Homestay Experience
This month, we’re highlighting our podcast interview with Rachael Kinoshita, an Ecuador Spring 2019 alumna, who shares her personal experience with a homestay family and the impact it had on her.
Every student that comes through the Ecuador semester and summer programs stays with a local Ecuadorian family for a portion of the program. This is an opportunity for the student to be stretched with their Spanish, immerse themselves in the culture fully, and be loved on by an Ecuadorian family.
Ashleigh Dellos our Director of Enrollment asks Rachael some great questions about her time with her homestay family. Below are the questions and a summary of Rachael’s answers.
For the full interview, you can visit The Living & Learning Podcast on our website and wherever you listen to podcasts.
What have you been up to post-Ecuador?
I went back to Azusa Pacific University and finished my bachelor’s degree in Social Work, and graduated in spring 2021, and in May 2022, I graduated with my Master of Social Work. I’m currently unemployed but I want to be a School Social Worker. I’m actively involved in my church and a group us are going to Romania this Saturday.
What does the first day of homestays feel like?
It’s really chaotic. There’s a lot going on, we’re all packed into a building, all the faculty, students, and families are all there. Everyone is excited. Students have gifts for the families. There’s a lot of energy, there’s a lot of newness. Personally, I was really anxious, I was meeting a new family, going to live with strangers for a month in another country...that's unreal. But the family was really welcoming and very intentional. I have dietary restrictions which is really tough in a different country, but they were so thougtfull and intentional. Right off the bat they eased my anxieties and let me know that I was going to be okay.
Describe your family a little bit?
The parents were around the same age as my parents which was comforting. They had two daughters, one was a little older than me and my cohort homestay partner, Amberly but the other daughter was around the same age as us. They also had a dog.
Amberly was the other L&LI student that you were partnered with. What was it like having a cohort partner in your homestay?
I am so thankful I was partnered with Amberly. Before moving into our homestay’s home, I didn’t interact with her a lot but then we were living together and she was sweet. She knew more Spanish than me so that was really helpful since I was at a Spanish 101 level. We could lean on each other and helped each other out. Going into something completly different, it was nice to have some familiarity knowing that Amberly was in the same program as me and we could help each other.
Communication was challenging...what are some challenges of being in a homestay family?
Before you live with your homestay family, you’re in an apartment surrounded by other students in the program, you speak English most of the time, and going shopping or walking in the community is the only time we used Spanish before going into our Homestays. There was a lot of miscommunication, and quite a few embarrassing stories.
One time we were all sitting around the dining table with extended family and friends, they're all talking really fast, and Amberley started laughing which made me laugh even though I didn’t know what she was laughing at and then the rest started laughing with us. But once the extended family left, our mom told us that they were talking about a family member who had passed away eariler that day. It was a really embarassing situation but they were very gracious in their response and knew that we weren’t able to follow along with the conversation. Definitely a little awkward, and stuff like that just happens when you’re immersed in a new language.
The Homestay Families have a task to show you the city. What were some of the places you got to visit when you were there?
We went to so many places. We visited Otovalo, and there were so many markets and food and my host dad kept pointing to food and saying "Sin Gluten" that’s gluten free. It was so nice. We ate at a local little spots, the running joke was that the mom didn't cook. Her daughters would always tease her. She baked a lot so we had a lot of baked goods.
As you reflect on your time, what were the life-changing or impactful pieces of the homestay part that was really meaningful to you?
I think connecting with the culture. That's the biggest part of studing abroad, it’s so important. Being pushed out of your comfort zone, that was unique and I’m going to live with these memories and experiences for the rest of my life.
For me personally, it gave me a lot of empathy for my parents, who emigrated from Japan. Me spending a month where we spoke a language I didn’t really know, was really challenging. And thinking of my parents who moved here and they had to learn English, just gave me a lot of empathy for what they experienced.
What would be something you would want an incoming student to know?
It goes by so fast, but honestly just soak it in. Four months goes by so fast. I could have stayed for a year. Embrace the awkwardness and laugh it off. Be intentional.