My First Host Family

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Recommended: The experience of living in a foreign country

My First Host Family The situation I was presented with was somewhat ironic. In preparation for my departure to Study Service Term in Costa Rica, I worried a great deal about my first host family. Would they be mean? Would I be able to understand their Spanish? Would I like their food? These were the main concerns for me then. At no time did I stop to consider that it might be difficult to leave my first host family, the thought never entered my head. After all, they were not really my family, why should it be hard? I was in a different country, thousands of miles away from the land of my birth, yet I had become so comfortable that it was hard to break away. So much of this place had left an impact on me that I didn’t want to consider leaving. These people took me, a total stranger, into their home, gave me food and shelter, and in only six short weeks made me feel like a genuine part of their family. I may not have understood before, but I was forced to deal with it now: this would be one of the longest nights of my life. Facing the inevitable, I said goodnight to my family as I did every other evening, and headed towards my room for the night. The hot sun had given way to the night, and crickets now sang in the infinite blackness outside my window. The curtains danced as cool, sweet breezes leaked effortlessly into my room, helping to calm my shaky soul. Yet I lay there for an eternity, eyes fixed on the intricate patterns of cracks in the ceiling as the wonders and worries of what was to come now swirled through my head. How would I make it for another six weeks? What would my next family be like? How could I possibly be as happy there as I was here? I finally fell asleep, but not the deep sleep that cleanses and offers comfort, rather a shallow trance tormented by visions and dreams, thoughts and emotions, fears and concerns. I traveled in and out of consciousness, seeking unsuccessfully to grasp something to hold onto, something stable in my life. The house was dark and motionless when my alarm jerked me out of slumber; my father, brother and sister had all left for the day already. I rose unrefreshed and headed for the bathroom, feeling as if I hadn’t slept at all.

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