As part of a trip to South America I'm going to take spanish classes in Peru for at least a month. I'm trying to decide whether to also do a homestay or stay in an apartment for the month. The concerns I have about doing a homestay are that I'm 30, am used to living on my own and being independent, so living in somebody else's home might be a bit strange. I'm weighing that against the idea that a homestay might be safer (I'm female) and it may give more opportunities for practicing spanish. But then again I'm fairly social, so would expect to find people to annoy with my bad spanish fairly easily wherever I stay....
1
johnnypacheco
I suggest you do a homestay because you will learn more. You will be forced to use the language in everyday life and learn about culture.
2
stormboy
Let's face it, it's only for a month. I'm sure the benefits of being able to interact with a local family for a month will far outweigh any temporary loss of independence.
3
molodets
I think homestays are a bit weird. And a month is long time. I did a homestay with a Russian family for a month when i was 21 and it was fairly strange. My Russian wasn't very good and I felt like some guy who was always in their flat, but who could only have the most basic banal conversations with them. It improved my Russian, but so would a month of Russian classes while living in Russia.
I do think however it gave me an insight into the country which i could have only got like that. So it was interesting, but weird.
4
stormboy
#3 - I agree with you that they can be weird. I deliberately chose to live on my own in the former Soviet Union while some of my friends stayed with families. I was invited round for tea to one family and it was an extremely surreal experience - the highlight being when I was taken to see the cat using the toilet, sitting on the edge of the bowl. It hadn't learnt to flush, though.
5
satchie
I would say that if you go into it concered that the people might be weird, you are probably going to encounter what you consider weirdness and they will sense you are seeing them as weird and that will make the whole thing uncomfortable.
You'd need to be open to learning about how they live and seeing it as delightful rather than weird.
6
zzigzzag
The great thing about a homestay is that you will experience the local culture in addition to the language. If you have your own apartment you will be less likely to eat unusual foods, be invited to a wedding, see how a family celebrates a local holiday, disciplines their children, deals with the local bureaucracy, etc. Sure, being in their home will be a little weird if you're used to living on your own, but it's only a few weeks, and the benefits greatly outweigh the inconveniences.
7
snd485
I lived with a host family my first 6 weeks in Argentina and it was definitely awkward. I was really happy to get out of that house!! But at the same time, I was glad that at least for a few weeks, I had someone to show me around and how things work here.
So, if you are only there for a month, go for it, a host family won't be that bad. Then, if it really doesn't working out, you can always move.
8
fearfulflyer
I have done two homestays in Japan. I wouldn't say it's weird, but it can be a bit uncomfortable, just as it would be to stay in the house of any stranger in your own country. However, I would still recommend it. Although a month is a long time, you'll have the chance to settle in and feel more comfortable, and build up a relationship even if it is non-verbal.
A lot will depend on your host family and a bit of luck - it's human nature that we get on better with some people than with others, regardless of cultural differences. But if the family have put themselves forward as hosts they must want to do it - it might be just for financial reasons, but more likely they actually would like to gain personally from it as well, particularly if they have children. Most people are hospitable and will go out of their way to make you welcome, and will want you to have the best possible impression of their country.
You sound like a confident, outgoing person who would find communicating generally (even if not in Spanish!) relatively easy and wouldn't be overly distressed if the situation wasn't as good as you'd hope. If you hate it, it is only for a month, and you'll probably gain from the experience retrospectively (even if it's just with a good collection of pub stories!). On the other hand, you might love it and be very glad that you did it. Like all travel, it's a bit of a gamble. But if you don't take the chance you are as likely to miss out on a great experience as a lousy one.
Good luck!
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