Bonne apres-midi!
I feel like a topic that we (exchange students) don't go very in depth-with is our living situations. So today I'd like to talk about what it's like living with a host family.
First of all, I'd like to mention that not all exchange students stay with families. Rotary does this because we are high school students and are obviously not capable of living on our own on exchange, as we do not do that at home, either. I cannot speak for people that live in college dorms and such. It's a much different experience.
Second, the way host families works with Rotary is that you usually have three throughout your stay. I know this differs depending on where you go or where you're from (I know Aussis and Kiwis have more than 3 because they're here for a lot longer). It also depends on what the club sets up for you. My district has had a problem with not having enough people wanting to host.
My situation is that I have three families. My first and third families live right next door, but all three live right by my high school. It's about a 5 minute walk to school from each home. I'm incredibly lucky because I know some people who have to take 40 minute bus rides to get to school. I'm with my first family until mid-November, and I move to my third family in April. It's roughly 3 months for each.
However, I can say that I would much prefer (at this point in time) to stay with a host family. Maybe I'll feel differently when I go on exchange in college, but for now, it's really nice.
Although, at first, it is a little hard to make yourself at home in someone's home that you've never been in before. It's hard to learn the little everyday things that they do in the kitchen, living room, how to set the table for dinner, how to clean up....you get the picture. It's especially hard to learn these things when they're explained to you in another language. After two months of being here, I still have a lot of trouble understanding when my host mum asks me to do little things.
*Tip: Translate little words like "wet", "dry", "hot", "cold", "open", "close", "clean", "dirty"...it makes a big difference when you're trying to explain things!
Though it is good to spend time and talk with your family, it's always okay to have some alone time! I find myself lounging in my bedroom reading or playing games on my phone when I need a break. I also take naps pretty frequently, but that's just from being exhausted from speaking all day. It's also important to mention that sometimes in the beginning you get a little overwhelmed or homesick at really random moments. Times like this are good opportunities to take some time for yourself. Don't worry, no one expects 100% from you all the time!
The other neat thing about living with a host family is just getting to know them. It's such a change when you're living in a house with new people because there's SO much to talk about. You live completely different lives and you've just stepped into theirs....so talk! It is really difficult to have conversations sometimes, but there's no such thing as too much practice when it comes to language. It's a little exhausting, but it's worth it! Not to mention how many new words you learn every day!
Overall, living with families is a really good experience. There's so much I could talk about that it's making my brain go blank, so I'll leave it up to you guys to ask the things you wanna know!
I can't even begin to imagine how my high school and college exchanges will differ purely from the living situations. It'll be an interesting contrast.
Welp, that's all I've got to share right now. Like I said; ask question! I'll do a Q&A post if I get enough feedback from people.
A bientot!
~Effy
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