At our current stage of risk-taking and adventure seeking, traveling abroad is an experience most of us welcome with open arms. Living with a host family enhances all the benefits of traveling abroad because it gives you a chance to fully immerse yourself. Suddenly you are transformed from tourist to local. Instead of guessing where to eat or gravitating to places you feel comfortable going, you're {willingly} forced to eat yummy and most definitely authentic food like a local. Great food is just the beginning of the gains of living with a host family. Now that you're transforming into a local, you accept their language, customs and culture as your own. Even if it doesn't feel natural at first, your family will show you their ways and you will learn to adapt.
Before arriving to the North of France for my exchange program, I had taken French from elementary school through high school. When I exited the train to be immediately greeted by my host family for the first time, feelings of excitement and eagerness rushed through my veins. Along with these emotions came a slight feeling of uncertainty. Although I performed well in class, being put into an environment where ONLY French would be spoken made me realize that more work had to be done before I could be proficient in the language.
Because you are completely immersed, becoming proficient (or at least making leaps of improvement) in a language is a natural gain from living in a host family. My first day required extreme amounts of brainpower. Perhaps being a morning person might have made it a little easier, but having to wake my brain up faster than usual in order to work in French right away was a struggle. Thankfully, I soon realized that the sentiment “repetition forms habits" is totally true. After the first couple of days, the mental exhaustion was completely gone. Instead of thinking in English and translating to French, my brain thought in French. In fact, I found myself having to work my brain a little harder to respond to my mom's Facebook messages in English during my time away. Thinking and conversing in French became natural, and by the end, tenses I thought would take me forever to use comfortably became instinctive.
In class we learn about culture and customs from abroad. Visiting other countries allows you to see these lectures and readings come to life around you. Living with a host family allows you to not only see these cultures and customs, but also be an active participant. I greeted everyone with “bisous" and learned that meals last awhile. When visiting a new place, we don't really think to do everyday things like go to the grocery store or go to the park. Living with a host family shows that 'everyday things' are part of the experience and serve as a great way to compare cultures.
We also seem to learn a great deal about 'what young people do' in other countries (the book descriptions are usually quite funny). My French exchange partner is my age, so I went to class with her and spent a lot of time with her friends doing 'what young people do'. You soon realize the books aren't always right (and usually dated). Living with a host family makes it easier to meet people your age because you can hang out with your exchange partner and his or her friends. Not only does this expose you to their culture and customs, but you also learn how they speak. It's a real-life urban dictionary like you've never experienced, but foreign-style.
Eating authentic food, improving a language and learning customs and cultures are truly incredible gains from living with a host family, but my personal favorite benefit is fostering relationships. On top of returning with classic souvenirs, beautiful pictures and unforgettable memories, add 'strong new bonds' to your list. I'm thankful to still be in touch on a weekly basis with my exchange partner, and we've had the opportunity to visit each other on multiple occasions over the summers. Instead of exchange partners, we think of each other as sisters and make a point to visit often, like family. So whether it's a forever friend or even just a pen-pal, it's always amazing to welcome the opportunity to cherish new bonds, especially in the midst of learning to adapt to a new place.
