Living abroad with a host family can be an enriching opportunity for students hoping to immerse themselves in a new culture or learn a new language. Life abroad can, however, come with its own set of benefits and challenges, depending on a variety of factors like the country, the relationship with the host family, and the individual. No one experience is alike.

Programs like CIEE and the International Student Exchange offer opportunities for high school age students to live abroad with host families. Several Williston students have lived abroad with host families through said programs, whether they be international students staying in the United States, or American students staying in other countries.

Sako Lively, a senior day student from Northampton, Mass., lived with a host family in Rennes, France, for eight and a half months. He said that although he was nervous at first, the experience proved to be worth it in the end.

“I would 100% recommend [living abroad with a host family] because I had the best year of my life,” he said. “I progressed a lot in French and I made truly lifelong friends and family all while discovering and exploring a new, foreign country. Even though I got major cold feet before going, and there were some difficult days, the overall experience was very enjoyable and I became a part of a caring, enjoyable community.”

Lateef Aiyeyemi, a junior boarder from Newark, N.J,  also had a positive experience when he lived with a host family in Madrid, Spain for one month over the summer. He said there were many valuable things about living with a host family more than just vacationing independently.

“[The host family] truly knows the location well and even takes you to places a normal tour guide wouldn’t even think of,” he said. “One of my favorite parts was when my host dad took me and my host brother hiking up a steep mountain to explore ruins on the top of it left by Romans.”

Both students found themselves integrated into their host families.

“The best part [of the trip] was becoming a part of the [host] family,” Sako said. “After a couple months I started to feel a deep and lasting connection with them and enjoyed all of our shared moments. We would watch movies and shows on the weekend, play various board games, take trips to the beach, and we even visited Paris together.”

“The idea seemed insane to me at first but my host siblings integrated me into their family as if we’d lived together all our lives,” Lateef said.

Living with a host family can have complications as well.

“Being a part of the family meant that I saw the moments of tension and mishaps,” Sako said. “When there were arguments (between my host brothers and parents mainly) it was unenjoyable in the moment, but also a not-so-friendly, but reassuring reminder that our bond and connection wasn’t fake; I became a part of their family and no family has only good moments.”

Julianna Tatar, a senior boarder from Vienna, Austria, lived with a host family in Newton, Mass., for 10 months when she was 15-years-old.

“I had so many good experiences living abroad,” she said. “That year was one of the reasons why I wanted to stay in the United States.”

She said living with a host family, however, is sometimes not all that it seems.

“Sometimes when you go abroad through an organization they make a lot of promises, like the host family taking you out on weekends and spending a lot of time with you, but that’s an exceptional experience,” she said. “Most of the exchange students that were with me didn’t have the best experience with their host families in Newton.”