I couldn’t recommend a homestay more!  I knew coming to Bologna that I wanted a homestay in order to improve my Italian skills and it has certainly done that but I never thought that I would grow as close with my host family as I have over the past 8 months.  From day one they have been very welcoming and inclusive of me in all activities:  I have joined them at birthday parties for friends and relatives, gone on vacation with them, and when my family visited me from the States, we spent Christmas Day with my host family at their house.

I think our relationship works so well because we are both committed to spending time together:  I have at least 5 meals with them every week and that allows for us to catch up on all of our days and enjoy each other’s company.  I think if you want to live with a host family it is really important to dedicate spending time with them, sometimes that means missing out on social experiences with other Dickinson students, but living with an Italian family is a once in a lifetime opportunity that presents its own unique experience and I wouldn’t give that up for anything.

A major perk of living with a family is that you really get to experience the day-to-day Italian life.  They have brought me to markets and places like their family house in the mountains that I would not have gone to without them. My family has also provided me with a lot on insight into the culture and they always answer any questions that I have about the country, the culture or the language.  It’s important to remember that living with a family is a cultural exchange, I’m getting a lot from them but they’re also getting insight into American culture as well and it has been fun to answer their questions about the US.  Also, as a native English speaker, I’ve helped my host siblings with their English homework and studying.

I would absolutely live with a host family again, my Italian has really improved because I am hearing and speaking Italian whenever I am at home and most importantly I feel like they have truly become my family and we have built a relationship that will last beyond my year studying abroad.  I definitely recommend it to anyone looking to deepen their study abroad experience and Italian skills.