Whats it like to live with a Venezuelan family?
VEN-USA considers the homestay to be one of the most important educational components of the program. Students typically find their families to be extremely warm and welcoming. A successful homestay requires sensitivity to Venezuelan cultural norms and to the family’s routines and expectations. Venezuelan families are rather conservative, and students are expected to dress properly at all times in their homestay residence, use good judgment about how late to return at night, let families know in advance when they will miss a meal, advise about any travel plans, etc. In Venezuela as elsewhere, family life involves much give and take. Although the host families try to respect the individual needs, values and personalities of the students, remember that for the most part you need to adapt to the family, not the family to you. Having said that, your host family is likely to be the best part of your stay. Most of our students find it very hard to say good-bye at the end of their stay in Mér