Homestays

By: Kaity Berg

A few weeks ago in international business we moved into our homestays, which has been a great experience so far. Before moving in, there were many anxious questions swirling around, and anticipations about what our family was going to be like. Many of the worries arose about our time in the homestays because as you can imagine, we are a group of many different levels of Spanish as well as personalities, not to mention the cultural differences. How do we get around the language barrier if there is one? What if we do not like the meals we are served? What if we have an early curfew?

For me, I was excited and nervous at the same time, however there was no way for me to mentally prepare for what we were moving in to. As cheesy as it sounds, I knew that it was crucial to have an open mind and positive attitude because as I have learned, these things, as small as they seem, can make or break your experience. Each student has a different situation so I am only able to talk about mine. But since we have been here, I feel as if I have already learned so much about the culture and day in the life of my Mexican mom.

My mom and I at a balneario (water park) on a day trip

For example, I feel like I have learned more about the Spanish language than I did in a term at school. The second day I was in my homestay, my mom took me to Tepoztlan (a little town with a large pyramid and many street vendors), where we walked around and ate pozolé (a popular local soup) for lunch. When we got home that night, my mom and I had coffee and pan (bread) and talked. This was an eye-opening experience for me because she talked the whole time about various things while I listened. This would be a normal situation if I understood any of it. Now she thinks I can apprehend everything she says because I give her head nods and say "si" at the correct time. This has definitely been my most trying and educational incident. All in all, I have been having a good time and learning a lot. If given the chance to do this again, I would not pass it up.