the family and encourages them to go through the questions right away to get everything out in the open up front. That's a good idea and there are practical basic questions like
1. What do I call you?
2. What am I expected to do daily other than make my bed, always keep my room tidy, and clean the bathroom every time I use it?
Make my bed? Keep my room tidy? That might have been a deal breaker for Chloe, had she read the questions before she left. But asking even those simple questions can be intimidating, especially when you don't speak a common language. It's easy to feel silly asking strangers who have opened their home to you where you should keep your toiletries and when your bedtime is. However, the list could also be used for some unintended comic relief:
29. Do you have any dislikes, such as chewing gum, wearing a hat or curlers at the table, loud rock music, or smoking?
One girl said that the curlers question kept them laughing for hours. Maybe a hat or curlers would be permissible, but a hat and curlers would surely be asking too much. If you could gauge the humor quotient of your new host family, you could have fun and make up your own list of questions:
1. Do you mind if I call you Skippy?
2. I like my jeans to be crisply ironed. What sort of lead time do you need for that if, say, I'll be needing them at 7:30 AM?
3. Which car is mine?
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