For many international students, summer is typically a time to return home, reconnect with family, and enjoy familiar cultural traditions. But when students stay in the U.S. over the summer, it can be a season full of mixed emotions — excitement, homesickness, and the desire to feel connected. As a host family, your willingness to open your home during this time makes an enormous difference.
One of the most meaningful ways to support your student this summer is to invite their culture into your home. Whether it’s trying a recipe, celebrating a summer tradition, or simply asking them to share how their family would spend this season back home, these small moments can go a long way.
Here are some ideas inspired by Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese summer traditions:
🇨🇳 China: Dragon Boat Festival & Cooling Foods
Festival: The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Jie (端午节), usually falls in June. It’s celebrated with dragon boat races and the eating of zongzi — sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, often filled with meats, nuts, or sweet red bean paste.
Try This at Home: Pick up zongzi from a local Asian grocery store or ask your student if they’d like to help make it together. You could also explore other summer “cooling foods” popular in China, such as mung bean soup, cucumber salad, or cold noodles.
Conversation Starter: Ask your student how their family celebrates this holiday and what fillings they prefer in their zongzi!
🇰🇷 South Korea: Patbingsu & Family Beach Days
Summer Treat: A favorite Korean summer dessert is patbingsu (팥빙수) — shaved ice topped with sweet red beans, condensed milk, fruits, and chewy rice cakes. It’s a refreshing way to beat the heat.
Family Tradition: Many Korean families spend summer vacations at the beach or countryside. Meals often include BBQ (like samgyeopsal, grilled pork belly) and seasonal side dishes made with cucumbers, perilla leaves, and fresh greens.
Try This at Home: Create your own patbingsu night or grill out in your backyard with Korean BBQ ingredients. Let your student help prep and explain what dishes remind them of home.
Conversation Starter: “What was your favorite summer activity with your family in Korea?”
🇻🇳 Vietnam: Summer Herbs & Street Food Memories
Summer Flavors: Vietnamese summer cuisine is full of bright, refreshing herbs like mint, cilantro, and Thai basil. Dishes like bún thịt nướng (vermicelli noodles with grilled meat) and fresh gỏi cuốn (spring rolls) are staples.
Tradition: Many students recall family trips to the countryside or relaxing evenings eating street food like grilled corn or sugarcane juice.
Try This at Home: Invite your student to help make fresh spring rolls — they’re easy, healthy, and fun to prepare as a group. You could also visit a local Vietnamese restaurant together.
Conversation Starter: “What street foods do you miss the most in the summer?”
A Final Thought
Your role as a host family extends far beyond providing a place to stay — you’re offering a bridge between cultures, a sense of belonging, and a chance to celebrate the beauty of global traditions. By welcoming your student’s culture into your home this summer, you’re helping make their experience one to cherish.
Thank you for all you do, and enjoy your summer of shared stories, new flavors, and meaningful connections.