Home Stay

Hi! I’ll be traveling to europe for three weeks as part of a student ambassador program and during my trip I will have a homestay with a family in Spain. I was looking for some suggestion on what I should give them as a gift to show my gratitude for their hospitality. nothing too extravagent of expensive.

something that they can look at instantly and know its from the USA. T-shirts and caps and toiletries are good ideas and don’t take up much space.

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Any place with a railway station where trains leave more than once an hour. This basically means most cities over 20,000 inhabitants. Good connections to a larger city (more than 200,000 inh.) within 2 hours of travel is also essential. Having a university in the same town is always a big plus, as it lightens up the nightlife.

Grand Palace Hotel in Gaza
http://www.virtualtourist.com/hotels/Middle_East/Palestine/Gaza_Strip/Gaza-1865919/Hotels_and_Accommodations-Gaza-TG-C-1.html

"a good service staff, nice suite with a direct beach view, colored tv with international channels, delicious food, great beach view, air condition".

Al Deira Hotel
http://www.tripadvisor.es/LocationPhotos-g663088-d594409-Al_Deira-
Gaza_City.html#20654410

And this is the comment of the bewildered tourist who came to Gaza to see a pile of ruins – and found a pile of lies
“This is Gaza, The backyard of my homestay “
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/encantada/1/1243624140/this-is-gaza.jpg/tpod.html

And these are the markets and shops in the "starving Gaza". Scroll the page from up to down, you will see a lot of interesting things.

http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/001127.html

As the correspondent for one of Japan’s biggest newspapers said after the visit to Gaza and West bank, “Gaza and the West Bank are the only places in the world where I have seen refugees drive Mercedes.”

Desconsolate Arab,
If you are serious, I invite you to live in that paradise or concentration camp.
Sorry, but you are an IsraeLIAR.

Grand Palace Hotel in Gaza
http://www.virtualtourist.com/hotels/Middle_East/Palestine/Gaza_Strip/Gaza-1865919/Hotels_and_Accommodations-Gaza-TG-C-1.html

"a good service staff, nice suite with a direct beach view, colored tv with international channels, delicious food, great beach view, air condition".

Al Deira Hotel
http://www.tripadvisor.es/LocationPhotos-g663088-d594409-Al_Deira-
Gaza_City.html#20654410

And this is the comment of the bewildered tourist who came to Gaza to see a pile of ruins – and found a pile of lies
“This is Gaza, The backyard of my homestay “
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/encantada/1/1243624140/this-is-gaza.jpg/tpod.html

And these are the markets and shops in the "starving Gaza". Scroll the page from up to down, you will see a lot of interesting things.

http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/001127.html

As the correspondent for one of Japan’s biggest newspapers said after the visit to Gaza and West bank, “Gaza and the West Bank are the only places in the world where I have seen refugees drive Mercedes.”

I went to Detroit once. That was a bad experience.

I didn’t manage to get university accommodation, so I’m in homestay and on a waiting list until a place opens up. The family I am staying with are great, so in that aspect I don’t really mind it.
However I’m really scared of having no friends, I find it hard enough to socialise as it is, because I am incredibly shy and I hate the whole partying and clubbing thing. And I don’t really want to stay out too late, because I don’t want to burden the family I am staying with. I’m absolutely terrified… and I don’t know what to do

Best thing is to try and get to uni early. Maybe try and have breakfast at uni, so you’ll meet people that are not night owls (i.e. go clubbing all the time). This way you won’t disturb the family and probably meet a like minded person in the cafe or library. The other thing is to join a couple of societies, this forces you to meet people. JUST REMEMBER – take your time, despite how it feels uni is not a popularity competition. Everyone secretly feels the same – so hang on to that thought.

I am in the age range of 24-26 , is that too old to do a homestay in Japan? I think I would make a good guest , i dont eat alot and I dont party, drink or smoke and am outgoing and shy at the same time but is 24-26 too old to do this or do alot of people that age do homestays?

Nope, I don’t think so.
I’m currently in homestay in Australia and my host said that she had a 40 y.o. student staying with her for a year. However, I do think that most homestay students are teens or in their twenties.

Hi I am planning a trip to Kochi in early December. I am from the UK. Can someone tell me the best places to visit, I will be spending one week in Kochi before I travel to Bangalore. What are the must see things in such a short trip?

I am thinking about booking my accommodation in a homestay – does anyone have any experience of this. What is the best area.

Sorry for all the questions i have been reading the lonely planet but there is overload on information.

Finally what sort of weather at this time of year and clothing to pack.

Many thanks in advance.
PS I am from the UK

Kochi formerly known as Cochin is a major city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city is one of the principal seaports of the country and is located in the district of Ernakulam about 220 kilometres (137 mi) north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. I am sending you a complete guide about what to see ? where to stay? weather in Kochi etc check this link http://www.bookmytrip.in/india-tourism/cochin.html

I am looking to take some spanish classes in Tulum, this December, or possibly November if I can’t make Dec work. The only place I know of is www.thepinkiguana.mx and I guess they are all booked up now. Does anyone know of any other places that offer classes and mabye homestays as well?

That is the only school I know of. I teach English in Playa del Carmen and your options may be to come to Playa. It only takes about an hour by bus and they run continuously from 5am to 12am daily and cost 35 pesos or about 3.50us. Here we have several schools and most all offer living quarters as well as home stays, too. Do you know in the city of Tulum you are about 3 miles from the beach but in Playa you will never be more than a few blocks to the beach and all the action.Here in Playa we have hostels where you can rent a bed for as low as 8us dollars a night.
Hope this helps. Got another question just ask or contact me directly as I live in Playa

http://www.enforex.com/course-playa-carmen.html
http://www.ihes.com/mexico/
http://www.cactuslanguage.com/en/languages/spanish/mexico/playa_del_carmen.php
http://www.cancunspanish.com/
…….and several more

Hey guys (:
I bought a door mirror from WalMart today.
And I want to fix it on the back of my room door.
But I’m having serious issues. -___-
There’s nothing sticky on the back.
It makes no sense but there isn’t even a hole to put a thumbtack in.
I tried putting duct tape on and everything, but it’s not working.
The mirror keeps falling down.
My door isn’t wood or anything, so things are hard to stick on it.
It’s painted over with some kind of shiny paint.
But anyway, is there any way I can fix it on my door?
Preferably without having to make holes? Because I live in a rented apartment. :-/
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much. :]

WalMart actually has some adhesive tape that you can put on the back, that is used for pictures etc. that might work. Or you could go with the adhesive hangers, that are also at walMart, or possibly Lows.

I love homestays! I think it’s a great way to learn & experience by ourselves about their culture & lifestyles. How they look like depends on it’s state/city, like in Sabah, they have longhouses & etc. Another thing to stay in homestays is you will be surrounded with natural beauty, plantation (e.g fruits & flowers), tame animals & homely feeling. You will be guided about the village, people & their livings. You can even see their traditional dance/show in certain homestays. It’s really fun! Love it! How about you?