(I wanted to share what my past few weeks have been like in Seville. Though I have had a lot of amazing experiences so far, I wanted to share one that has been somewhat difficult. I also want to thank API for being amazingly helpful with the situation.)
I love host families. They help immerse a student in a culture, learn a new language, and feel more at home when they are in a place so far from home. When I studied for a month in Granada, I knew that a host family would be perfect for what I wanted, which was to learn more about the culture and improve my Spanish. I loved my host mom, she was sweet and caring and her daughter (who stayed with us for a bit) was so fun, we would teach each other “slang” words in Spanish and English. Having this experience under my belt, I had an idea of what my host family would be like when I got to Seville. I knew the set up might be different, there might be younger kids, it may be a smaller house, etc. But I was excited none the less to be in a home with a family that I could connect with.
I was paired up with three other amazing girls, they are all so fabulous and we were amazed at how well we all got along. We got to know each other as we traveled from Madrid to Seville and were excited that we had a good bond. But even though we got along very well as roommates, we found that there was a problem with our living situation. Our host family, as we came to learn, was not the experience that we expected.
As soon as we got into somewhat of a routine, I could tell that this was different than my past experience. Though I didn’t want to compare too much because I know every experience is different, there were a few things that definitely stuck out. For one, our host family never ate with us. It was an older couple and we would normally just interact with the wife. But even then, we would just reheat our meals and eat in the kitchen, not the dining room. On some days, we didn’t even see the family at all. That bothered us the most because we all wanted to learn more Spanish and have practice speaking.
A problem that began to arise as time passed was also the food. Spanish host families are known to give students lots of food and continue to feed them or ask if they want more. Our food was not typical Spanish food, it was…well…odd. We had, most nights, something like lentils and sandwich meat. That was it. One time we did get raw meatballs too. It became very unappetizing for the four of us, we weren’t picky eaters, but the food seemed like we were living off of canned and pre-made food ever night. Most nights, I wouldn’t eat or would only have bread because it was not edible.
We were also somewhat confined. Our house had three levels; the four of us lived on the first level, the second level had the dining room, kitchen, and living room, and the third and roof were for the rest of the family. Because of this, we didn’t see them much because they would be on the top level and we were on the bottom. We were also only allowed on the first level and in the kitchen and dining room, we weren’t sure if we were allowed in the living room but we were afraid that we would get in trouble if we went in. The isolation was a contributing factor as to why we felt it wasn’t a right fit.
But I think the biggest reason was that we felt uncomfortable. Towards the end, we were afraid that we might run into the family members because we felt that the interaction was so forced and we felt awkward around them. We mostly would stay in our rooms or go out to meet up with friends so we wouldn’t have to be in the house.
This experience has brought the four of us closer together. Once we all realized we were unhappy, we talked to API, visited new host families, and moved out as soon as possible. We were able to leave an isolated and unwelcoming house for people who actually wanted to be with us. Now, the three other girls are with an amazing young couple who I plan on visiting (they insisted we visit no matter who ends up living with them) and I live with another girl in an API program and our wonderful host mom, who cooks amazing meals and helps with our Spanish. She is amazing and I am so grateful that API has her. We are so much happier, we feel at ease finally and like we actually have a home. The experience we wanted we finally got. Though my experience was bad, API helped to fix the problem.
I love host families. But you have to accept when they don’t work out. If you don’t mix well with the family, you have to know that does happen! It has happened to me and I can now say that I see the difference having a good host family. I come home and feel the warmth of my host mom as she greets me, the love she puts into every meal, and the comfort she provides for us. Now that we have gotten over that bump in the road, we are ready to take on Seville, with an open mind and an empty stomach.
I love host families. They help immerse a student in a culture, learn a new language, and feel more at home when they are in a place so far from home. When I studied for a month in Granada, I knew that a host family would be perfect for what I wanted, which was to learn more about the culture and improve my Spanish. I loved my host mom, she was sweet and caring and her daughter (who stayed with us for a bit) was so fun, we would teach each other “slang” words in Spanish and English. Having this experience under my belt, I had an idea of what my host family would be like when I got to Seville. I knew the set up might be different, there might be younger kids, it may be a smaller house, etc. But I was excited none the less to be in a home with a family that I could connect with.
I was paired up with three other amazing girls, they are all so fabulous and we were amazed at how well we all got along. We got to know each other as we traveled from Madrid to Seville and were excited that we had a good bond. But even though we got along very well as roommates, we found that there was a problem with our living situation. Our host family, as we came to learn, was not the experience that we expected.
As soon as we got into somewhat of a routine, I could tell that this was different than my past experience. Though I didn’t want to compare too much because I know every experience is different, there were a few things that definitely stuck out. For one, our host family never ate with us. It was an older couple and we would normally just interact with the wife. But even then, we would just reheat our meals and eat in the kitchen, not the dining room. On some days, we didn’t even see the family at all. That bothered us the most because we all wanted to learn more Spanish and have practice speaking.
A problem that began to arise as time passed was also the food. Spanish host families are known to give students lots of food and continue to feed them or ask if they want more. Our food was not typical Spanish food, it was…well…odd. We had, most nights, something like lentils and sandwich meat. That was it. One time we did get raw meatballs too. It became very unappetizing for the four of us, we weren’t picky eaters, but the food seemed like we were living off of canned and pre-made food ever night. Most nights, I wouldn’t eat or would only have bread because it was not edible.
We were also somewhat confined. Our house had three levels; the four of us lived on the first level, the second level had the dining room, kitchen, and living room, and the third and roof were for the rest of the family. Because of this, we didn’t see them much because they would be on the top level and we were on the bottom. We were also only allowed on the first level and in the kitchen and dining room, we weren’t sure if we were allowed in the living room but we were afraid that we would get in trouble if we went in. The isolation was a contributing factor as to why we felt it wasn’t a right fit.
But I think the biggest reason was that we felt uncomfortable. Towards the end, we were afraid that we might run into the family members because we felt that the interaction was so forced and we felt awkward around them. We mostly would stay in our rooms or go out to meet up with friends so we wouldn’t have to be in the house.
This experience has brought the four of us closer together. Once we all realized we were unhappy, we talked to API, visited new host families, and moved out as soon as possible. We were able to leave an isolated and unwelcoming house for people who actually wanted to be with us. Now, the three other girls are with an amazing young couple who I plan on visiting (they insisted we visit no matter who ends up living with them) and I live with another girl in an API program and our wonderful host mom, who cooks amazing meals and helps with our Spanish. She is amazing and I am so grateful that API has her. We are so much happier, we feel at ease finally and like we actually have a home. The experience we wanted we finally got. Though my experience was bad, API helped to fix the problem.
I love host families. But you have to accept when they don’t work out. If you don’t mix well with the family, you have to know that does happen! It has happened to me and I can now say that I see the difference having a good host family. I come home and feel the warmth of my host mom as she greets me, the love she puts into every meal, and the comfort she provides for us. Now that we have gotten over that bump in the road, we are ready to take on Seville, with an open mind and an empty stomach.