Skip to main content

An Amazing Mexican Experience


My Mexico homestay experience was something I cannot describe in words. “Amazing” does not say enough about how wonderful it was, “Eye-opening” does not describe how privileged I felt, and “Thank You” is not the words to say how grateful I feel for my wonderful host family. First, let me describe to you my situation on my trip. I was with a Host family that consisted of a mother, father, 12 year old son and a 15 year old daughter. The daughter, Mariana, was so fun and really supportive with helping me feel comfortable and understand the language. The son, Diego, was hilarious and loved to ask me a million questions about my life back in the US. The parents were really nice and loved to ask me questions about my family and they always made sure I felt safe and took great care of me if my stomach hurt. 



During my trip, my host family took me to a lot of different cities to see so many different things. This was not something I was expecting at all. I thought they would just go on with their lives and I would be apart of that, but that definitely was not the case. I could tell from the minute I met them in person that they were just as excited to have me in their family as I was to be in their family. It seemed like they had planned for my stay there for a long time. The whole trip we were always going somewhere to see something, and it was cool because everything that we did seemed to be very unique to that area we were in. Because of this uniqueness, I was able to easily spot the similarities between places but enjoy the special part of each location. For instance, I noticed that every town has its name in big block letters somewhere very close to the center. 


On my trip, my host family was shocked to learn that I love spicy food. Which I thought was hilarious and I don’t think they really believed me at first until we went to some restaurants with, what they thought had, spicy cuisine. I tried everything my host family put in front of me and about 98% of what I had was something I would definitely want again. Most of the food that I didn’t really care too much for was the Mexican candies. My host brother made sure I tried every Mexican candy he could find and he thought it was hilarious when I didn’t live something. One thing I discovered was that my host family (along with their extended family) loved to have me try different food and many different ways too. Let's just stay that I ate a lot on my trip and I think because I ate so much is why my stomach didn’t feel so good but I don’t think there was a particular food that upset my stomach. I got to try food that I never thought existed or that I would ever get to try in my life and that was definitely worth the stomach ache.

 
I absolutely loved the tour of Mexico City at the end too. I learned so much about Mexico in general and it was so cool to stand in the places where history was made. I also liked talking to the other students on this trip about their really cool experiences with their host families.

Like I said in the beginning, there are no words to describe how wonderful this experience was and I would never hesitate to recommend this to someone else who is interested. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.

-Victoria Weber

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Write a Letter to Your Host Family

The letter to your host family is one of the most important pieces of your program abroad application; it’s the host family’s first impression of you. Exchange programs take many factors into account when matching you with a host family, but ultimately it’s up to the host family to decide whether to host you or not. Here are a few helpful tips to writing a great letter to your future host family: Use a positive tone. “The main reason a student’s dossier is passed over by families is unintentional negativity,” explains Rebecca Gundle, Program Coordinator for ANDEO International Homestays. A student might be trying to explain her preferences, but when she devotes equal attention to describing her dislikes, she comes across as negative or picky. A family wants to know that the student they host will be adaptable and willing to try new things. Keep your tone upbeat and positive. Go deeper than the application form. Try to avoid simply reiterating what is on the form. This is a c
2 comments
Read more

Tips for Teens Traveling Independently

Many of our programs allow you to choose your own program dates, flights, and length. Some advantages to this are that families have control over booking flights and are able to use frequent flyer miles. One challenge, however, is that students must travel independently to their program destinations. Some teens are understandably nervous about flying alone.  Here are some tips to help teens and parents feel more at ease about traveling internationally without a chaperone or flight leader. Before booking your ticket Check with us before booking your ticket to see if anyone else from your area will be attending your program at the same time. We can put you in contact with one another. Booking your ticket Whenever possible, choose a direct flight. Fewer fights mean fewer opportunities for flights to be delayed or for other problems to arise. If a direct fight is not possible, choose a flight that stops or makes connections in the United States. Whenever possible, stick with t
13 comments
Read more

Tackling the Dust Bunnies (and other surprising benefits of hosting an exchange student)

By Elizabeth Markleson, host mom You could say I'm a relaxed housekeeper. Our kitchen table is covered with piles of papers "to be dealt with later", our sink is often full of dishes, and you can be sure there is a whole family of dust bunnies living under the furniture. When my kids were little and they would see me go into my cleaning mode, they would always ask, "Who is coming to visit?" Not much changes over the years! When it comes to housework, a guest is a great motivator. The days were ticking down before our Spanish student arrived and my to-do list was getting longer and longer. “Don’t stress too much about it,” my sister said. “Isn’t your student just supposed to blend into your family as it is? This is an exchange student, not a visiting dignitary, after all.” True, but I am a strong believer in the power of first impressions. When my daughter went to Spain a few years ago, her host family added some really nice touches to make her feel welcome..
2 comments
Read more