There are many different types of families that offer homestays, but with this post we will introduce to you a style of homestay that allows five or more guests, and thus is something like a “dormitory” homestay. We will introduce to you the good points of choosing this type of hybrid homestay by taking a look at Rochelle’s home and the experience it offers.
Homestay Info
Host Name: Rochelle Hament
Occupation: The host mother works for an insurance company, while both the host mom and grandmother or former English teachers.
About the House: Thirteen rooms including a living room, dining room, and kitchen.
About the House: Thirteen rooms including a living room, dining room, and kitchen.
Location: Los Angeles, near Koreatown
Distance from School: 20 minutes from Columbia West College (CWC), 20 minutes from LASC, and 25 minutes from LSI.
Do NOT Choose this Homestay If…: You like having your own alone time to yourself.
Great Points to Keep in Mind: There is always someone around, so you are never lonely.
Her Experience Working in Zambia as a Teacher Has Helped Her Become a More Effective Host
Rosa, who lives together with Rochelle, lived and worked in Zambia for thirty years, with 16 of those years spent working as an elementary school teacher. As someone who had never met anyone else who had lived in Zambia besides myself during the whole twelve years I have been in America, I was so excited to meet someone else who had also lived there as well.
Rose’s first year living in Zambia was a difficult one, and she faced many troubles involving cultural differences as well as differences in the usage of English in Zambia. Therefore, she is able to understand the difficulties international students in Los Angeles face very well.
At the end of the day, being able to overcome these obstacles took time, and eventually Rose was able to get used the customs and traditions of Zambia by getting to know the Zambian people and spending time with them. Since the Zambian culture was entirely different from her own, she could not accept it all it once, and she knows it is the same for her guests as well.
She Worked as a Teacher in the Phillipines
Rose was actually born in the Philippines, and also worked as a teacher there too. From there, due to her husband’s job, she moved to Zambia. Since her husband worked for a company that gathered many different types of minerals, people from all over the world worked there.
The school Rose worked out was one built by her husband’s company, and most of the students there were children of workers for that company.
Of course, there was also children from Zambi who attended the school, as well students from the Philippines, England, South Africa, India, New Zealand, Canada, and Pakistan.
Rose was the faculty member in charge of the elementary school students, and she knew they too had to go through the same process of adjusting to the entirely different culture of Zambia as well. In other words, she truly understood the place where her students were coming from.
And with that, over time, the children were able to make more friends as well as get used to the Zambian culture. Thanks to her experience there, Rose is able to utilize her experiences to provide top notch support and assistance to the international students she hosts.
Great Support for International Students Based on Experience
While Rose started accepting international students in 2013, she fully understands how, just like her students in Zambia, international students in America bear a great difficulty in getting used to the cultural and language difficulties.
Just like how Rose experienced herself, she understands how important it is to spend time with local people and see eye to eye, so she makes time everyday eat meals with the students and talk with them after dinner. Since she has taught English in both the Philippines and Zambia, she is quite confident in her teaching abilities.
Since children from all over the world attended the school she worked at in Zambia, and it was her job to ensure that everyone got along, she is always doing her best to make sure all of the guests from all around the world she hosts get along well during their stay at her house.
She even has made a LINE group called “Team Los Angeles” where international students can ask any questions they may have as well as practice their English.
A Homestay With Many Good Points
The Good Things About This Homestay
- You can experience a typical Los Angeles lifestyle here.
- There are private rooms available.
- You can get a lot of insider information from guests who attend other language schools.
The Good Points About Dorm Life
- Since you are always with friends、 you do not become homesick as easily.
- You can learn from and study togehter with friends.
During a homestay at Rochelle’s house, you do not have to worry about becoming homesick so much since it is so easy to make friends. And on top of that, you have your own room for privacy as well as the ability to experience an authentic Los Angeles lifestyle, allowing you to experience the best parts of homestays and dorm life.
10 International Students Are Accepted
Most homestays usually only accept about 1-2 students, so a homestay like Rochelle’s where 10 students are accepted is actually quite rare. There is always someone at Rochelle’s house, so it is a bright and lively place to stay.
During the month of July in 2016, there were students from Italy, France, Holland, and Greece staying at Rochelle’s home. Meanwhile, in September of 2016, there were students from Austria, Greece, Taiwan, and Japan (a total of seven students in all.) The summer is a particularly busy time for Rochelle’s homestay, and often she is booked full.
While of course everyone is different, being able to live with someone so rich in experience when it comes to teaching who tries their best to ensure everyone gets along well such as Rose, it is easy even for someone who is more shy to make friends.
Furthermore, unlike in a school dorm, there are times when American students also book short stays at Rochelle’s house, so you could even make friends with American people as well. With so many opportunities to meet people and make friends, we can say with confidence that you will not find yourself getting homesick easily.
When it comes to school dorms, you usually only stay with students who go to the same school, but by staying at Rochelle’s house, you can meet many students from many different schools, allowing you to learn some unique and interesting information about the different language schools in Los Angeles.
So staying at Rochelle’s home is a great chance to hear from other students and think about if your school truly is a great fit for you. Being able to learn about how other schools teach their classes and how the students interact is certainly a fantastic point about this homestay experience.
An Introduction of Rochelle’s Home
Even within her own neighborhood, Rochelle’s home stands out as an outstanding place. There is a central entrance, but it is not used. Instead, there is an entrance on the left side for female students and an entry on the right side for male students. Since the male and female students are stay in separate areas, you can feel a sense of relief.
This truly is a house with thirteen rooms. It takes over a minute to walk one lap around outside perimeter of the house. While they do live separately, during mealtimes female students and male students do eat together.
Aside from being a place to eat, you can also kick back and relax here. You are also free to cook whatever you like in the kitchen.
This is a private room for women.
While normally each student has their own room, two people can also share a room if they wish.
This is a private room for women.
While normally each student has their own room, two people can also share a room if they wish. s.
Here is the bathroom sink.
The board adorning the wall is covered in photos and messages from former students who have stayed at Rochelle’s home. A guest message book was also created in 2015, and in there you can find numerous heart warming messages from other international students.
Summary
This is a house where you can get the good points of both a homestay and a dormitory stay thanks to Rose’s experiences as an English teacher and the amount of international students present.
You won’t get so homesick since you will be making many friends, you can learn all about other English schools, and also learn from other students as well as help them learn too. And with being able to experience a true Los Angeles lifestyle, this is an amazingly unique homestay that allows you to kill three birds with one stone.
4/28/21
English 
日本語