Ali came with a strong desire to learn English quickly because he wanted to get started in his university studies about his major. His hope was to finish a master’s degree and return to his home country to work for a secure and reputable company.
English classes started well and he did his best. However, after several weeks into the semester, he didn’t make it to class as often. There were days that he couldn’t get out of bed early enough for class and his grades started to go down. He felt lonely and called his parents and friends to talk, but it was usually the middle of the night when it was the best time to call. This made him sleepy during the day.
Ali felt homesick and didn’t understand why he was losing his motivation and vision to study hard and reach his goals. 
We talked about his situation and tried to think of what might help him feel happy again.
Ali lived alone in an apartment near campus. I asked Ali if he ever thought about living with a family in a homestay agreement. His first question was, “What good would that do for me?”
As we talked, here are some of the benefits we came up with:
- Being with people helps to take away loneliness.
- Having more chances to speak English helps to improve language skills.
- Living with a local family gives them a chance to learn more about another culture and helps them grow in their global understanding.
- Sharing relationships with other people creates memories that can last a long time.
Ali was hesitant and had some concerns about eating different foods and being able to communicate well enough, but he decided to try it. He moved in with a family that had two children.
When the semester was over, I asked Ali how his experience living with a host family was. Ali started by telling me how much he loves his host family. He said that by having a family to live with, he had benefited in so many ways. I wanted to know more, so I went deeper and asked him how.
Ali said that the children played games with him and treated him like a brother. They didn’t judge him when he made an English mistake, but kept playing together. His host mother often helped him with questions about his homework when he didn’t understand. His host father treated him with respect and often encouraged him about his future. Not only that, but Ali realized that he could eat what they cooked and they liked eating his food whenever he cooked something.
One of the memories that Ali told me about was the experience of celebrating a holiday together. He met uncles, aunts, and cousins and was treated as part of the family. It helped him to learn about the holiday through this experience much better than the English lesson at school.
I noticed a difference in Ali. He was smiling a lot more again, just like when he came to the United States. He didn’t look so lonely anymore. But, as his teacher, the biggest thing I noticed was his improvement with English and his confidence when speaking.
Every student who lives with a host family might not have an experience this positive, but there are some great benefits when a host family is chosen well. When I asked Ali if he would do it again, he said, “Absolutely, yes!” His dream was alive again. He was now past the culture shock he had when he came and believed he would finish his master’s degree on schedule.
Ali then told me that he is hoping to invite his host family to visit him in his home country someday in the future. I was so excited to hear how this experience of a homestay made a difference for Ali!
Do you want to know more about studying English abroad? Do you need to get an IELTS score? Let me know how I can help by sending me a message to jerry@learnenglishwithmrjerry.com.