You, like the many who have studied abroad before you, will create intensely detailed visions of how your experience will play out. You’ll visualize the morning cup o’joe you’ll sip at the corner café. You’ll envision the bonds that will form between the melting pot of students that make up your program. You’ll imagine the weekend getaways you’ll take here, there and everywhere. And, as a topic of utmost importance, you’ll picture the place that you’ll call home.
Maybe a nice, grandmotherly señora will reside there, kissing your cheeks as you enter and leave. Maybe the family’s hot son will keep you company every afternoon, making you blush with his thick Australian accent. Maybe your host family won’t speak a lick of English, encouraging you to quickly pick up their language and customs.
Maybe is fun, but maybe doesn’t always translate into reality.
Your living arrangements might not match the pictures you’ve conjured up in your mind. So, if after giving them a week or two-long trial you’re still itching to move, there are a few actions you can take. That being said, let me first introduce you to the list of what types of excuses are and aren’t worthy for wanting out of the living arrangement to which you were assigned.
Unworthy:
- You didn’t like that weird ingredient that was put in your breakfast yesterday, and you’re nervous it will be served every day.
- You have limited or no internet access, and don’t want to walk over to the university to email your friends and family.
- Your host mother chastised you for letting a friend sleep over without asking first, and you’re worried she doesn’t like you anymore.
Worthy:
- You’re allergic to peanuts and your host family refuses to cook anything without them.
- None of the amenities you were promised are available where you’re living.
- You feel in danger of emotional or physical abuse.
As has hopefully become evident, you need an actual case to be moved to a new location. If you feel that you do have one, the first step is to contact your program coordinator—the one in your study abroad country, not the one you may have dealt with before leaving the U.S. Be specific about what is troubling you and don’t be shy. You have a right to feel comfortable in your living arrangement. If your program coordinator agrees to move you, keep in mind that you might incur a fee, especially if you are granted a switch for what we’ve dubbed “unworthy” reasons.
Before you consider the switch, it is important to keep an open mind when it comes to your homestay or apartment. Upon arrival, culture shock can get the best of you, warping your perception of what is actually a perfectly fine living arrangement. Take the housing grace period that most programs offer to heart. You might find that you develop a liking for the initially odd-tasting dish your host family concocted. Your walks to the university’s computer lab might provide you with uninterrupted doses of people watching that you come to appreciate and savor. You might begin to feel comforted that your host mom lays down the law the way your real mom would. You might just find that you’ll never want to leave.
HC Love,
Sarah, Your HC Travel Expert