As most students traveled home for the holidays, I had the opportunity to experience a home-stay with a local Cotter family.

December 21 was the start of my home-stay experience with the family of Adamary Rosas, a freshman at Cotter. I stayed with her family for the entire winter vacation before returning back to class.

Being part of this home-stay was an unexpected plan for me because I already had a plane ticket to fly home to Korea. A week before take-off, I lost my passport. I cancelled the flight and decided to spend my break in Winona.

At first, I thought it would be hard to live with a family I had never met before. In addition, my English isn’t the best and communication was difficult. The cultural differences made me nervous and uncomfortable, I was really worried about the experience. On my first day with them, I realized I had been worrying for nothing.

When I first went into the Rosas family home, a delicious meal I had never tried before was being prepared. They asked me about what type of foods I like to eat, if I was allergic to anything, and introduced themselves further to me. I was welcomed with open arms and smiles from day one. They cared for me like I was part of the family, so I would be as comfortable as possible in their home.

Over break, I made many memories with my home-stay family including bowling, watching movie marathons, and having a Christmas party with friends. My favorite memory will be the Christmas party, it was very different than those in Korean culture. Opening presents on Christmas morning was also very exciting.  At midnight on New Year’s Eve  we all ate 12 grapes and made 12 wishes (one grape for each bell strike brings good luck), a new tradition for me!

Through my home-stay experience, I was granted the opportunity to try new experiences, learn new things, and make unforgettable memories. One day soon, I look forward to visiting my home-stay family again.