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One thing that sets this program apart from others in Rome is the emphasis it
places on getting to know Italian culture and life. All students are placed in
Italian homes and have dinner during the week with their hosts, giving them the
chance to see the local neighborhoods, local cooking styles, and speak Italian,
whether to learn to use their first words or to become more proficient.
Students move in to their host families on the Sunday after they arrive and
remain there until the morning of the last day of the semester, usually a
Saturday.
For a pleasant and relaxed time, we encourage you to
respect the habits and mode of life of the person(s) of whom you will be a guest.
It is imperative for the success of your time in Rome that you adapt yourself to
this life and respect the rules of the house. In particular, you should be
attentive to the rules and guideline set out below.
Our students find that living with families becomes one of the most memorable
aspects of their Roman stay. Many of them stay in contact with their hosts after
they leave and return to visit.
What
As a student you will receive a private room in an
Italian home. A house (casa) in Rome almost always refers to what we
in the United States would call an apartment or condo. The materials for
preparing an Italian, continental breakfast are available from Monday
through Friday. You will be served a full, home-cooked dinner four nights a
week (Monday-Thursday). You will become part of the life of the family,
helping with setting up and cleaning up after the meals, perhaps watching
television with the family or participating in family activities,
integrating into their patterns, and getting to know them. Your time,
however, remains your own. You are given a key to the building and to the
home so that you can come and go as you please.
If the family has a large enough house, you may be
placed with another student, who will also have a private room. In most
cases, this would be another student in our program, but on occasion there
may be a student from a different program in the same house.
Who
The types of housing situations vary widely. Some are families with young children, others are widows living on their own, and others are young professionals who both work. Some have simple lifestyles, others not. Each family has been carefully chosen by personal contact and verification. They are all friendly and eager to get to know you and help you with your time in Rome. In these families you will get to know life as it is lived by modern Romans. Your interaction with your hosts will vary from situation to situation. They may invite you to participate in their activities, or they may give you the space to develop your own pattern.
Where
Almost all of our host families are located in the residential area beyond the historic center of Rome. They are located all around the city, so you will get to know local neighborhoods that the casual visitor or tourist never sees, both yours and those of your friends. In order to get to Italiaidea, where your Italian classes are held and many of your other classes meet, you will take Rome’s public transportation. You will get to know how to move about the city so that you can make the best of your Roman experience. Most of our families are within an hour’s walk of Italiaidea. With the buses and metro you can expect, on average, a 45 minute commute, with some taking only a half hour while others over an hour.
Hospitality
The most important general attitude you should have is one of hospitality and openness. You are both a guest in these people’s home and a representative of your culture, your school, and your country. You should always act in such a way that is both welcoming and helpful. Offer to help around the house; clean up after yourselves; keep your room tidy; help with the dishes; and in general be kind and courteous. This will go a long way to making your stay pleasant and rewarding.
Regulations and Guidelines
Respect
Remember that your hosts are welcoming you into their homes and the life of their family. Your cooperation with the daily tasks is a necessary basis for shared life. We ask you to remember the following.
It is absolutely forbidden to invite any other people into the house (whether they be other students in the program, visiting family, or other people that you meet) without the express permission of your host. Under no circumstances may you invite anyone to spend the night in the house.
Under no circumstances give your address or the phone number of the phone in the house to anyone in Europe other than those involved in the program.
If you return home after 11pm, be especially attentive not to create any loud noises; for example, close doors softly.
Showers and baths are not allowed after 11pm and before 6am.
You may receive telephone calls on the house phone between 8am and 10pm; however, you should not occupy the line for an excessive amount of time. You may not make any outgoing calls from the house phone. If you purchase a cell phone, do not ask anyone to call you on your cell phone at home after 10am and before 8am as the sound travels easily throughout the house.
Always turn off the light when you leave any room and be sure that the all the lights and electrical appliances are off when you leave the apartment. Electricity is very expensive in Italy; for this reason Italians are very careful not to leave unnecessary lights or appliances on. Also, be sure to unplug any electrical appliances that have a transformer (computer, digital phone charger, cell phone charger) when not in use.
Take special care in using the furniture and other things of the house. If you damage something, you will be asked to pay for its repair or replacement.
Cleanliness and Neatness
You should adjust yourself to the standards of neatness and cleanliness of your hosts. The following is intended to draw your attention to basic standards, but is not an exhaustive list.
You will be given a room of your own. Keep it always clean and neat.
Do not leave your clothes (clean or dirty) on the floor.
Use the hamper or bag given you for your dirty clothes.
Take out the trash in your room on a regular basis (perhaps daily). Your hosts will show you where the outdoor garbage cans are.
Be sure to put the bathroom back in order after using it, even if it is your private bathroom.
Do not leave towels on the ground and never use them to dry the floor. Your hosts will show you what they use to dry the floor after a shower or bath.
If you prefer to walk around the house in bare feet, be sure to wash them before getting into bed.
Do not leave wet clothes or towels on the bed, chairs, furniture, or in chests of drawers or armoires.
Most Italian homes do not have dryers and the clothes are hung to dry. Always hang your wet clothes in the places reserved for drying. Hanging them elsewhere may damage furniture or the apartment itself.
Always help in setting the table before meals and cleaning up after meals.
If you use the kitchen or eat something in your room, always clean up after yourself and make sure that what you have used is clean when you are finished.
Telephone
You may receive telephone calls on the house phone between 8am and 10pm; however, you should not occupy the line for an excessive amount of time. (Note: Make sure your relatives and friends in the US are aware of the time difference.) You may only make outgoing calls from the house phone in cases of real emergency. For your own calls, you may use your cell phone, public phones conveniently located throughout the city, or telephone offices. If you purchase a cell phone, do not ask anyone to call you on your cell phone at home after 10am and before 8am as the sound travels easily throughout the house.
Laundry
Your lodging includes one load of laundry a week. These must be used within the week, so we recommend that you do not allow your dirty clothes to accumulate. This refers to one load of wash in the washing machine and hanging your clothes out to dry. Most Italians do not have clothes dryers and, in general, European washing machines take about 2 hours to wash one load of clothes. Your host will indicate to you whether they prefer to do the laundry for you or whether you should do your own laundry. They will also give you a hamper or sack in which to put your dirty clothes. Depending on the home, your host may allow you to do extra loads of laundry per week at the price of 3 euro per load.
Heating & Hot Water
Most apartments have heating that is centrally controlled for the whole building, and thus the owners have no control over the temperature. For those that have their own heating system, the heating will be on around 6-7 hours a day, in respect of Italian environmental laws. For all types of heating, federal law requires that the heating not be used to raise the internal temperature above 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). The law states that heating may not be turned on before a certain date (usually 15 November) and must be turned off for the season on a certain date (usually 15 March). Hot water is usually provided by a hot water heater, which us usually much smaller than US water heaters. Your daily shower should be limited to 10 minutes.
Keys
Each student will be given keys to the door to the building and to the apartment. Be sure not to attach anything with your address on it to the key chain. In case of loss, the student will be charged between 60 and 450 euro to change the locks.
Health & Insurance
It is essential that each student have adequate health insurance before arriving in Italy. It is also essential that you know what procedures your insurance requires you to follow in the case of illness or accident. The Program Director must receive a copy of your insurance, along with your passport, before you are allowed to participate in the home stay program. In addition, you must obtain an Italian stay permit (permesso di soggiorno) upon arriving in Italy in order to participate in the program. The program staff will assist you with this, but you must bring the proper documentation and attend the set appointments. Failure to obtain this permit will make you ineligible to continue in the program.
Food
You will receive materials for an Italian breakfast five days a week, from Monday through Friday, and you will receive dinner cooked for you four nights, from Monday through Thursday. Note: These meals are served on the days indicated. If they are missed, you miss the opportunity to have the meal as they will not be served on other days.
Breakfast. Breakfast time is flexible (some time before 10am), and you may be asked to prepare this for yourself. It consists of (1) coffee or tea; (2) milk; (3) orange juice or other fruit juice; (4) cookies, a sweet roll, or bread, with butter and jam, or corn flakes (limited to one 375g. box per week). Other breakfast foods like fruit or more fancy cereals are not included, but you may purchase them on your own. We encourage you, however, to adopt Italian habits while in Italy and eat Italian style.
Dinner. Dinner is served between 8 and 9pm. It consists of (1) a plate of pasta or soup; (2) a main dish with meat, fish, chicken, cheese, or egg with (3) a side dish of salad, potatoes, or vegetables; and (4) fruit. It will be served with water and bread. Your hosts may introduce you to a way of eating to which you are not accustomed. The less selective you are and the more that you adapt to the eating pattern of your hosts, the more you will enrich your experience.
It may be possible, if your hosts agree, to have meals beyond those included in
the home stay. We ask that you give your hosts a small contribution toward the
costs of these meals: 2 euro for breakfast on Saturday or Sunday; 5 euro for a
light lunch; 9 euro for dinner. Be aware that these costs apply any time your
hosts provide you with a meal beyond those included. You will be billed for
these by the Rome Assistant at the end of each month.
If your hosts allow you to use their kitchen to prepare your own meals outside
of those provided, remember that you will need to purchase everything that you
will use, including napkins, spices, oil, drinks. You must leave the kitchen
clean and in order.
Safety
It is very important that you cooperate with your hosts in keeping the house safe. As burglaries are very common in Italy, there are many measures that Italians take to prevent unwanted people from entering, such as a secure main door of the building, an intercom system to open the main door, a series of locks on the door of the house, and windows that can be closed with very secure shutters. Be sure that you take some time with your hosts both when you move in and after you have had time to adjust yourself to the house to see exactly how all of these things work and how your hosts prefer to secure the house. Above all, be sure to never open the door of the house or the main door of the building to anyone that you do not know, no matter what reason they may give you.
Resolving Problems
Should you have any problem or are unsure about any of the house practices, please do not hesitate to speak about this with your hosts. You are also welcome to speak about these with the Rome Assistant or Director who will help you find a solution. The more that you can resolve small misunderstandings directly with your hosts, the better your relationship with them will be. If a situation arises in which a significant problem cannot be resolved, you may be moved to a different host family. Because most problems arise out of miss-communication and cultural differences, we ask everyone to commit to at least the first four weeks with the host in which they are placed.