Living with a host family assigned to me through my school in Huelva, Spain while working for Meddeas has been a phenomenal experience. While living with a host family can be challenging and an opportunity for growth for a few reasons, the perks or benefits far outweigh the challenges.

Last September, I discovered that I was placed with a family living about a two minute walk away from my school (super convenient). I didn’t know what I learned during this year in a Host Family. But I had many perks of living with a Host Family in Spain. My host mom got in touch with me not long before my flight to Barcelona for orientation and I instantly liked her from our conversations. Her name is Cinta and she told me about the rest of the members of the family: her husband Miguel and their two daughters Sofia and Irene (as well as their pets Gollum a German Shepherd, Pupi a rabbit, and two turtles Punta and Umbria).

I feel so lucky to have lived with them for the past nearly eight months now. Sooner I understand the benefits of living in a Host Family. They have helped me with numerous things related to adjusting to my new life here. Situations like opening a bank account, seeing a doctor, and making sure my visa was all set would have been a lot more difficult without Cinta and Miguel’s help.


There are lots of perks of living with a Host Family in Spain, when it comes to living with a host family during your
time in Spain.


Here are just a few of these perks:


What I learned in a Host Family

I’ve learned so much and found many do’s of living with a host family. From making tortilla de patata with my host mom to finally finding my way around with public transport in my second language (I’m from a small town in Massachusetts that doesn’t really rely on it), they’ve helped me to grow lots. It’s also been really interesting to chat with them and gain their perspective on my country among numerous other things.
Improving Your Spanish

Due to singing, dancing, and playing games with my host sisters and only speaking Spanish with my host parents every day, my Spanish has improved immensely. Every day I seem to learn new words because I’m immersed in the language with the Homestay accommodation.
Sharing The Holidays With A Family

Thanks to my host family giving me tours when I first arrived here, This is another benefit of living in a Host Family. I was able to get to know my new city and residential area rather quickly. We often explore together as a family and it’s been a lot of fun to hear about Huelva from local people who can show me hidden gems that I otherwise may not have known about.
Traveling As a Family

My host family suggested that we take a family trip to London in January as flights were cheap and it would be a fun way to practice all of the English we’ve been speaking at home. We had an awesome time.

Challenges to consider when it comes to living with a host family:

1. You have to be willing to adapt to a new family culture and set of rules along with a new country, language, etc. This was pretty easy for me as my host family is quite easy-going, but it is something to consider.
2. What I learned in a Host Family is that you must manage your time wisely. Living with a Meddeas host family includes extra responsibilities in your contract such as helping your host siblings with English homework (a manageable amount), having English Saturdays a couple of times a month with your host family (it should be fun spending time with them anyway), and balancing work and class obligations with being part of a family. You cannot hide in your room all day!
3. It’s possible that there will be some communication hiccups. In my personal experience, I expressed being okay living with host parents who do not speak English because I’d earned a Spanish degree at university and had a lot of experience speaking the language. However, university courses and coming from the U.S didn’t always prepare me super well for Andalusian Spanish or vocabulary because I was more accustomed to Central and South American vocabulary and accents. I’ve definitely learned a lot by living here, but it has been challenging at times to express myself regarding more complicated subjects. Thankfully, my host sisters speak amazing English, so they’ve helped a lot in these situations.

Overall, I think that the choice I made to live with a host family was absolutely worth it. I hope this perks of living in a Host Family in Spain could be useful for other people. The memories I have made with them will last a lifetime and I will never forget their kindness. If you’re considering living with a host family, I would definitely say to give it a shot if you think it will be the right choice for you.

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