Learn Spanish in Mexico: home-stay dos and dont’s
June 7th, 2007 by Barbara SoldigloCaltravel is now featuring a page dedicated to Spanish Language Schools in Mexico.
Learning the language of the country you are travelling to is the first step to a deep understanding of its culture and traditions, and makes your trip more fruitful and exciting.
For travelers interested in a full immersion experience, I strongly recommend to enrol in a language program which involves a home-stay with a Mexican family.
Living with a Mexican family offers language students a great opportunity to converse in Spanish daily and experience Mexican culture first hand. In many cases they become part of the family, and are invited to join in activities, celebrations, and family outings.
Most schools assure you that the family you will be staying with has been carefully selected, and that you can expect clean rooms, tasty meals and personal attention, which is not difficult to believe if you have ever experienced Mexican hospitality. In some cases families are even ‘trained by the school to facilitate students’ learning’
But how about training the students to facilitate the life of their host families? This is something I have never seen on any website. I believe a briefing on some local customs should be taken into consideration, together with a reminder of some basic rules which might sound obvious, but – unfortunately - are frequently forgotten. Here is some useful info if you are planning to stay with a Mexican family, together with some dos and don’ts:
Meals: In Mexico many people eat a hearty breakfast, which typically include eggs, beans, tortillas, fresh fruit and tea/coffee. The largest meal is the midday meal, which is usually served between 2pm and 3 pm and includes a starter soup or salad, a main course (meat or fish), vegetables and a dessert. The evening meal is much lighter and usually includes Mexican antojitos (sandwiches, quesadillas, tacos, etc…).
- Always communicate in advance special dietary requirements and food allergies.
- Make sure you eat enough at breakfast and lunch, in order to avoid food-hunting in the house in the late evenings.
- Try not to offend the cook by refusing to try something new.
- Usually home-stay rules do not allow guests to have access to the family kitchen; therefore if you prefer doing your own cooking I would suggest some alternative accommodation option.
Religion: You must bear in mind that Mexico is a very Catholic country, and that social formality is important.
- Make sure you are informed about the family’s norms and traditions and respect them.
- A ‘decent’ dress code is always recommended both in the house and outside.
- If you join your host family to the church or to other religious events, you should not wear shorts or sleeveless shirts
- At no time can a member of the opposite sex be invited to a student’s bedroom.
Other social norms:
- You are expected to wear shoes or slippers in the house; as in most parts of Mexico going barefoot is not acceptable.
- Always ask for permission before inviting others into the home
- Try not to disturb the family’s peace while coming in late in the evenings.
- Never make phone calls from the family’s home: most schools offer Internet and phone services.
- Although some ladies might offer to wash your laundry or let you use the washing machine, this service should never be expected. Take your washing to the laundrette instead, or ask the language school for a laundry service as this is often provided.
These are just a few tips based on my experience ‘as a guest’ in Mexico… I would like to invite language schools with home-stay programs to add comments with more suggestions to this list, based on the feedback they usually receive from students and families. Actually, do language schools ever ask host families for feedback, or just the students? This is something else I would be interested in finding out…
