Cambrian College international students spending time with a host family; December 2013. Photo supplied by Cambrian College
Cambrian College international students spending time with a host family; December 2013. Photo supplied by Cambrian College

By Angela Gemmill

At least 280 students at Cambrian College won’t be going home to see their families this holiday season.

That’s because they’re international students and it’s too costly to return home for the short winter break.

The school is looking for families in Sudbury who would be interested in hosting these students for a short time during the upcoming Christmas Season or winter holidays.

International Student Support Coordinator, Venki Rajendiran says he matches the students with interested host families based on certain criteria.

It can be for as little as two hours or overnight, whatever works best for the host families.

He calls it a cultural exchange since the students learn about Canadian Christmas traditions and hopefully share how their respective countries celebrate the holidays.

Host families can indicate if they’re interested in students from a certain nationality…since they represent over 20 countries (Bahamas, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, China, India, Jordan, Libya, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Togo, USA and Vietnam).

Anyone interested in hosting a student or a group of students should contact Venki Rajendiran at Cambrian College 705-566-8101 Ext 6940 or email: venki.rajendiran@cambriancollege.ca.