For Pattie Urry, hosting students turns spare rooms into lasting connections

The Sarnia host shares how welcome packages, soccer games and everyday adjustments have helped international students become part of her household over the past decade.

When Pattie Urry’s three sons grew up, the empty rooms in her Sarnia home gave her a reason to try something new.

For about 10 years, she has welcomed international students into those rooms, sharing meals, household chores and the work of settling into an unfamiliar community.

“My house was empty with empty rooms. So I put them to use,” Urry wrote in a response to questions from the Journal.

Born and raised in Sarnia, Urry spent a few years in Toronto before returning to raise her boys. Hosting began shortly after her children finished their education. Since then, students have stayed for anywhere from four months to a full school year.

Her guests have come from places including Mexico, Panama, Libya, Tokyo, Germany, Brazil and Spain.

Urry was introduced to the Journal by Canada Homestay Network, which connects international students with local host families. Her account offers a picture of what hosting involves once a student arrives: learning one another’s routines, making room for homesickness and finding ways to connect.

She now puts together welcome packages tailored to each student’s interests, with Canadian souvenirs, candy and slippers for her cold house.

Her current student, Julio, is staying for four months. Before his arrival, Urry exchanged information with him and his family. Peanut butter cups have become one of his favourite Canadian treats.

The first week was difficult. School had not started, Urry had to work and her granddaughter was at day camp. Julio was in a new home and a new town, without friends nearby.

“So when I would get home we would talk and play games,” she wrote.

Events for students helped, as did a bus pass that allowed him to get around. Lambton Mall became a place to meet new friends.

Soccer has been another connection. Urry and her family enjoy watching him play for his school team, at the same high school she once attended. Friends who share his love of the sport have given him people to play with and watch games alongside.

At home, they exchange recipes and share dishes and floor cleaning. Mealtimes have required adjustments. When Urry worried that Julio was not eating enough on the household’s schedule, they made sure he had high-protein snacks to take with him during the day.

She also described the worry that comes with being responsible for a young person far from home: wondering whether she is doing enough to include them, while remembering that teenagers need time with their friends.

Not every hosting experience has been easy. But Urry remains close to about six former students, keeping in touch and leaving the door open for return visits or a trip to see them.

Her advice to prospective hosts is to keep an open mind and try something unfamiliar, whether a game, a meal or a tradition.

“This has changed my life for the better,” she wrote.