Living with a Host Mom

When I signed up to study abroad, I knew I wanted to stay with a host family. I figured it would be the best way to be fully immersed in the culture. When I got my placement, I was very excited to meet the family I would be staying with. When I received the details, I found out that I would be living with only a host mother and I would have my own room. When I arrived, I realized that my host mother spoke zero English and that my sub-par Spanish would be the only way we could communicate. I was nervous, but I figured that it would be a learning experience, and boy, has it been. There are many pros and cons to living with a host family but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. If you are thinking of studying abroad, I seriously suggest living with a local family.


CONS:

• The food is different. I have loved every single food item that my host mom has given me but I do miss the food that I was used to eating. I am also a vegetarian, which is difficult for my host mom because that is not the way that she eats normally so I constantly have to convince her that I don't eat meat and that I don't plan on changing that anytime soon.
• Laundry. It's really strange for me to have someone else doing my laundry. I've been doing my own laundry for a while and having to give my laundry to someone else for them to do is very different. It also takes a few days to receive the laundry back because my host mom doesn't have a dryer.
• LANGUAGE BARRIER. As I stated before, my Spanish is only okay so communicating is sometimes difficult. I'm consistently looking up words at the dinner table so that I can properly say what I want to say. That being said, I understand almost everything that my host mom says because she speaks very slowly and uses simple words that I understand. While it is a little bit different than normal, we are able to understand each other for the most part.
• The customs of a different country. For example, always wearing shoes in the house, being VERY cautious about electricity (I'm talking even when you are sitting in the room, if you are not doing something that requires light, the light is off), taking speedy quick showers, different eating schedules, and more. However, once you get used to these things, they are no longer difficult.

PROS:

• Complete immersion. You are living like a Spanish person does so you feel like you really fit in. You get to experience Spain as a Spaniard, which is nice.
• Trying new things. This includes but is not limited to: food, schedules, customs, everything.
• Your Spanish WILL improve. I have definitely learned more Spanish from my host mom than I have in any Spanish class I have ever taken, including the ones I am taking in Spain.
• You get to have the feeling of family while abroad. While you are gone, chances are, you're going to miss your family. Luckily, if you are living with a host family, you get to feel like part of their family and that really helps. Also, sometimes, host families have dogs.
• SO MUCH MORE

Overall, I 100% recommend living with a host family if you want a fully immersive experience abroad.

Thanks for reading, 

Kelly