Student: Rhaiany Falqueto Amorim

From: Brazil

Accommodation: homestay family

If you are coming to Languages International I strongly recommend you to stay in a homestay. People from New Zealand are very friendly, and Languages International offers you the family that better suits with your profile.

I’ve been in NZ for two weeks now and I’m loving it. The day I arrived here my homestay family picked me up at the airport, showed me the way to school, the neighborhood, took me to the shopping mall, showed me where the church and the supermarket are… They just help me with everything! They’ve even found someone to take me to church every Sunday morning! If I was alone I’d probably take a while to figure it all out.

But that’s not all, I’m also “in love” with my time in NZ because I’m really experiencing the kiwi way of life. I’m learning their traditions and customs because I’m being part of it, and things are easier to assimilate when you do it that way. And being part of it I found some “strange” customs – taking my customs as a point of reference – for example: their lunch consists of sandwiches, while their main meal is dinner, which is the opposite in my country, and they usually don’t have rice; also you can find carpet everywhere, at home, in public places… that is something that we hardly ever find in my country, especially in public places (of course, Brazil is too hot for that heehee).

Another great thing about my host family is that I am not the only student in the house; I have a Korean sister and a Swiss brother as well. And you don’t have to worry about running the risk of having a person from the same country living with you because Languages International does not host two people from the same nationality in the same house – unless it’s required by the students. So you’ll be in contact with the English language all the time! Except when you find some friends at the cafeteria on the break, when you’ll be in contact with all the languages of the world at the same time! And that’s really amazing!

So, if you’re thinking of coming to LI, it’s a good idea to be hosted by a kiwi family. I’m sure you’ll love it!