Coming home to the smell of home-cooked Spanish paella was only one of the numerous perks of living with a host family. However, having the freedom of living in a house with numerous other American students also has its perks. During my year abroad, I had the opportunity to stay with a host family while studying in Seville, Spain, and later experienced apartment living while abroad in Havana, Cuba, giving me two very unique and different study abroad experiences.

Homestay

The decision to stay with a host family was not an easy decision. The thought of living in a foreign country with strangers was a little uneasy, at first.

What happens if they don’t like me?

Am I going to like the food they cook?

Will it be awkward at times?

These are the questions that constantly ran through my head for weeks before I made my final decision. The truth of the matter is that you can talk to anyone who has stayed with a family while studying abroad and either hear complete horror stories or endless positive things.

In my case, I had a good friend who also studied in Seville.  She stayed with a family and shared her positive and rewarding experience with me. She told me about how close she was with her host family and how comfortable she felt with them after only a few weeks. Hearing my friend’s stories, and how happy she was with her decision to stay with a host family, helped calm my nerves and give me more insight into the homestay experience. After weighing both the pros and cons of a homestay, I finally made the decision to stay with a family when I travelled to Spain.

Upon arrival, my excitement was balanced with the uncertainty of meeting my host family. The only information I knew was their names, occupations, and address. Other than that, I was walking into this experience blind, with no expectations. The moments leading up to the first encounter with my host family were filled with anxiety, nervousness, and excitement. I was about to meet my family for the next four months knowing that this could either make or break my experience abroad. Although the initial encounter was a little awkward, I can honestly say that staying with a host family was the best decision I made prior to arriving in Spain. A year later, I am still in contact with my family, and I will forever have a place to stay if and when I find myself in Seville again.

Although my homestay experience was amazing, it’s not for everyone. It’s all about what you prefer and the type of experience you are hoping to gain from being abroad. Personally, the biggest factor affecting my decision to stay with a local family was the language. I knew I wanted to improve my Spanish, and staying with a host family is one of the best ways to improve a language. While I was with my host family, Spanish was the only language spoken. Although I did have an American roommate, my host mom encouraged us to speak Spanish with each other as well. Living with a local family gives you the opportunity to completely immerse yourself in the culture. I was eating traditional Spanish food, celebrating Spanish holidays with my family, learning about Spanish politics first hand, and truly becoming a part of the culture. In the end, I gained a new family and truly stepped out of my comfort zone.

Apartment

Prior to studying in Spain I had studied in Havana, Cuba. In Cuba, the laws are quite different when it comes to students studying abroad. With my study abroad program, we were not given an option to stay with a host family, and all students were given the same housing accommodations, called the “residency”. In my residency, I was with about twenty other American students. A residency isn’t exactly the same as living in an apartment abroad, however, there are many similarities. I did enjoy living in a residency with so many other American students, but, I would have prefered to stay with a family. The biggest downfall of this was that I was with other American students 24/7 and rarely spoke Spanish in the house. Unless I was with my Cuban friends, English was the go to language. Many students are much more comfortable living in an apartment or a residency because they feel too uncomfortable living with a host family in a foreign country.

Whether you choose to stay with a host family or live in an apartment while abroad, the decision is ultimately yours (unless your particular program dictates this decision for you, of course). Everyone has different needs and expectations to reflect upon when going abroad, and it truly comes down to the type of experience you hope to gain in your new home away from home. Consider these key questions when choosing your housing options abroad:

1. How flexible am I?
2. Is learning the language and customs important to me?
3. Am I comfortable living in someone’s home?
4. Would I enjoy having a host to turn to for advice and help me get around the area?
5. Will I follow potential rules set by my host family and respect their rules during my stay?

Hopefully these key questions can help guide you while making the decision to either stay with a host family or in an apartment. No matter what option you choose, there is no doubt that your time abroad will be one of the most educational, exciting and memorable experiences of your life.

[accordion_tab title=”Collegiate Correspondent: Tara Boeshore” default]
Tara Boeshore is from Westhampton, NY, and just recently graduated from Marist College. She was a double major in Spanish and Communications (concentration in public relations) and minored in Latin American/Caribbean studies. She studied abroad in Havana, Cuba for four months during the spring semester of her sophomore year, and then a few months later in Seville, Spain during the fall of her junior year. This September, she is moving to Bogota, Colombia with her sister, where she will be taking a CELTA course to get certified in teaching English and she will eventually teach English there for about a year or so. Tara truly has a passion for travel and study abroad and loves sharing her experiences with others.[/accordion_tab]