Homestay?

[Fullmetalrunt]

I'm going to be staying at a family's house in Barcelona for a few weeks as part of a language learning program. I've never done a homestay before, so I had some questions I've been wondering about...

What should I bring?
What kind of gifts should I get them? (I live in the USA)
What am I supposed to talk to them about? ;v;

I guess I'm just super nervous, ha ha....  

[Nanoq]

Oh, Barcelona sounds like fun!

I've done homestay a couple of times before and there's nothing to worry about. People who provide homestay for foreigners are, I think, usually very open and eager to learn, so you'll probably be more than welcome to stay with them. The conversation part will solve itself, but you can always ask them about daily life in Barcelona or anything that the city is known for, even if you already know it, haha. It's fun to get perspective from locals, 'cuz that's one of the reasons you're there, no? It's okay to be nerdy, it's fun for you and them. =D

And gifts, hmm... I usually bring something symbolic from my town, preferably something that I can tell them about. My town is not very famous, but it's got some interesting stories to it. =) So like, if you're from Seattle, bring them a tiny Space Needle, because that's a major thing about Seattle, even if like everyone does that. And then you can bring something a little "less famous" as well, maybe something Native American, that'd be so cool! I'd personally love that.

Other stuff to bring - clothes? Stuff you bring when going somewhere, I guess. They'll probably provide with bed stuff and towels, but bring your own adapter, in case you'd like some electric power to charge a laptop or so. You usually get some kind of checklist before you go, so you can make sure you bring what you'll need. =)

That's all I've got for now. Good luck and have fun!  

[Fullmetalrunt]

Wow, thanks for the information! Being nerdy sounds like a plan xD

I was thinking of bringing something Chinese and a yankee thing, since I'm from NYC but my culture is chinese. Lol hopefully that'll work out

What kind of adapter/voltage do they have in europe? (I've never set foot on the continent)  

[Weiss Kitsune]

I agree about bringing something from your area as a gift. Food always goes over well. When I went to Germany I brought them smoked salmon and photo book of Seattle.

The voltage in Europe is typically 230V and you can buy a voltage adapter pretty cheaply.  

[Noble Legolas]

I've been to Barcelona and I've been to America. Trust me. The Spanish are almost just like real people. Though... compared to you Americans we're all damn hippies. Keep that in mind when you're shopping for stuff. A t-shirt saying "I <3 NY" would be splendid. Don't overthink it.  

[419scambaiterKoko]

Plugabugz

I've been to Barcelona and I've been to America. Trust me. The Spanish are almost just like real people. Though... compared to you Americans we're all damn hippies. Keep that in mind when you're shopping for stuff. A t-shirt saying "I <3 NY" would be splendid. Don't overthink it.

Stop stereotyping all Americans as ignorant people who know nothing about Europe. Not all of us are xenophobic freaks who don't care about other cultures. This guild for people who are interested in learning languages not to brag at how good they are and act superior than the rest of us. So stop being ignorant of Americans and either provide something constructive and useful or don't bother posting here.  

[Fullmetalrunt]

Weiss Kitsune

I agree about bringing something from your area as a gift. Food always goes over well. When I went to Germany I brought them smoked salmon and photo book of Seattle.

The voltage in Europe is typically 230V and you can buy a voltage adapter pretty cheaply.

Yay my laptop works with that voltage =u=b
Also, that's a great idea! Maybe I can bring some chinese food over, or get my mom to teach me. Or New york oysters or something. I'm just worried my spanish will fail in front of them xD  

[Noble Legolas]

PolyglotKoko

Plugabugz

I've been to Barcelona and I've been to America. Trust me. The Spanish are almost just like real people. Though... compared to you Americans we're all damn hippies. Keep that in mind when you're shopping for stuff. A t-shirt saying "I <3 NY" would be splendid. Don't overthink it.

Stop stereotyping all Americans as ignorant people who know nothing about Europe. Not all of us are xenophobic freaks who don't care about other cultures. This guild for people who are interested in learning languages not to brag at how good they are and act superior than the rest of us. So stop being ignorant of Americans and either provide something constructive and useful or don't bother posting here.

I'm trying to help here. Sorry I bruised your ego. If you'd put that aside and read my post again you might see it makes sense as well.  

[lili of the lamplight]

It depends on what you know about the family. If you know that they've got kids, you might bring toys for the children that are somehow related to your hometown or region.

There's a candy company in California that's pretty good and mostly local, so I've brought some of their stuff in the past. If there's some local food that'll survive the trip, you might bring it, even if it's a little stereotypical (maple syrup if you're from Vermont or Canada, smoked salmon from Alaska, etc)