Living abroad: Apartment, shared, or homestay?
When deciding how you should live abroad, the most important thing to consider is yourself, not the cost. I decided a single bedroom in a shared apartment was best for me but I have lived with people who did a shared room and many of my friends were in homestays. Depending on where you study you might not have the same options I did so my knowledge of other situations (like dorms abroad) is minimal. Here is my take on all three of the situations offered to me.
Single Bedroom, Shared Apartment: This worked out perfect for me because as much as I like being social, I really just need to be alone sometimes to relax. The common areas were shared, including the bathrooms but it was never really in issue in my apartment. I must say I really lucked out with the roommates I got because I loved all of them. We all established rules for cleaning, food, etc. on the first day and there was never drama in our apartment (seriously). Everyone really became like my family. One thing to note is I had the option to do an all girls or a mixed and I chose mix. The all girls apartment always had drama and the all boys apartment was always messy. Living with both guys and girls really helped level things out, I think. Remember that living in an apartment means you are on your own for food, trash bags, cleaning supplies, etc., and should factor in money for those things to your budget.
Shared Bedroom, Shared apartment: It all depends on how well you get along with others. Are you a social butterfly? Do you compromise well? How do you handle messy people? What if you don't like the other person? Those are all questions to consider before you go. Usually the program has you fill out a roommate questionnaire similar to ones you've probably seen your freshman year of college. But even with these, we know that roommates don't always turn out to be a good match. I knew people who loved their roommate and I knew people who definitely did not like their roommate. If you feel like you could handle sharing a room with another person, than do it. I almost chose this option because it was cheaper but decided against it and I am glad I did just because it wouldn't have fit my personality all too well.
Host family/Homestay: These are truly hit or miss and it will never be perfect. My friends who stayed with host families said they really improved on their Spanish because typically that was the only language spoken. I can imagine it being nice to come home to an apartment that is quiet and a little more homey (My apartment had 7 people compared to the typical 3 in a homestay). I had a friend who really liked her host mom because she was a sweet old lady but there were some down sides. Remember you have to play by the house rules if this is what you decide you want. My friend could only take 5 minute showers, wasn't allowed to do her own laundry, had to wash her undergarments in the sink before putting them in the hamper, her host mom really only made pasta dishes, and it was much further from school (took her one hour and sometimes more to get to school). Another friend of mine liked the location of his homestay and ate a variety of Spanish food each day but him and his host mom would "butheads" sometimes because they had such similar personalities. A third friend of mine really didn't like her host family but didn't ask to switch so she never wanted to go back to the house. Some of the homestays had kids or other study abroad students living there as well. In homestays some of the best parts were someone else did the cleaning and all meals of the say were taken care of (so I have been told). Every living situation will have their downsides.
Remember, living abroad isn't ALL about the money you will save. I am all for a good bargain but living in another country for five months is no easy task so spending a little extra to have the accommodations you want and would feel most comfortable are the best bet here. Yes, I wanted to save money and do a shared apartment but I knew that was not best for my personality. Yes, I wanted to do a homestay to improve my Spanish even more but in the end I knew the single room was best for me.
Single Bedroom, Shared Apartment: This worked out perfect for me because as much as I like being social, I really just need to be alone sometimes to relax. The common areas were shared, including the bathrooms but it was never really in issue in my apartment. I must say I really lucked out with the roommates I got because I loved all of them. We all established rules for cleaning, food, etc. on the first day and there was never drama in our apartment (seriously). Everyone really became like my family. One thing to note is I had the option to do an all girls or a mixed and I chose mix. The all girls apartment always had drama and the all boys apartment was always messy. Living with both guys and girls really helped level things out, I think. Remember that living in an apartment means you are on your own for food, trash bags, cleaning supplies, etc., and should factor in money for those things to your budget.
Shared Bedroom, Shared apartment: It all depends on how well you get along with others. Are you a social butterfly? Do you compromise well? How do you handle messy people? What if you don't like the other person? Those are all questions to consider before you go. Usually the program has you fill out a roommate questionnaire similar to ones you've probably seen your freshman year of college. But even with these, we know that roommates don't always turn out to be a good match. I knew people who loved their roommate and I knew people who definitely did not like their roommate. If you feel like you could handle sharing a room with another person, than do it. I almost chose this option because it was cheaper but decided against it and I am glad I did just because it wouldn't have fit my personality all too well.
Host family/Homestay: These are truly hit or miss and it will never be perfect. My friends who stayed with host families said they really improved on their Spanish because typically that was the only language spoken. I can imagine it being nice to come home to an apartment that is quiet and a little more homey (My apartment had 7 people compared to the typical 3 in a homestay). I had a friend who really liked her host mom because she was a sweet old lady but there were some down sides. Remember you have to play by the house rules if this is what you decide you want. My friend could only take 5 minute showers, wasn't allowed to do her own laundry, had to wash her undergarments in the sink before putting them in the hamper, her host mom really only made pasta dishes, and it was much further from school (took her one hour and sometimes more to get to school). Another friend of mine liked the location of his homestay and ate a variety of Spanish food each day but him and his host mom would "butheads" sometimes because they had such similar personalities. A third friend of mine really didn't like her host family but didn't ask to switch so she never wanted to go back to the house. Some of the homestays had kids or other study abroad students living there as well. In homestays some of the best parts were someone else did the cleaning and all meals of the say were taken care of (so I have been told). Every living situation will have their downsides.
Remember, living abroad isn't ALL about the money you will save. I am all for a good bargain but living in another country for five months is no easy task so spending a little extra to have the accommodations you want and would feel most comfortable are the best bet here. Yes, I wanted to save money and do a shared apartment but I knew that was not best for my personality. Yes, I wanted to do a homestay to improve my Spanish even more but in the end I knew the single room was best for me.
Comments
Post a Comment