If the opportunity to travel to different countries, indulge in tasty foods, meet new friends and learn a language isn’t enough, living with a host family can take your study abroad experience to the next level. From the initial greeting to the final goodbye and everything in between, you gain an incredible amount by living with a local family, and so do they.
So why should you live with a host family while studying abroad? Scroll down and find out.
Practice a New Language
Living with a host family means adapting to their environment. This includes learning to communicate effectively with them, whether through their language or your own. If you’re travelling to Canada, perhaps you’re familiar with English and know enough to get by, but you’re not confident with it. Living with a family encourages you to push yourself out of that comfort zone and to practice your language skills as they promote a safe learning environment. You can practice certain words by speaking with younger children in the family, or can exchange phrases with your host father.
Conversations with host families feel more natural compared to many in a classroom setting. There’s space for mistakes, and no one will be afraid to correct you and guide you in the right direction. At the end of the day, you’ll have strengthened your language skills and perhaps learned some local slang. In turn, host families learn a bit about your native language.
Curious to learn more about English slang? Check out our blog!
Live Like a Local
What better way to get to know your new city than through an in-house guide? The family you live with will probably know lots of neat places across the city. From the tastiest restaurants to the best city view, you’re sure to get the inside scoop. Host families often want to ensure their guests have a great time, so if there’s something you want to try, or see, just ask!
Aside from touring the city, by living alongside locals, you’ll learn what they do in their daily lives. You’ll see where they grocery shop, what activities they do, what foods they eat, and more. You might also start to familiarize yourself with what the norm is, whether it’s to take a nap in the early afternoon or to stay up late because that’s what locals do. Embrace it!
Read this blog to find out how international education helps foster a global outlook.
Experience Local Cultural Practices and Traditions
On top of the many things you gain living with a host family, you also get an inside look at the culture, traditions and people. You gain this knowledge by simply observing your surroundings. Do they celebrate the major national holidays? What do they do for birthdays? How do they communicate as a family? Do they participate in any traditions?
While every family has its own traditions, you may not be exposed to a culture and all its traditional norms unless you live with a host family.
Taste Authentic Dishes
When you live with a host family, you’ll have the chance to try different local dishes. This is truly one of the greatest parts about living with a host family (especially if you’re a foodie)! When you travel, it can be hard to get a home cooked meal, something many students miss when studying abroad.
And yes, there is a big difference between eating out and homemade meals. Host families often cook meals to give their guests an opportunity to taste something new. They may even teach their international guests to cook the way they do. In addition, as an international student, you may not be entirely sure where to get the best authentic food, whether or not it’s authentic, and to some extent, you may even worry about its quality. With a host family, you often don’t have to worry about these things.
Gain a Family
By living in homestay, you gain a home away from home. You’ll have people who care for you, who help you with everyday needs, help you overcome homesickness, feed you, and who accept you as part of their family too. Even after graduation, living with a host family may be the main reason you choose to visit the city.
Living with a host family isn’t the only way to experience all these things, but it is a popular one. At the end of the day, your greatest take-home after studying abroad will be the relationships you make.
It’s always a good idea to prepare yourself for your time abroad in advance. Read our blog on what to expect when adjusting to student life in Canada for guidance!
Whether you want to live like a local, or boost your opportunities to practice English, there are lots of great reasons to live with a host family. We hope this blog has been helpful!
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