Living with a family in Spain

Last summer, I had the opportunity to study Spanish internationally in Salamanca, Spain for a month and a half,  in which I decided to stay with a family for accommodations. This was an unforgettable experience. I will begin by giving a summary of my stay, followed by what I have learned and finally my recommendations for people that are also considering staying with a family while studying abroad.

Summary of my experience

I stayed with a very welcoming couple Jose-Maria and Maria-Jose. As soon as I met them they treated me like I was a part of their family. They picked me up a the bus station and I was greeted with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, something standard in Spanish culture.  After settling into their apartment on the first day,  they showed me around the city. Throughout my stay, I opted for a partial-meal option and had breakfast and lunch served with the family every day. They also took care of doing the laundry.  I was very lucky to have been given complete freedom in terms of going in and out of the apartment and rules in general. Ultimately, I could always count on great advice about places to visit and about places to avoid from the couple. 

What I have learned

Overall, I have learned that living with a family is very practical as I had meals were provided and I was able to rely on a trustworthy local for good advice, it was like being at my parents house but in a different country. Living with a family allows you to truly immerse yourself into the culture and the language by adopting the local lifestyle. I learned many Spanish spoken expressions through my many conversations with the family. From a cultural standpoint, I have found that people in Spain are rather social and easy-going and living with a family, allowed me to try typical Spanish foods. Personally, the only thing I found particularly difficult was adapting to the eating times. In Spain, people eat something very small when they wake up, have a coffee around 11am, a big lunch at 3pm followed by a siesta and then something small around 8pm.  

Recommendations

If you are considering living with a family while studying abroad, your school will likely be able to place you with a family. This is how I found mine and I was also given a contact card with information about the family. Living with a family is like being in any family household, I would advise finding out in advance about any rules or expectations since every family is different. If you are able to, I also recommend bringing an item from your home country to give as a thank you gift. Lastly, don't forget to keep in touch with the family when you get back home!

All in all, living in a family in Spain was an amazing cross-cultural experience and I have now made a connection with the family for life. I would highly encourage anyone interested in living and traveling for a short to medium period of time abroad to also seek living accommodations with a family.