Homestay Stories

Pam — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:46:34 -0500

I love my homestay. I have the craziest mother ever (she is a matchmaker/wedding planner and she use to be a nurse), a calm father that owns a shoe shop (how perfect is that?), 6 siblings and a variety of other people that come and go. --From Atlanta to Rabat

"Homestay" is a terrific way for travelers to experience the country they're visiting on a personal, local level. Using a service like HomestayWeb or Servas, travelers can spend a night or two - or longer - with a family and get a tiny peek into what life is really like at their destination. Homestays do come in a broad variety of flavors - some are like B&Bs, some are more like the classic foreign exchange programs, some are super casual - think Couchsurfing.

We live in a house in the neighborhood called Foto, which is about a 30 minute walk for me every morning. We have electricity (except for the occasional blackout due to infrastructure issues - but its the fault of an american company) and running water, theoretically, because its been out since i've been there. Life without running water really is not hard though. Just dump water to manually flush the toilet and use collected water to wash yourself. I feel accepted in the family, but as a boy, dont do much work (yet, perhaps).-Stranded in Cameroon

I asked him to tell me more about his homestay and he said that his family lives 15 km outside of the city, in a village called Tapon. The homestay would last for two days and two nights. There would be no running water or electricity, although his home did have a Western-style toilet, the only one, he added, in the entire village. The cost for room and board, and his guide and transportation services for two days? A very reasonable $35 per person.-The Off Season

It's fun to read travel blogging from homestay travelers because they often write about family. They observe household dynamics, spend an inordinate amount of time discussing plumbing and/or electricity, and they eat home cooked meals.

Today for lunch, though, we had rice with what I fear was a sheep's head. I asked what kind of meat it was, cause it was definitely not beef, and my host mother said something like "mourron". Which I looked up in the dictionary and it doesn't exist. But it sounds very similar to "moutton", which is sheep. So maybe that's what she said. Either way, it was a head of something, because I saw a jawbone and ate something that looked like tongue. Luckily I had just had lunch at the Peace Corps center, so I was able to tell them that I had already eaten and get away with only eating three bites of the head.-Aid Worker

Homestays aren't just for backpacking toting student types.

My 64-year-old student and his wife also have gone on homestays and they are planning to go on another this year. The main difference between the old and the young is the younger people often do their stays in conjunction with a study program such as attending English conversation schools or attending short-term college or university programs. The older folks tend to go for more of a cultural exchange and pursue various activities they enjoy. My older student particularly enjoys playing golf in Florida as part of his homestays.-My So Called Japanese Life

Back when I was a mere slip of a lass in short pants, I was an exchange student for the summer. I would not be exaggerating to say that the experience changed me forever. And now, when I travel, I love any opportunity to slip past the facade and see what it's like to really live somewhere. Blog connections are great for this - internet friends have invited me to stay and I've felt really good about taking them up on it. It's not just the money, plus, I like to bring treats and cook for my hosts - if they'll let me. It's the chance to spend a little time seeing a country through the eyes of someone who lives there. It's not for everyone - you have to roll with what happens when you walk in the door. Sheep's head and smokers and noisy generators and outdoor toilets might be part of what you've signed up for. The rewards are great, though, a chance to share local life, to perform diplomacy on a small scale, to really experience a country for a short moment as though you lived there... homestays are a great way to add to your adventure.

Disclaimer: I'm not endorsing any of the organizations I've linked to, though friends speak very highly of Servas. Do your homework, please.

Pam blogs about travel and other adventures at Nerd's Eye View.

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Homestay Stories