General Information / Homestay
Host family relationships in Costa Rica tend to be intimate and supportive. ICDS has a strong network of families that have been working with the institution for years and have a lot of experience hosting students and making them feel like “a member of the family.” At the same time they respect students´ private time and personal space. ICDS´ ample network allows us to assure student placement will respond to students´ specific needs and preferences in terms of families composition (children, people of their age, dogs, cats, etc…).
In order to assure students will have a great experience with their host families, ICDS has a Homestay Coordinator with a great deal of experience in the selection of host families and the placement of students with an appropriate host family, according to what the student has indicated as his/her preferences in the housing application.
Nuria Vargas, ICDS Housing Coordinator and ICDS host mothers in Curridabat
When finding a family, the ICDS Housing Coordinator will:
- Research appropriate families who live in areas close to the ULatina campus and the ICDS office, and who are willing and qualified to host international students.
- Next, she contacts the families and arranges for a visit to observe the home and family characteristics personally.
- The families that meet the requirements are then included in a data base for future use.
- When the students’ housing applications are received, the housing coordinator matches the students and the families in accordance with the students’ expectations and special requirements (if any) and the family’s characteristics.
- Students provide ICDS with feedback about their homestay experience through an evaluation done in the middle and at the end of the program, and based on this, ICDS makes a decision whether to continue working with that family or not.
- The data base is updated periodically by paying a visit to the families and making sure the home and family conditions remain appropriate to host international students.
ICDS Staff and Housing Coordinator provide periodical visits to families to assure students wellbeing and supervise facilities provided by the families.
ICDS Staff visiting one of our host families and supervising student facilities
Host Mother/ Nuria Vargas(ICDS Housing Coordinator)/ Bernardita Rodriguez (ICDS Program Manager)/ Dr. Nowalski (ICDS Program President and Academic Director)
- A completely furnished private room
- Two meals per day
- Laundry service
At the beginning of the program an ICDS representative will meet the students at the airport and take them to their host families´ house. Students will spend the following two days with their families in order to get to know each other. These initial two days will also allow the host family time to show the student how to get to various important sites in the neighborhood- the University, the pharmacy, the bank, etc.
Participants are housed in carefully selected Costa Rican homes in San José. When searching for host families our main considerations are safety and security, as well as the student's potential for integration in the family setting.
Universidad Latina ( http://www.ulatina.ac.cr/ ), ICDS´ Institutional partner, is located in San Pedro, a student neighborhood where ICDS students will find various restaurant options, cafés, internet café, mall, roller skating, movie theaters, gyms and other activities and attractions.
ICDS´ Institutional Partner, Universidad Latina. Located in the neigborhood of San Pedro
Images of the San Pedro Area
All homestays are strategically located a short distance from Universidad Latina, allowing students to easily get to classes by way of a ten minute bus ride. Host families are located in the following neighborhoods: San Pedro, Curridabat, Vargas Araya and Sabanilla. All of these neighborhoods are in close proximity to the ICDS Office and ULatina´s campus.
ICDS is an experienced organization and our primary concerns are the welfare, safety, and security of our student participants. ICDS maintains a strong relationship between the office staff, housing coordinator and host families in order to reduce risks and provide support in each area.
Living with a host family brings a lot of benefits to the students´ experience during their time in Costa Rica, and families represent a great pillar of support for ICDS in assuring students´ safety during their time in the program. Host families are evaluated each semester and every effort is made to maintain open communications between student, host family, and the ICDS staff.
Students are expected to follow rules set by both ICDS and the host family, in keeping with ICDS’s guidelines and policies. Problems or concerns about host families should be brought to the immediate attention of ICDS staff and the homestay coordinator.
ICDS will assure that at least two or three students are hosted close to each other to facilitate interaction between students and assure that they can travel in groups during the first weeks in the country, increasing their safety and reducing any potential risk of walking alone.
Some of the benefits of a home stay- Daily interaction with locals from your host country and host family
- Becoming a member of the family and building life-long bonds
- Experiencing first-hand the customs you will learn about in class
- Practice a foreign language with native speakers in their day-to-day lives
- Home stays include two meals per day
Alison Grant, ICDS student said: “¡Siempre voy a llevar Pura Vida en mi corazón!” when looking at the following picture of her and her host brother at her host family house and remembering all the great moments she had with them.
This depends on many different factors however, students usually learn of their placement about 1 month prior to departure.
The ICDS Housing Coordinator works to find the best match for you and for the host family. We want this to be a positive experience for everyone and will work hard to make the best placement possible. This process takes time. But rest assured that ICDS will get your host family contact information to you as soon as it is available and at least two weeks before your departure.
Problems or concerns about host families should be brought to the immediate attention of ICDS staff and the homestay coordinator. If necessary, ICDS has the capacity to move a student to a new placement the same day students communicate any concerns.
ICDS will always be available to listen to students´ needs and requirements and won´t hesitate to move a student to a new host family immediately. Host families have a big impact on students´ experiences in the program and we work to assure this experience is the best possible.
If a student needs to be moved, the ICDS Housing Coordinator will be in charge of communicating with the host family about this decision and coordinating with the new host family. Students will not have, under any circumstance, the responsibility to communicate the decision to their host family or explain the reason that they are moving to another house. We will always assure students´ relationships with host families are comfortable and respectful, and we will never place students or host families in an uncomfortable situation.
It’s a great idea to bring a few small gifts with you for your host family and new friends. You don’t have to know your host family to start thinking about what to bring. Think of things that represent your community or state: a significant landmark, a famous local sports team, or a well-known company. Small gifts such as pins, pictures, mugs, t-shirts, or caps are popular items. Be careful not to overindulge. A small token of appreciation for your host family or new friend is plenty.
Even though most families have internet access, this is not a requirement for a family to be eligible to host ICDS students. We cannot assure your family will have internet access during your stay in the program but you will have access to computers and internet almost every day, so it shouldn’t be a problem to communicate. You will have access to the internet at the computer labs on the ULatina campus (and at Internet Cafes around the area). There is no cost per session at the computer labs for ULatina's students, but chatting sessions are not allowed. ULatina provides wireless internet access to its students; if you bring your laptop with you, you will get it coded for this service after you obtain your login info for Internet. You will also have access to ICDS´ Office facilities if you need to place a call or use the internet occasionally.
Since one of the main goals of this program is to assure students will have a full cultural and language immersion, all ICDS families interact with the students only in Spanish. Even though you may feel confident with your Spanish language skills, please be prepared to go through an adjustment period in which you may feel that you cannot understand very much during the first few days; it is usually just the excitement and tiredness of the trip, the change to a new place, people, and culture. Be patient with yourselves, and do not worry. Your host families understand the situation and are willing to have all the patience in the world and help you in every sense. After the first two weeks, you will start to feel more comfortable and your language skills will seem to come back!
