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Friends
For
Dinner
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Connecting Friendly Families with International Students
Welcome to Friends for Dinner! We are a hospitality program run by Bridges that brings international students into the homes of friendly families in HK for a tasty meal during the holidays of Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Easter.
YOU REGISTER
WE MATCH
ENJOY YOUR MEAL
How Does It Work ?
For both Host and Students, it only takes a few minutes. Click the appropriate section below
We carefully assign students to hosts according to time preference. Then send contact information to both students and host
The host will then contact the international student to invite them to their home for a meal. All that remains is to enjoy the meal!
Friends for Dinner is a collaboration between local churches and Bridges International,
To connect friendly families in Hong Kong with international students
In order to show them hospitality and build friendships.
We understand that international students coming to Hong Kong will have many new and exciting experiences as they study and live in a new culture. Yet leaving home to live in a foreign country can also leave them feeling disoriented, lonely and homesick.
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What is Friends for Dinner?
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Past Dinners
For Students
Any full time or exchange international student studying at a Hong Kong university.
No, the program does not have a cost but you will have to pay for transportation yourself.
Our local hosts come from a wide variety of backgrounds. While many are families with children, we also have hosts who are single individuals, married couples, retirees, and grandparents. Despite this diversity, all of our hosts share one crucial characteristic - they are Christians who are passionate about welcoming and befriending international students.
All of our registered hosts are active members of a local church. As part of the application process, they are required to provide a reference from a leader or pastor at their church. The Friends for Dinner team will then contact these references to verify that each prospective host is a known and reliable individual, ready to welcome international students into their home for a meal.
For Host
If you are a friendly Christian involved in a local church and able to converse in English comfortably, you are welcome to register. We will prioritise matching families (married Christian couples with/without children).
International students in Hong Kong hail from around the globe, looking for a second home and new friends they can trust in this unfamiliar place. Their diverse backgrounds enrich the city's culture and create a warm community within educational institutions.
Hosts will contact their student guests to confirm the date of their meal and organize transportation. Some hosts will include students in a traditional family gathering, while others will plan a special meal for their student guests. They may serve traditional Cantonese or Hong Kong-style dishes, or they may serve foods from their own ethnic traditions. During registration, students are asked for information regarding any dietary restrictions they may have; this information is communicated to the hosts so that they can accommodate their students' preferences.
After the meal, you may invite your student guest to play games, take a walk around the neighborhood, or simply continue to talk and learn about one another. Most of the students speak English, but some may speak Cantonese, Mandarin, or other languages. If you have a preference between English, Cantonese, or Mandarin, make sure to mention it on your registration.
You can prepare any meal but when preparing the meal please take care of the student's food restrictions.