Studying abroad is an experience that allows you to learn more about yourself as well as the different cultures you’ll interact with. But living with a host family during your time abroad, like Roberto Estrada Lobo did while studying at the Universidad de Deusto - Bilbao, allows you to be immersed in a culture each and every day.
Roberto, a junior majoring in Communications and Political Science, already spoke fluent Spanish so he took his study abroad experience as an opportunity to learn more about the Spanish culture by living with a host family. “There were some differences in pronunciation, but for the most part I was able to understand and communicate with my host family just fine”.
Roberto felt as though his study abroad experience would have been different had he not lived with a host family. They made him feel more comfortable and helped him to better understand their culture through their eyes. “I would recommend living with a host family to other students studying abroad because I learned so much more. I don’t think my experiences would have been the same had I not stayed with my host family.”
Because one of Roberto’s majors is Communications, speaking and communicating with different kinds of people was an experience he valued. “I was surprised at how easy it was to connect and communicate with people that don’t speak your own language. While I was visiting Slovakia no one spoke English, but I still found a way to communicate with people and get around.”
"I got really close with my host family while I was abroad. I still talk to them to this day."
One of Roberto’s favorite parts about studying abroad in Bilbao was experiencing other cultures and comparing them to his own. He found that sometimes they were more similar than he would have thought. “Because I got to experience those different cultures, I now have stories and memories that I’ll have and be able to look back on for the rest of my life. That’s one of the biggest things I was able to take away from studying abroad”. Roberto didn’t have any regrets about studying abroad in Bilbao. “No matter what happened, good or bad, I always learned from the experience. There’s nothing I regret about my time abroad because I was always learning from new experiences”.
Although Roberto had many favorite destinations while abroad, one of his favorite places was San Sebastian, a city on the coast of northern Spain. “The festival I went to there was one of my favorite events. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before!” Roberto had the chance to travel to twelve different countries while abroad, including Italy, France and Switzerland.
One piece of advice Roberto wanted to pass onto students thinking about studying abroad was to always be open to new things. “Don’t be closed-minded and never hate something until you try it!” Roberto said this applies to everything from different foods to practicing different customs. “Don’t judge something until you experience it.”
