One of the unique offerings of Verto Seville is the opportunity to stay with a host family on your semester abroad. Sevillian families are known for welcoming international students into their homes, and a homestay experience is one that you’ll never forget. Here are the top 10 reasons to live with a host family in Seville:
You get to “do as the Romans do”
- It’s surprisingly easy to travel to another country yet continue to live life with the same norms and customs that you’re used to back home. When you stay with a Sevillian family, you get to leave the American bubble and experience the local lifestyle. That means seeing how the household prepares to celebrate different holidays, understanding how Sevillians interact with their city and one another, and eating meals on the Spanish timetable.
Enjoy home cooked meals
- Speaking of eating, your host family is the only place where you can try the delicious variety of home cooked meals that Spaniards enjoy on a daily basis. Spanish cuisine is renowned for its flavor and wholesome ingredients, and while some restaurants are excellent, there’s nothing like the dishes that a seasoned home chef can prepare. Plus, there are many dishes that Spaniards eat at home that aren’t served in any tapas bars!
24/7 Spanish practice
- If you’re looking for language immersion, there is nothing that beats a homestay experience to get you practicing your Spanish. Whether you are a beginner or have grown up speaking Spanish, your host family will meet you at your level to make sure that communication is flowing smoothly. And whenever you have a language question, you have your family to help you out.
Comforts of home away from home
- Though at first you may be nervous about meeting your host family, pretty soon you’ll start to feel like you’re one of them. You’ll always have someone to share a meal with and talk about your day, and your host family will always be looking out to make sure that you’re okay. It can be very comforting to know they’re there for you when culture shock starts to set in.
Access a built-in social network
- Seville is a big city that feels like a small town, and socializing is all about who you know. When you live with a host family, you’re likely to interact with their extended family and friends on occasion, and that means you may be invited to places that tourists never even find out about.
Get insider tips
- Your host family are locals, which means they know the best spots for everything: dining out, shopping, festivals, the best place to get your computer repaired, and which beaches are the easiest to get to… you name it, you’ve got the inside scoop.
See other parts of town
- Just like New Yorkers don’t hang out in Times Square, most Sevillians don’t spend all their time in downtown Seville. Many host families live in lively residential neighborhoods that most visitors never venture out to, and that’s where real life happens!
Forget about household chores
- Your host family will take care of weekly cleaning. That means that as long as you keep your room tidy, you’ll have your laundry washed and dried, your room and bathroom cleaned, and your bed linens changed, giving you more time to get out and see Seville.
Practice living sustainably
- Spanish families have been practicing sustainable living since before it was popular. You’ll notice that most families turn to natural solutions for regulating temperature before resorting to A/C and heating. That means lowering window blinds at the hottest hours of the day and adding extra blankets to beds in the colder months. Showers are also considerably shorter, with many people turning off the water while they lather up.
Have another reason to come back
- Many students grow so close to their host parents and siblings that they stay in touch and continue to visit them decades into the future. You may walk away from your semester in Seville with new additions to your extended family and another reason to come back for a visit.
