The Homestay: Part 1

As some of you may know, part of the SLC Florence program is to have the students live with a host family.  This part of the program was a major factor in my decision for study abroad because many programs have the students living together.  Most of my school friends on other study abroad programs are doing just this and they seem to be enjoying themselves, but if a program is academically appealing and you'd be living with a host family, I strongly recommend it!  Here are a couple reasons why...

1. Cultural immersion.  Instead of merely experiencing a city from an outsiders perspective, living with a host family is giving me the chance to understand and absorb modern Italian culture in a way I know wouldn't have been possible otherwise.  Plain and simple.
2. Language, which must be separated from the former point because it is so massively important and to me is the central part of living in a homestay.  Some programs require students to have a minimum language skill level when applying, but SLC Florence doesn't require students to know Italian when they arrive.  Despite this, I decided to take two Italian summer courses at Boston University because I was slightly terrified at the idea of being mute.  However, my worries were unnecessary because many people speak at least some English in Florence.  Ironically, this has become more of a problem as I've lived here because it can discourage us from speaking Italian...
3. Coziness.  Maybe it's just me, but I love the natural warmth in a family home, a motherly/grandmotherly figure hustling and bustling around the house, and hearing "Pronto!" when dinner's ready.  Before coming to Florence I was nervous about being homesick for the first couple months, and even though I do miss my family, it has definitely been easier adjusting to a home environment in comparison to the blank and slightly ominous quality of a new dorm room.

Here's a bit about my homestay experience...

• My host mother's name is Alessandra, or Sandra as I call her.  She's in her mid-sixties, which is a very typical age for people to have study abroad students because they're retired.  Sandra was a High School classics/literature teacher, but now she mainly babysits her granddaughter Olivia.  Sandra has two daughters, Valentina (mid-thirties) and Valeria (thirty).  Sandra, Valeria, and I live in the apartment, which has three bedrooms, two baths, living room, dining area, kitchen, and storage space.  

• Olivia, Valentina's daughter, is a little over one and in the adorable, wobbly, pick-everything-up phase.  I get to see her a couple times a week and I think she's starting to recognize me.  Her favorite phrases include "NONDO NONDO NONDO," "questo," and "ciao!"

• Nondo, mentioned above, is the dog.  He's an interesting little fella because he's a little sweet and sour depending on his mood.  Sometimes he'll go limp on his back wanting me to rub his stomach, and then bark at me when I leave the apartment.  Honestly, why would a dog bark when a person leaves?!  I've become accustomed to shutting the hallway door, which separates the bedrooms from the living room, so he won't try to bite me when I'm walking out the door.  My conclusions on Nondo: he's adorable and he's crazy, so like the signs says, "Proceed with CAUTION."

* I'll try to snap some pictures of everyone soon, but here's a preview...

Nondo. The picture makes him look smaller than he is.

A view of my room from the door

A different angle of my 

This is the main bathroom.  I love this huge tiled mirror!

View of the shower and outside hallway.

The hallway from the bathroom to the living room,
with Nondo in his usual spot outside my room in the afternoon.

Living room.

Dining room. Sandra always sits on the far left end.

A view of the kitchen with the washing machine (no dryer).

Another view of Nondo.

Every host family is different, but that's part of the excitement!  Our experience of the time we're studying abroad is as much influenced by our home life as the time we spend at school.  I love coming to school in the morning and hearing what people had for dinner the night before, or what kind of conversation they had in Italian with their host mother, or even the realization that our host moms' watch the same awful TV shows at dinner (at my house we watch an Italian soap opera called "Un Posto Al Sole" every weekday at 8:30).  Whatever story we have to tell each day, it's encouraging to know in the back of our minds how much we're absorbing each day just by eating at the dinner table.