Participating in a homestay program has proven to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Not only has it allowed me to practice and improve my Spanish, but it has taught me valuable lessons about being a guest in a Spanish household.
I feel very grateful to have been placed with a homestay family that complements my personality and needs better than I could have imagined possible. My homestay mother Ana is very protective of my roommate and me, but at the same time she is absolutely hilarious and encourages us to have fun. The first day we arrived, for instance, she whisked us off to the beach where she proceeded to slather sunscreen all over us like it was nobody´s business, but then told us to stroll the beach and find ¨chicos guapos¨. When she serves us dinner she ensures us that ¨esto no te engorda¨(this will not make you fat), and then she turns on HTV (basically a Spanish version of the older - and better - MTV), and we jam out to Spanish songs while eating our meal.
The best part of my homestay experience has been that my roomate and I are treated like family. We are expected to do basic chores like clean our room, clear the table, and run errands to the fruteria and panaderia, but we enjoy the same privileges and freedom that her own kids would enjoy. Plus she made my roommate a cake on her birthday - a three chocolate cake to be exact. It can´t get much better than that.
When I think about what I´m going to miss most about Spain, of course the beautiful beaches and never-ending gelato will be pretty high up on my list. But I know that my homestay family and all the experiences I´ve had with them will always hold the most special place in my heart.
