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Cultural Immersion for Students Living in Homestays

For many students, the homestay experience will be the main avenue for cultural immersion in your host country. A homestay is where students live with a family while studying in their host country. Homestays come in all shapes and sizes, from a young couple just starting out, to a family with small children, parents with children in high school or university or retirees, all of them provide an insight into a part of the culture of your study destination. A homestay offers a view into their daily lives, where they shop, what they talk about over dinner, political opinions, religious beliefs, and a general approach to life.

Remember to be a good guest

A homestay can be one of the highlights; however the frequent contact does produce more opportunities for cross-cultural misunderstandings. It is important to understand that many things will be different than what you have become accustomed in the United States, not better or worse, just different. This can be especially apparent when you are a guest in someone’s home. At the beginning of your homestay, sit down with your host and discuss their expectations of you while you are living in their home. If you are uncomfortable with any of these expectations discuss this with your program director.

Prepare to scale down

Students often comment on the difference in size. Many AU Abroad programs that offer homestays are based in large, densely populated, metropolitan areas. These densely populated areas do not allow for large apartments or the suburban houses that dominate the areas in which many AU students have grown up. Also rooms and appliances are often smaller to fit as much as possible. Kitchens, showers, microwaves, etc… will probably all be smaller in order to maximize the space. Also many utilities that Americans take for granted, electricity, water and free local calls, are much more expensive in other countries. Try to remember that when your host mother is insistent that you always turn out the lights or that you must take much shorter showers; this is because it truly does impact the family budget.

Ask before using

Appliances that you use daily at home may look very different in different countries. Ask permission from your host-family before using any appliances and make sure you know how to use it properly. If you break your host-family’s washing machine, this will definitely put a damper on your relationship. Also clothes dryers are few and far between outside of the United States because they use a lot of electricity. You should not plan to have access to a clothes dryer while abroad.

Food

Homestays can offer a great view into one of the most important aspects of another culture, the food. Most homestays included at least one meal a day, often more than one. Try to eat as many meals provided by your homestay instead of heading to a café with other students on the program. This will help you learn more about hosts and save you quite a bit of money as well.

Try everything your host family prepares at least once. If you have dietary restrictions for health or religious reasons, you should make these known to your host family. Work with your program coordinator to make sure your host family understands what you can not eat. However do not refuse food just because you have never seen or tasted it before. Even if it looks completely different than anything you have ever eaten it doesn’t mean it is not delicious! Many students even learn how to prepare several traditional dishes and bring these recipes home to share with friends and family.

Learn from your new family

If your host family asks to show you around town or to take a day trip with them, go. Locals make the best tour guides and will often show the best parts of town that you may never find on your own in the few shorts months that you are there.

If you host family has children or grandchildren your age, try to get to know them. Find out what they do for fun or what interests them. Perhaps even meet some of their friends. This may give you an insight into a part of life in your host culture that you may not hear about from your host "parents." Often these fellow young people will let you in on the best cafés and nightspots. They may also know if good discounts for students.

Stay home some nights, stay in town on the weekends. You will never truly get to know your host family if your only see them in passing or if you head off to another city every Friday evening only to return the following Monday morning. There is much that can be learned and often much fun to be had by spending a night at home some nights and spending weekends in town.

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