American families have different daily schedules, and they do not always have meals together. We offer two types of homestays: One with no meals, and one with meals.
Homestay (No Meals)
You are responsible for purchasing your own food and preparing your own meals. Your host will help you with your grocery shopping needs. Your host will also provide you with space in the refrigerator and pantry for your food items. You will also have access to the kitchen, which includes use of dishes, utensils, and cookware.
Homestay (Three Meals per Day)
Your host will provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast and lunch are self-serve. This means that the host will provide the food items, but you must prepare your own breakfast and lunch, and then clean up afterwards. For dinner, some nights your host will eat with you, but most nights your host will leave a prepared dinner for you in the refrigerator. Here are examples of the type of meals you can expect in your homestay:
Breakfast: Cereal, milk, fruit, bagels, cream cheese, juice.
Lunch: Deli meat sandwich, chips, drink.
Dinner: Pasta with chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, vegetables.
When you live in a homestay with meals, you will be able to use the toaster and microwave to heat your food, but most hosts who provide meals do not allow their students to cook in the kitchen. Some hosts will allow you to cook periodically, but you will not be able to cook regularly. If you want to be able to regularly cook the foods you like, we recommend that you live in a homestay with no meals.
