How to Survive Your Homestay (And Actually Enjoy It!)

So, I hear that you are living in a homestay? With a host family? Are you excited? I wasn't, but I am hoping better positive thoughts for you to make this experience great. Because being part of a hosting situation is fantastic. Not only do you get to live abroad; but free meals, wonderful people who want to hear about your day to day experiences, and accommodations to live the life of people who are living the life you only get to experience for a few weeks, is all included.

That being said, it is no lie that usually this is a family situation, and with any family there are rules. Here are a few to help you survive and make the most of your homestay.

1. Prepare Yourself

When going away for your homestay, please remember: this is a person's home. Prepare yourself for the smallest of apartments to a house with kids and farm animals even. A person lives here and now you live here too! It may not be the luck of the draw five star mansion, but it is yours and your new host families together for the next few weeks.

2. Be Prepared to Learn

The language. The ways of the house, everything. You may have come to study abroad and have fun, but your homestay is definitely part of that. Keep yourself open to everything and make this part of a new, strange, yet exciting experience. Oh, and don't worry if you butcher the language for a while...or the whole time. You are learning!

3. Tell Them Things Up Front. Communicate!

Be polite, but also look out for yourself and tell your host family when something needs to change or you need something. I went a good three weeks afraid to let my final host family know that I didn't really eat meat. I had been shoving down perfectly good steak and not enjoying it. Just tell your family what you need. When I finally did I got a "ah, ok then."

4. Be Clean

Both body and room. No one likes a messy bessie. This includes your homestay parent(s).

5. Attend Family Meals

It's free food and usually, the food is pretty awesome. No one wants to be that person that doesn't show up to meals that are prepared with them in mind, only for their place to be empty at the table. This also is great to further get to know your host family and them to get to know you.

6. Respect the Schedule and the Time

When I got to my homestay, a rule was to not flush the toilet after 10 p.m. Strange rule, yes, but it was a old house, and the toilet was loud for my host mom and dad's bedroom next to it. Also when coming in late, try to be respectful and realize that it is you coming in late while everyone is sleeping. You are the only one that needs to be up in this moment. Shut the door slowly and try to be quiet.

This also helps not portray the college party animal American student stereo-type.

7. Say something when it's just not working

If you get to your homestay and things are just not working out, say something. Talk to your housing or student life adviser if the school has one. Take it from me, it is better to realize these things soon rather than later so you can get on with living your best homestay and study abroad life.