Just what exactly is a real homestay like? Before deciding on a homestay, it is always best to understand just what experience is waiting for you.
For someone who loves music and a clean living space, Folte’s house would be the perfect fit! A homestay at Folte’s will suit the type of person who loves music, is clean, and wants to live a healthy lifestyle.
Host Name: Folte Carter
House Members: Host Mother, Pet Dog
職業：自営業、健康に関する商品を扱っている
家について：アパート、3LDK
場所：ミラクルマイル
学校までの距離：MLI(25分)、ELC（35分）、EC（1時間）
ここがオススメ：音楽がとにかく好きな学生さん。健康的な生活ができる。とても綺麗な部屋。
こんな人は行かないで：外出するのが好きで、夜遅く帰ってくる。
From Folte’s House to the Bus Stop
It takes about three minutes from Folte’s house to the nearest bus stop. While Folte’s neighborhood is more on the quiet side, it’s only a minute walk from one of the main streets of Los Angeles! On the way to the bus stop, there is a small convenience store and Chinese restaurant as well. On top of that, there is also a pizzeria nearby, so you will never be worried when it comes to food.
Furthermore, world famous Beverly Hills is only a short five minute bus ride away!
What Kind of Person is Folte?
Having lived in Nagoya, Japan for six years, Folte is someone who appreciates and understands Japanese culture very well. While in Nagoya, she worked as a singer in a jazz bar. She is also someone who is very neat and loves keeping things clean. In the house, her dog wears socks.
The reason for this is that she doesn’t want the inside of her house to get dirty after coming back from a walk with her dog. Her dog is also a type of dog that even those with dog allergies can be comfortable around! Folte also keeps a lot of healthy products in her house, such as non-toxic laundry detergent.
With this type of personality, students who leave their rooms dirty and do not clean are not suitable for this homestay. A clear ratio for those that match up with Folte and those that don’t would be about 8:2 (Match Up: Don’t Match Up.)
The students that didn’t mesh well with Folte were those who stayed out late and came home early in the morning. Regarding this, all students need to be aware that a homestay is for experiencing an American family lifestyle. Should you want to be the type who wants to stay out late partying, it would be better to not choose a homestay and instead select to live in a dormitory instead.
What Kind of House is Folte’s House?
Folte lives in a spacious apartment. There is a kitchen next to the living room, so you can always do some cooking. While some homestays explicitly forbid cooking in the home, Folte actually has no problem with it! Folte will also wash the dishes for you.
The washing machine is located outside, and Folte will do your laundry for you once a week if you’d like. At the majority of homestays, you have to do your laundry yourself, so this is a huge plus. At a homestay, doing laundry once a week is normal.
Be sure to bring enough clothes with you to your homestay to last you a week! Furthermore, recently Los Angeles has been going through water-shortages so please be sure to limit the number of times you do laundry to just once a week if possible.
Folte’s room is located directly across from the guest’s room. So if you come home late at night or in the early morning, Folte is guaranteed to hear it. In order to ensure the comfort of everyone involved, if you are the type of person who loves parties or staying out late at night, please be sure to choose a dormitory or a host family that is okay with guests who come home late.
It would be best to let your school or homestay company know from the beginning about your preferences when it comes to this matter.
Folte’s Neighborhood
Folte’s home is located in Miracle Mile. Located between Beverly Hills and Downtown (with Folte’s home being closer to Beverly Hills), Miracle Mile is a fantastic place to live. It looks like a place you would see in a movie, and is quiet.
It is a place with beautiful homes and a safe environment. Generally, the more expensive an area is, the safer it is. There is a lot more crime in cheaper areas, so in an expensive area like Miracle Mile you are far less likely to see anything bad happen.
About seven minutes away on foot from Folte’s house is an area known as Little Ethiopia. There are many Ethiopian restaurants and markets there, so you can get a great feel for Ethiopian culture and cuisine should you visit there.
Although the area is called Little Ethiopia, there are not many African people amongst the customers in the restaurants. The restaurants seem to be catering their food more towards the American palette it seems.
The Los Angeles Museum of Art is also nearby, taking about fifteen minutes on foot. You can also get to the Beverly Center in ten minutes by bus. This is a location that is sure to satisfy both art lovers and shoppers alike.
It can be said that when it comes to homestays that there are “hits” and “misses”, but this all comes down to whether you have clearly decided what exactly you want in a homestay. If you do your research beforehand and know what you are looking for in a homestay, then surely you will be in for a great experience.
For someone who loves music and a clean living space, Folte’s house would be the perfect fit! A homestay at Folte’s will suit the type of person who loves music, is clean, and wants to live a healthy lifestyle.
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