Living with a Host Family
I decided to stay and live with a host family while I was in Spain. A few reasons why I went with that option was because I really wanted to practice my Spanish. Although I am Hispanic and know a lot of Spanish, I began to forget most of it throughout the years. The other reason was because I didn't really know how to cook that much, and I was very unfamiliar with Spanish cuisine, so I figured it would be best if I stayed with a family that would teach me a lot about their food and culture.
To be honest, at first I was having a hard time adjusting. There is no such thing as open space in Europe! Literally every room was really small, especially the bathroom. I also had to share a room with my roommate and it at times it was troublesome because we would get in each other's way. After a while I got used to it and the food as well. (That's another story though)
My host family, however, was really nice and caring. I had a host mom, dad, and two sisters. My host sisters were much older than I was. I'd say late 20's early 30's and one of them has two daughters still in elementary school. In Spain, it's typical to say they are attending "el colegio," which is primary school over there; for a while I was confused because in English it's direct translation means "college." Both were really hyper all the time and always calling us "Chico, chicos!" haha
We would always have dinner at 9:30, which is typical in Spain, and watch tv right afterwards. They were all really nice and very helpful. My host mom even took me to the doctor twice when I was really sick. Thank god she went with me because I don't know if I would've been able to describe my symptoms and understand the medical terminology.
Towards the end I was getting really attached and didn't want to think about leaving them, especially my host mom. Both of my host parents even took me to their hometown, El Coronil, which was a province outside Seville. We really grew pretty close and I'm not going to lie, the day I left I was really emotional. Although at times it was a struggle, I'm really glad I went with the homestay program!
To be honest, at first I was having a hard time adjusting. There is no such thing as open space in Europe! Literally every room was really small, especially the bathroom. I also had to share a room with my roommate and it at times it was troublesome because we would get in each other's way. After a while I got used to it and the food as well. (That's another story though)
My host family, however, was really nice and caring. I had a host mom, dad, and two sisters. My host sisters were much older than I was. I'd say late 20's early 30's and one of them has two daughters still in elementary school. In Spain, it's typical to say they are attending "el colegio," which is primary school over there; for a while I was confused because in English it's direct translation means "college." Both were really hyper all the time and always calling us "Chico, chicos!" haha
We would always have dinner at 9:30, which is typical in Spain, and watch tv right afterwards. They were all really nice and very helpful. My host mom even took me to the doctor twice when I was really sick. Thank god she went with me because I don't know if I would've been able to describe my symptoms and understand the medical terminology.
Towards the end I was getting really attached and didn't want to think about leaving them, especially my host mom. Both of my host parents even took me to their hometown, El Coronil, which was a province outside Seville. We really grew pretty close and I'm not going to lie, the day I left I was really emotional. Although at times it was a struggle, I'm really glad I went with the homestay program!
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