Home away from home: A Rome International Scholar talks about life with her host family
Beatrice Hall is currently studying in Rome as part of the Rome International Scholars program. Every day after class, she takes the metro at Colosseo and gets off at Flaminio station. She then walks across the Villa Borghese park towards the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, crossing the residential Parioli area, where her host family lives.
Hall says she wanted to study abroad since her early days at the University of Notre Dame. Her mom would tell her and her siblings exciting stories about her experience as a study abroad student in Italy, talking about the language, food, people, and the beautiful artistic places she got to visit. When it came to choosing a second language, the choice was easier than expected for Hall, as she decided to sign-up for Italian.
When she learned about the Rome International Scholars program, it clearly crossed off everything Hall was expecting from her experience abroad. Above all, it allowed her to develop her own research and live with a local host family.
“Would you like some espresso coffee?” offers Alessandra, Hall’s host mother. “Beatrice doesn’t like it, she just takes one every now and then when she is very tired or she wakes up very early in the morning.”
The house that Hall is living in is very welcoming and lively, with colored walls and beautiful paintings and pictures of the family all over the place. She has three host siblings, one of whom is currently studying abroad and left her his room in the meantime, where a big representation of Dante Alighieri saying “welcome home Beatrice” is sitting on an easel, close to her desk.
Hall has been living with her host family for a few months now, and she couldn’t be happier. She enjoys just sitting together in the living room, chatting in front of some sodas and cookies. They talk in Italian, even though the group often talks over each other. Hall says she feels completely at ease, telling jokes and answering questions from her curious host family.
“Beatrice has improved her Italian so much since she arrived in our house,” says Caterina, Hall’s host sister. “Sometimes, we even forget she is not native. We talk very quickly, but she still gets everything we say.”
Hall has been living with her host family for a few months now, and she couldn’t be happier. She enjoys just sitting together in the living room, chatting in front of some sodas and cookies. They talk in Italian, even though the group often talks over each other. Hall says she feels completely at ease, telling jokes and answering questions from her curious host family.
Sense of community
“We told Beatrice that from the first day she arrived in our house, she would be part of the family and the same as our own kids,” says Alessandra. “We all tend to meet and wait for each other every night for dinner. Dinner is the moment in which we are finally all together and we spend time talking about our day.”
Hall says she appreciates the focus on spending every meal together, as it’s not the cultural norm back in the United States and especially on Campus.
“Normally dinners on campus are quicker and we tend to eat when we are hungry,” says Hall. “Here, there is a sense of community, where we share and listen to one another. Meals are a chance to pause, relax, reflect, and linger around the table. It was something new to me and I had to get used to.”
“Beatrice is extremely diligent and dedicates a lot of time to her work,” explains Alessandra. “At the beginning, we were very surprised not to see her from the morning until the night on Sundays.”
Learning to let go
Alessandra says for their family, Sundays are for resting and being together. When Hall came home one Sunday night from an intense study session, she told her host family that she needed a break and was feeling a little lonely in the empty university. From that moment, she started to let go and opened up, allowing her to really enjoy the moments and enjoy the chance to unwind on Sundays with the family.
“It was tough for me learning to let go,” explains Hall. “But this was also part of immersing myself in a new culture, and I couldn’t be happier about learning a different way of approaching life.”
New friends, new perspective
Hall says she had the chance to explore the city more and visit art exhibitions, which she would never do when in South Bend. She’s thankful for all of her new friendships as well.
“They were all very welcoming, even trying to teach me Roman jargon, which I still have to improve on,” says Hall.
“You can say daje and ammazza!” comments Giorgio, the host brother.
Her host family says they were excited to welcome her to their country home in the Umbria region over Easter break. They’re now looking forward to meeting her family, who are expected to visit Rome next month.
“We have only briefly met on the phone, but we can’t wait to invite them for dinner and be all together as a big unique family,” says Alessandra.
Home away from home
In this home, Hall feels at home. She has been welcomed with open arms and is living her experience in Rome feeling confident because she is well taken care of.
“My host family is special, and it made my experience even more personal and authentic,” comments Hall. “There is no better way to live the study abroad experience in Rome. And you also get to eat tasteful home- made food!”
“It has been a great experience and we would re-do it again and again,” adds Alessandra.
“The reason why we decided to open our home to a Notre Dame student was for enriching ourselves, learning from a different person and culture, exchanging and growing together. Beatrice has been a new addition to the family and as this experience will come to an end, we will start planning our trip to Colorado to visit her.”
Learn more about the Rome International Scholars program.
