The Partner Family aspect of the MASSIE Program provides students with an opportunity to deepen their Canadian experience by being a part of a Sackville-area family. Generally, pairs of students are matched with a participating family and meet informally at least once every month until the end of the summer.

See Below for past partner family testimonials and Frequently Asked Questions.

Can anyone sign up to be a partner family?
Yes. The word family can be broadly defined to include an individual, a couple, and a couple with children. Age is not a factor. More than anything else, the MASSIE program is looking to match students with families who have a genuine interest in the students and who can provide a safe, welcoming environment.

What sort of time committment is involved in being a partner family?
The program requests that families make an effort to meet their students at least twice a month for the balance of the summer (mid-May to mid-August). Of course families are welcome to meet them as frequently as they like for as long as they like. The program leaves it to families and students to coordinate the timing, nature, and duration of meetings.

What can I do with the MASSIE students?
Meetings can include - but are not limited to - a family meal, a birthday party, an evening walk, a shopping trip to Moncton, an ice-cream run to Amherst, a day-trip to the beach, or even a weekend get-away to another Maritime location. The most successful events often don't require much in the way of detailed planning. The students are simply happy to get off campus and to spend time in a family context or home setting.

How well can the MASSIE students speak/understand English?
The students have taken at least 7 years of classroom English. Their knowledge of written grammar is likely quite good. Where they don’t have much experience - or where they lack practice - is with conversational English. This is one of the reasons why we pair students with an English conversation partner and match them with families. By exposing them to English as it’s naturally spoken in a small-group setting, it’s easier for them to find the confidence they need to practice their conversational English.

When is the best time to meet the MASSIE students?
Weekday evenings and weekends are best. The dining hall closes on the weekends, so MASSIE students must prepare their own meals. An offer to join a family meal on the weekend would surely not be turned down.

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Ruth Buckinger and Peter Carroll (Summer 2009)

Summer 2009 was our first experience as a MASSIE host family. We expected to enjoy a pleasant cultural exchange. What we were unprepared for was how thoroughly delightful the experience would be.From our first meeting, our two MASSIE girls, Chihiro and Yumi, made a positive impression. They were unfailingly polite and respectful. They were also cheerful, appreciative, enthusiastic and curious. As we were getting to know each other we went on a few outings (a high school musical, a Moncton shopping trip, a foray to Frenchy’s, a picnic at the beach), but mostly we just relaxed together at home, sharing meals and good conversation. The girls quickly made themselves at home: cooking, eating, napping, laughing, teasing and being teased. They fit right in and brightened our lives. Our original commitment to MASSIE was to meet with the girls at least once a month. But spending time together was such a pleasure that we ended up getting together almost every week.

By the time we had to say our reluctant good-byes, the girls had both become very dear to us. In May we said hello to MASSIE students, but in August we said good-bye to new-found daughters. As Yumi and Chihiro wrote in their farewell card, “We are family.”

We wholeheartedly recommend the MASSIE host family experience. To us it was an unexpected gift.

Paul & Stacey Merrigan (Summer 2006, 2007, 2008)
Our family has hosted MASSIE students for the past two summers and plan to again this summer. We have taken MASSIE students to the zoo, Hopewell Rocks, and so on, but our favourite memories have been simple family routines like planting the garden, birthday dinners or a walk in the waterfowl park. Our children get to learn about what families are like in another culture, and we like hearing about their lives back in Japan. Every summer, as we’re saying good-bye to our MASSIE students, we know, through the tears, that we’ll do it all again next year, and it’s worth it!

Don & Carol Oram (Summer 2006, 2007, 2008)
Choosing to be a host family in the MASSIE Program is one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences that you could give yourselves. Perhaps the first question that most prospective families ask would be, “What will we do with the students?” We have found our best times have happened when we simply included them in our everyday plans. Most of our summer is spent at our cottage on the Northumberland Strait, surrounded by family and friends. Overnight stays at the beach; drives to local “touristy” places (Pugwash’s Gathering of the Clans, the Balmoral Grist Mill, Cape Jourimain and the Confederation Bridge Interpretive Centre); motorboat trips to see the seals along the coastline; visiting with our friends, children and grandchildren; swimming in the icy waters and playing in the kayaks; sampling regional foods (lobster is a highlight); learning about local crafts; cooking Canadian and Japanese meals together; all of these activities give the students insights into our culture and way of life. Even better they give us an opportunity to get to know them better. Once they overcome their initial shyness and we assure them that all questions are acceptable, we usually have “frank and open” discussions that allow us a glimpse of their ways of thinking and being. We cherish the ongoing contact that we have with some of the students from earlier summers: emails, pictures and visits. For us summer includes MASSIE students.