Homestays and Dorms
Family-specific info at the bottom
Homestays vs Dorms
The quality of your dorm room or the experience you’ll have in your homestay varies greatly from one placement to another. I can’t speak on homestays from my own experience, but it's clear that the two options differ greatly, with pros and cons on either side.
Most people I know doing homestays love their host family and usually have younger siblings or pets that they bond with quickly and get along with. These new family members make the experience greatly enriching and improve the quality of life in the homestay. However, in some cases, you may find yourself at odds with your host parents and feel pressured to attend dinners on days when the rest of your friends are going out. Your host parent may be very strict and have rules that you don’t agree with, or make you feel conflicted, as their expectations of when you should be home may collide with your and your friends’ desires. If you want to ensure freedom, choose the residencia. Despite the negative aspects of homestay, I want to express that getting such a family is rare and 90% of people will have no problem with the family they were assigned to. Homestays are a way to guarantee that you are provided with good food, a culturally immersive experience that will improve your Spanish by an unbelievable amount, and a family that you’ll likely grow to be immensely close with, a bond made for the rest of your life.
Regarding dorms, which is what I chose, they are undoubtedly the easier way to become adjusted to the college experience, or even feel as if you are truly going through it in the first place. You will feel the independence that comes with living alone, the enriching and novel (for most) experience of living with a roommate (who of course, starts off as a complete stranger to you), and the opportunity to develop true self-efficacy and motivation, as waking up, doing laundry, making it on time for meals, and time-management, is all on you. Homestays allow one to use a family as a crutch for meals, curfew (not getting home at 5 a.m. when you have an 8 a.m. class), language immersion, and chores such as laundry, but in the dorms, you’ll find that solely you and your roommate carry the responsibility of looking after the cleanliness of your living area and balancing academics with social life. There are no rules as to when you come back when you eat, etc.- in the residencia, the newfound independence associated with the college experience begins. I forgot to mention- the quality of your dorm room is a thing of chance. Some people have gotten small rooms with inconvenient interiors, while me and my roommate got a third-floor room with a nice view and great organization.
To sum it up, both options have their pros and cons, and it really depends on what you want to get out of the experience. If you’re looking for complete independence and to grow your responsible, self-reliant side, the dorms are likely the better option. However, if you want to be immersed in the Spanish language, culture, and cuisine, and want to have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of living with a new family away from home, then homestays are the way to go. There is no wrong option, only the one that better aligns with your goals and desires.
-Rafa 10/2/23
Perspective from Someone With a Host Family:
I chose the homestay option. I live with a host mom, a host brother, and my UNC roommate. I am personally really happy with my choice of living with a host family as it provides a sense of comfort and support. Going to Spain, I had some prior knowledge of Spanish however, my Spanish was not great. I found that the first week I was really overwhelmed as I found it hard to communicate. As time passes, I find it much easier to have conversations with my host family. I also feel that being immersed in a family has helped significantly improve my Spanish.
One of people's concerns with having a host family is having strict rules; however, I did not face that issue. On my first day with my host family, I asked them their rules so I could gain an idea of their expectations. My host family is very laid back and only asked us to be quiet coming in late at night, so I did not have any experience with strict rules.
My host mom cooks us cultural food and one thing I would recommend is expressing if you do or don't like something because they strongly emphasize wasting food. If you pretend you enjoy something, chances are they will make it again, and it will put you in an awkward situation. - Rebecca Tabakin
Perspective From Someone Who Lived in Dorms:
Regarding dorms, which is what I chose, they are undoubtedly the easier way to become adjusted to the college experience, or even feel as if you are truly going through it in the first place. You will feel the independence that comes with living alone, the enriching and novel (for most) experience of living with a roommate (who of course, starts off as a complete stranger to you- I’d recommend talking to them on instagram before the semester starts), and the opportunity to develop true self-efficacy and motivation, as waking up, doing laundry, making it on time for meals, and time-management, is all on you. Homestays allow one to use a family as a crutch for meals, curfew (not getting home at 5 a.m. when you have an 8am class), language immersion, and chores such as laundry, but in the dorms, you’ll find that solely you and your roommate carry the responsibility of looking after the cleanliness of your living area and balancing academics and social life. There are no rules as to when you come back, when you eat, etc.- in the residencia, the newfound independence associated with the college experience begins. Your dorm room's quality is a thing of chance, but all of them are good enough. Some people get smaller rooms with inconvenient interiors, while me and my roommate got a third-floor room with a nice view and great organization. All of them are good enough.
To sum it up, both options have pros and cons, and it depends on what you want to get out of the experience. The dorms are likely the better option if you’re looking for complete independence and to grow your responsible, self-reliant side. However, if you want to be immersed in the Spanish language, culture, and cuisine, and want to have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of living with a new family away from home, then homestays are the way to go. There is no wrong option, only the one that better aligns with your goals and desires.
-Rafa
Changing Families/Dorms
Something addition to note- do not stress if your host family is not a good fit for you. The leaders at API - Carmen, Curra, and Layla made it clear that if anyone felt they might fit better in the residence (living without a family) or at a different home (with a different family) then they would make it happen and speak on our behalf to make that change. The families and API leaders prioritize you, and make sure your stay and studies are a good fit for you.
-Macon
Practical Advice
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Be assertive and communicate with your roommate. If they’re messy or have habits that bother you, make sure to let them know sooner rather than later.
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Your experience with a host family really depends on who you get, but almost every student has a positive experience, neutral at worst.
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Communicate with your host family as well. Tell them where you’re going, how late you want to stay out, and how comfortable you are with the boundaries they’ve set for you. Living with a family is a two-way street, and you should understand that you’ve got a right to set your own boundaries as well.
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If you and your roommate don't click or get along, just make sure you can tolerate living together. This means both of you adapt to one another and live in a way that doesn't bother the other person. You don't have to be best friends, but you shouldn't have to become frustrated every time you come home. At the very least, get dinner with your roommate once or twice, get to know them, and make sure you communicate boundaries, expectations, and desires. This will allow the two of you, regardless of whether or not you become friends, to enjoy living with one another in a physical sense.
Family-Specific Reviews
Straight From Students Who Lived With Them
FYI- you won't know who your host parents are until after you choose the homestay option, so if you're reading this before you've chosen one, just let it shape your general view of homestays
How many people did you live with and who?
Isabel and Lucita:
"I lived with one other student, as well as the two host mothers in their late 60s. They are the two most kind and amazing people. They love to tell stories and are very fun to talk to. Often times their grandchildren visited."
Santiago and Hortensia:
"I lived with an abuela and abuelo. They were in their late 70s, early 80s. They had several kids and grandkids. I loved both of them and could tell how much they cared. We got to know their grandchildren too, and often had family over."
Pilar Palma:
"Pilar-host mom, Javier-host brother, Parker-roommate"
Mercedes:
"Mom, Older sister (20), younger sister (13), and my roommate Taryn"
"We had two sisters, one 20 year old and one 13 year old"
Maribel and Juan:
"Two parents, their daughter (mid-20s), and a puppy. All very sweet and loving, only spoke Spanish, jokesters and sarcastic (which fit really well with my personality)."
How was the food situation?
Isabel and Lucita:
"The food was amazing. Breakfast was on your own, as they would supply a light breakfast (apple, muffin, toast, etc.). Lunch was large and always great, the seafood and paella was especially great. Dinner was always amazing. Large portion sizes and lots of variety. They always rotate food so you never eat too much of everything. They like to cook what you will enjoy, so specify if you like particular dishes."
Santiago and Hortensia:
"We ate the typical 3 meals a day at the typical time. We had a variety of traditional food that abuela would homemake each day. I rate the food honestly a 9-9.5 every time."
Pilar Palma:
"10/10 food, she was a great cook"
Mercedes:
"I ate all my meals with them during the week (Monday-Thursday). We ate different food in rotation everyday, from pasta to sandwiches to rice and hot dogs to empanadas. It was all really good! Lunch was our biggest meal. For breakfast we’d usually just have toast."
"The food was incredible. We had toast and coffee/whatever we wanted for breakfast. For lunch, we always ate all together around 3:15. Dinner was light around 9:00."
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Maribel and Juan:
"3 meals a day: breakfast coffee with either toast and marmalade or Nutella or cereal, lunch bigger meal that varied (paella, patatas pobres, lentil soup, garbanzos con espinaca, spaghetti) but always fruit after, dinner lighter meal that also varied (chicken and pastina soup when we were sick, tortilla española, stuffed savory crepes, salad). Maribel was really accommodating with my Celiacs which was so nice because I was actually able to enjoy Spain because I wasn’t worrying about getting glutened."
How were the accommodations?
Isabel and Lucita:
"We slept in one room with 2 twin beds. The beds were comfy and as the weather changed, they provided us with comforters. There was a closet and drawers for each of us, plenty of storage. (Hangars provided as well). The bathroom was private and across the hall, containing a shower and toilet, and a nice sink. The living room and kitchen were large for an apartment."
Santiago and Hortensia:
"Me and my roommate both had a separate room and shared a bathroom. The rooms, bathrooms, beds, etc were all incredibly nice and cared for."
Pilar Palma:
"Shared a bedroom, pretty good accommodations"
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Mercedes:
"Taryn and I shared a bathroom and a bedroom but we had a living space seperated by a door from our host families rooms. I really liked my living space and location of housing."
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"I shared a room with my roommate and the accommodations were incredible. All that we needed."
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Maribel and Juan:
"My roommate and I shared a room which was comfortable and we had our own bathroom which was nice. Maribel cleaned everything once a week (if not more) which was such a luxury to have such a clean space."
How strong was the language/cultural boundary, how did you navigate it?
Isabel and Lucita:
"I started with a lower intermediate Spanish level (3). It was a little hard to communicate completely when I initially got there, but as time progressed my vocabulary and ability to communicate increased. There isn’t too much cultural boundary, everyone in Spain is very kind and understanding."
Santiago and Hortensia:
"I was relatively good at speaking Spanish prior, but it is still an adjustment. The best advice I would give is just to embrace it. You’re not gonna understand everything, culture or words, but the faster you embrace it the more fun it is."
Pilar Palma:
"I knew enough Spanish to speak with them most of the time but they didn’t know any English"
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Mercedes:
"Both my roommate and I had high levels of Spanish so we could communicate pretty easily with our family. I would suggest others to try their best to speak Spanish and connect with their host family because they can learn a lot from them and build great relationships!"
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"My roommate and I both spoke Spanish which really enriched the experience."
Maribel and Juan:
"I am fluent in Spanish so it wasn’t a boundary for me; I did become a translator for my roommate though as she didn’t speak much Spanish.​"
What was your relationship with your host parents like?
Isabel and Lucita:
"They were the best. They always respected our space, yet took great care of it. They were hands-off in that they didn’t mind when you came home so long as you were quiet and respectful. They were always happy to help with any problem and had the best stories."
Santiago and Hortensia:
"We interacted with my host family very frequently. I would often stay after dinner and watch movies with them or talk. We had lunch every day together, and often saw each other throughout the day in between school and work."
Pilar Palma:
"We would usually eat meals together and sometimes hang out when I was home. Never went out with them"
Mercedes:
"We interacted with our family daily. I love my host family so much and am beyond grateful that I was able to live with them. We would talk for hours during lunch and built a really strong relationship. I can’t wait to go back and visit them one day."
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"They became close friends who I learned a lot from."
Maribel and Juan:
"Because of my Spanish level, my host parents and I got really close and we still talk frequently."
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If you were to repeat the experience, what would you want to know going in?
Isabel and Lucita:
"You can travel often, so think of places you want to visit and plan flights/accommodations as soon as possible. Make great friends and memories, it will last you a lifetime."
Santiago and Hortensia:
"- enjoy it, it goes by so fast
- don’t worry about going to Chapel Hill, everything works out
- TRAVEL
- this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, use it
- go on the group trips
- EMBRACE IT ALL!"
Pilar Palma:
"It seems intimidating living with a Spanish family especially if you don’t know a lot of Spanish but they are all really nice and the language barrier isn’t as much of a problem as you would think"
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Mercedes:
"If I were to repeat the experience I would say to not be shy about your level of Spanish speaking and just try your best to connect with the family. They, more than likely, would love to get to know you too and it’s a great way to practice your Spanish!" -Natalia, CGL 2023
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"Really lean into your host family situation whatever it be. This is such a unique and valuable experience."
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Maribel and Juan:
"Do it. So many people push going abroad off until junior year but often find that they’re too busy at that point. It’s such a worth-it experience."
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