A student’s perspective: Host family life in Oxford

Hello,

My name is Nisrina. I’m from Indonesia and currently study A2 level and I want to share my experience about living with a host family.

I live in one of EF Academy’s host families in Kidlington, the south part of Oxfordshire, which takes 20 minutes to get to by bus from the school campus. I’ve been living there for around 5 months, and love it so much. The family is originally from Iran but have been living in the UK for more than 8 years. I’m in a single room, so instead of sharing a room with someone else, I have chosen to be by myself as I’m the kind of person that can concentrate more on my work if I’m alone.

Since I moved there I have gained not only new experiences, but I have also gained cultural knowledge, especially ‘Iranian Culture’. I have learned some Farsi words and I have also tried many kind of delicious Iranian food that I’ve never known before. They have also been really nice to me as they have made me feel like “I’m home”. Living with a host family has been one of the most amazing things that has happened in my life, and also the best thing about living with a host family is that although you do not have your family here, you know you will always have another shoulder to lean on when you are sad, someone to share your happiness with, and someone who will take care of you while you are here.

For me, living with a host family has also improved my communication skills and English as I have experienced real life, everyday situations, like meeting new people or making new friends outside the school by for example seeing the same people every morning because we take the same bus schedule. This therefore helps me get ready to cope with similar real life situations in the future.

My host family also has two small dogs called Bella and Maxi. Since I like animals, I often play with them and love them so much. So that is a little bit about my experience living with a  host family.