The Magic of Fate and the Importance of Living with a Host Family Abroad

By: Jacie Hall

While I reflect on my time studying abroad, a year later, I cannot help but to believe that fate is real and some things in life are meant to be. Studying abroad is an experience filled with discovery, growth, and memories that will last you a lifetime. For me, this experience has changed me as a person in so many ways. The most special aspect of my abroad experience, however, was getting the opportunity to live with a host family. This was an experience that transformed my understanding of cultural immersion, defined my sense of belonging, and gifted me with a forever second home and family.

From the moment I arrived in Barcelona, I still remember the emotions and feelings my brain was trying to process, it felt so surreal. After having a very long travel day, with my flight being delayed for several hours, and the lack of sleep, my host family welcomed me with open arms. I was very emotional and overwhelmed at this time, being in a foreign country, not knowing anyone, and living with a host family who I had just met shortly after arriving in a country I had never been to before. This was something very out of my comfort zone, as I had never been so far away from home and my family before for this amount of time. 

As we sat together at the dinner table on the second night of my arrival, I couldn’t help but notice a bookcase on the wall beside us. However, one book caught my eye, labeled “Sacred Heart University.” I was speechless. “There’s no way,” I thought to myself. Sacred Heart University is where my mom graduated, and it’s just 25 minutes away from my home in Connecticut. Curiously, I asked my host family why they had this book. That is when my host dad revealed something breathtaking. He pulled out the book, which ended up being a yearbook. He shared that he had studied abroad in Fairfield, Connecticut, and had graduated from Sacred Heart. My mind was racing, how was this possible? But the story did not end there. He shared he had arrived in the United States not knowing a lick of English. As a result, he worked closely with the Spanish department, where the path of fate is determined again. My mom had studied at Sacred Heart to receive her Master’s degree in Spanish. In this case, they had the same professor, in which they both loved, despite my host dad being about 10 years older than my mom. What are the odds? And what made this all the more surreal – I was their first ever exchange student. Out of all of the people and places around the world, somehow, I ended up in the home of someone who shared a similar chapter of life with my mom, by graduating from the same college.

From that moment on, I knew this wasn’t just “some coincidence.” I felt a sense of belonging, and that I was exactly where I needed to be. That’s why I always tell people: if you get the chance, live with a host family. You never know what kind of connections you’ll make or how much you’ll grow. It is the best way to truly immerse yourself in the culture – and maybe even stumble into a story as crazy as mine. I am already set to visit them after I graduate in May, and this time, I’ll be returning not just as their first exchange student, but as part of the family.

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