Homestay or Apartment?

This was a question I contemplated for a long time, and it is probably the biggest decision you'll make after deciding what country to study in.

When I found out that Lorenzo de'Medici offers homestay arrangements for UH students, I was initially so excited! It sounded like an amazing way to be immersed in Italian culture in a way that you just couldn't do in an apartment. But there were a lot of unknowns. They hadn't been popularly done since COVID, and none of the last cohort of Johnson scholars had done it, so I didn't really have anyone I knew to ask about their experience.

I was worried about there being a strict curfew, unreasonable rules, that I would somehow upset my host family and make them hate me, the list goes on really. For reference, as a Shilder Global Leader, I knew I had to study abroad as a recipient, which I knew about in May, 2024 when I applied, and yet I think I only made up my mind about which school to select one week before the SAC deadline (which is significantly later than the MIX deadline). Needless to say, I think about decisions like these a lot, which is why I have chosen to write about logistical decisions in this blog, as I rarely come across them when reading other student's Freeman/Johnson blogs, which are usually super helpful for other things, such as getting ideas of what to see and where to travel.

One more thing I want to preface on my decision process: when I came to UH from Toronto, Canada, I was paired with a roomate for the dorms from Waimanalo, and she was the best roomate ever. She has been my roomate ever since, and her family hanai'ed me into their family. I am a very family oriented person so not only was it nice to have a home away from home with them, but I've gotten to be immersed in Hawaiian and local culture because of them in a way that would have been difficult otherwise. This is what I wanted in Italy, but I was honestly afraid I used up all my luck finding my hanai family.

Eventually, and at the last hour as well, I decided on the homestay. I chose the single room option because I genuinely didnt think I had enough luck to get a good host family and roommate, which I know sounds kind of ridiculous. To my surprise, all of the UHM students I have been hanging out with are doing homestays too! They are all in double homestays. heres what I can tell you:

Homestays: they are great. all of my friends seem to have pleasant experiences with their host families. As expected, since there are a lot of variables you can't control, there are bound to be minor issues and miscommunications (especially because your host will probably know moderate to no english), but they can be dealt with. For example, there is a rule with LDM that if your host's residence is more than a 30 minute or so walk from the city centre, they are required to provide you with a bus pass. My host mom had mine ready for me when I arrived, but some of my friends didn't have the same experience. It took them a few days to build up the courage to ask about it, and when they did, the problem was quickly resolved; I'm pretty sure their host just forgot. If there are bigger issues or if you cant resolve them with your family, we also have a fantastic advisor at LDM that can communicate with them and help you resolve your issue too, so there is nothing to fear on that front.

Some of the big pros of homestays are:

• the cooked meals, which also means having a family dinner, which I love

• getting to practice your Italian

• having an expert on anything related to Florence right where you live

• learning about Italian customs and culture

• I find living in a home is very comforting, I find it is harder to feel lonely or homesick

• for me, my host family recently brought me along on a family trip to a neighbouring region, Umbria! We even ate at a popular restaurant that you must make a reservation for 6-7 months in advance... so safe to say I never would have been able to do that if I was in an apartment.

• my host family goes above and beyond in terms of hospitality, offering me meals on weekend if I am hungry and leaving me snacks to take to eat while I am at school

Cons:

• It is likely that you will live outside the city center. While you will get a transit pass, which is super convenient as you can go other places too, you will have a longer commute to class and will rely on schedules of trams and such as opposed to going out whenever you want. For example, I prefer the tram, but it does not run after 1am. This means if you like to go out, you have to find another way home (there are electric bikes your can rent, like a more reasonably priced Biki or taxis).

• There are bound to be some discomforts since you are not living by yourself

• At first there is a bit of a culture shock and you will be worried about doing things properly and not upsetting your host family, and it can also be tiring trying to communicate with them at first if they don't speak much English and your Italian is not very good. I think these aspects tire you our mentally, but only for the first week or so, and then things will become more comfortable.

  • some examples:

    • they don't wear shoes in the house, but they do wear indoor slippers. As someone who is used to walking around in bare feet, I still sometimes forget to put them on when I walk downstairs to breakfast in the morning

    • At least in my family, they squeegee the shower glass after each shower and hang the bathmat up to dry. I know this sounds pretty reasonable but it isn't something I am used to, so it takes up space in my mind to remember it

    • It has been three weeks and I still don't really understand the recycling situation here. I think I do it wrong every day, and my host family is probably getting pretty annoyed at this point, but it is quite different than the way we recycle.

Honestly, I am so happy with my decision. I think whatever you choose you can't go wrong. My friends all got paired up with good roomates and host families. I think it just depends on what you want, but you'll have a fantastic time either way.