Study Abroad and the Host Family Experience

In many study abroad programs living with a host family is required; in others, it is optional. The prospect of moving in with a family of strangers for up to four months can be daunting, however there are many positive benefits of living with a host family. What do returning Macalester students think about host family living? Listed below are comments taken from recent study abroad evaluations.

Argentina: “ Helped me improve language skills and build relationships that I hope to maintain."
Argentina: "It was perhaps the best part of my study abroad experience. I learned the most about Argentina culture, made long lasting friendships and improved my Spanish."

Brazil: “It was awesome! . . . One of the best parts of my experience.”
Brazil: “I was able to speak Portuguese all day . . . plus I was in direct contact with the local culture.”
Brazil: “Homestay was extremely challenging because I had far less independence than I was used to. Also, my parents were almost never home. . . . While it was difficult, I’m glad I did a homestay and not dorm style housing.”

Cameroon: “I can’t stress enough the importance of a home stay: crucial for language acquisition.”
Cameroon: “Living with a Cameroonian family means taking a step back your level of independence, especially if you’re a woman. [But] I’m glad I lived with a host family and would recommend that others do so.”

China: "I think it was a really good choice for me, because it helped me with my language skills. Even though towards the end as I became closer to friends it was more of a hassle going back and forth, I would still choose to live with a host family."
China: “Because the family I lived with didn’t speak any English, I was required to speak Chinese at home, which really helped me.”

Czech Republic: “Staying with a host family was a wonderful idea. . . . However, I sometimes wished for the independence of an apartment.”

Denmark: “I had a warm, welcoming family that accommodated through homesickness, cultural adjustments, and unexpected illnesses.”
Denmark: "It helped to immerse me in the culture and made me very comfortable in the country right away, to be living with people who took an interest and me and wanted to share their culture with me. The location, in a suburb outside the city, was a little isolating at times and led to me missing out on some of the nightlife in Copenhagen, but I think it was worth it."

Ecuador: “My host family was not a good match and made it much more difficult.”
Ecuador: “It was great! . .  . There were some bumps in the road but in the end we got along very well.”
Ecuador: "Having a host family really helped me to understand and appreciate Ecuadorian culture."
Ecuador: “Made the experience fabulous and made me more integrated into the way of life there.”

France: “Though there were occasional tensions in the household, it was nice to have a home to go back to each day.”
France: "I learned a great deal culturally as a result of living with my host family. I enjoyed having discussions with my host parents and my spoken French improved as a result."

Japan: " It was about 2 hours away from the school, so it was tough to get used to the commute. It took a lot of time away from homework and socializing."

Mexico: “Living with a host family gave me a comfortable environment to practice Spanish, allowed me to closely observe a middle-class Mexican family, and lessened the stress of living abroad.”

Morocco: “Living with a host family was the best part of my study abroad experience. It ensured that I was fully integrated into Moroccan society and immersed in the language.”
Morocco: “Living with a host family MADE the experience for me. It would have been less rich and less educational without it.”

Panama: “It was the best part . . . . [T]he rural homestays provided some of the best insights into the life of the country.”

Senegal: “Living with a host family was an invaluable experience that provided me with the best access and integration possible into the host culture. I would rank it as my number one means of achieving cross-cultural insight.”
Senegal: “It was frustrating at times but overall great.”

Spain: “ My housing situation had a negative to neutral impact on my study abroad experience."
Spain: “My second host family [the first did not work out well] was absolutely fabulous and the best part of my study away experience. They taught me so much about Spain and Spanish culture."
Spain: "I LOVED my host family. I had a pretty idyllic situation; the food was amazing, the family was large, social and helpful, my host mom was around almost all the time and super sweet. It definitely helped me engage with Spanish culture and speak more Spanish, plus it gave me a familiar support system while very far from my own family. I hope to go back and visit sometime SOON! They were very reasonable and gave me lots of freedom, the only downside was not being able to have people over. It's pretty rare in Spain to invite people (even extremely close friends) into your home to just hang out, so it was hard to just hang out with new friends or study together without having to buy something (like a coffee or be out shopping, etc). Also Madrid's night life may mean you come into the house at 6am or later, but being respectful to my family's home and sleeping time was important to me and it's definitely negotiable and doable."