When I first arrived at my host family’s doorstep in Mexico this summer, I remember thinking, “Oh no. What have I done?”
Although I thought that I had been prepared for living with a local family in a foreign country, I suddenly found myself at a point somewhere between a full-fledged panic attack and an insatiable desire to teleport back to what I knew and was comfortable with. There I was – standing nervously outside a house in central Mexico where I would be living for the next six weeks with a family who didn’t speak a word of English. I was terrified.
As I stood there debating how long it would take me to jog to the American-Mexican border, the door opened and out shuffled a pleasant old man with a whimsical grin on his face. He immediately motioned for my luggage and I felt myself relax as I followed him into his home.
What ended up ensuing was undoubtedly the best six weeks of my life. I explored a country and culture that I now adore with a fiery passion. I learned and spoke a language that allowed me to communicate with many local people and I formed life-long bonds with my wonderful host family.
“I always advocate for a home-stay,” said Jennifer Jewett, IE3 Global Director of Programs in Latin America. “I think that it gives you more insight into yourself and allows you to connect with people and learn their history, their story and why they live the lives they do. I always recommend home-stays first and foremost.”
However, I was shocked to hear that most undergraduate students don’t even consider studying abroad.
There are many reasons for this — such as finances, academic schedules and the extreme anxiety of living somewhere unknown. Nevertheless, these can be overcome via scholarships, academic advisors and a brown paper bag to hyperventilate into. The real issue is what a student misses out on if he or she opts out of studying abroad.
“I think that a person who does not study abroad or does not include an international experience into their time as a student really limits themselves in so many ways,” Jewett said.
I was even further taken aback when I discovered that those who do want to study abroad often don’t want to stay with host families. Why? Because the idea of living in a dormitory with fellow Americans sounds a lot less intimidating than a local family who can’t speak your language.
I learned firsthand that a home-stay can provide a number of opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be available to students who lived with fellow Americans. Namely, these opportunities included language practice day-in and day-out, emotional and physical support in a different environment and tips about places to go and people to meet.
Thunder Shiviah, a senior at the University of Oregon, studied abroad in Japan last year and lived in a home-stay.
“I talked to a bunch of people who were living in dorms and they just couldn’t tap into the culture at all,” Shiviah said. “Especially because my host family was really open and generous, I got a pass into parts of Japanese life that it seemed like a lot of other people never got to see.”
Not all hope is lost for those that are either adamant about living in dormitories or whose programs don’t utilize home-stays. Dormitories and apartment options often blend UO students with other international students in order to create an environment that is beneficial to learning about other cultures and languages.
“I was incredibly lucky to live with eight Germans,” said Will Steiner, a UO senior who studied abroad in Germany and lived in an apartment. “By the end of it, we were a little family. I was just so lucky to have something so above and beyond in terms of exposure to language, the culture and language acquisition.”
All in all, an experience abroad isn’t defined by where you live. It’s defined by how you use your time – whether you’ll faithfully huddle up with other foreigners or try your very best to speak with locals and learn something valuable.
And when you’re standing nervously on your host family’s stoop or shakily opening the door to meet your new, international roommates, rest assured that perhaps the best experience of your life is about to start.
Follow Ciara Gaffney on Twitter @CiaraGaffs