...continuing from " What to do and not to do if you hate your host family"....
By Elizabeth Gregory
So we've looked at what to do. Let's take a look at what not to do. First of all, let me stress that all of these are general rules and may change or vary depending on what the actual circumstances are. These are listed in no particular order.
Don't get upset. - As with anything in life, nothing is perfect. When you were planning your semester abroad you probably had visions of living in a utopia. After the newness of the place wore off, you may have been left with feelings of culture shock or feeling down. Problems with a host family may have compounded these feelings, but try not to get too upset. Things are fixable and usually are not as bad as you think they are.
Don't try to force the issue - in other words, if you are not having any luck trying to figure out what's going on, and you are not getting any help from on-site staff, don't take it upon yourself to have things straightened out. If things really are that bad and you feel that they cannot be rectified, sometimes the best option is to switch families. (Note, that normally this is the last resort).
Don't let this ruin your stay. - whether you wind up switching families, or staying on with the same one once problems have been solved, don't dwell on the bad. Move on and try and put the problems in the past. Your overall stay should not suffer because of a conflict or misunderstanding with a host family. I'm willing to bet that years from now, you may even be able to look back on the situation and laugh. OK, maybe not laugh, but at least you may have a good story or will be able to give some good advice to someone else.
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