Hi, my name is Shun-Chih Huang and I'm from Taiwan. I have been in Vancouver for almost six months and I love to stay here. During the past six months, I have a different life style from what I had in my hometown. For instance, I have very sound sleep here since most of my friends and I enjoyed the nightlife in Taiwan and I did not go to bed until midnight! Also, staying with home-stay family and renting an apartment are what I had not experienced before I arrived in Vancouver. Here I can give you some ideas about the differences between staying as a guest in a home and renting an apartment if you have the chance to choose.

First of all, one of the differences is the convenience. Staying in home-stay situation is more convenient for an international student who just arrives in Vancouver, because the home-stay family can help the student to orient himself or herself to a new life. In addition, in home stay, everything is ready such as furniture, meals and facilities so that the students will not waste time in preparing many things.

In contrast to staying in home-stay, when renting an apartment a person may spend more time to get accustomed to a new environment. Another difference is the responsibilities. Unlike staying in home-stay, renting an apartment requires more attention on the responsibilities, such as paying bills on time and taking precautions while cooking. In a home-stay, the student does not need to cook and the student's responsibility is to follow the home-stay rules.

Compared to renting an apartment, students who live with a home-stay family have more chance to improve their English ability. The student can practice English by speaking and listening all the time. Furthermore, the home-stay family may correct the student's language errors right away and teach some new things.

To conclude, it is better to stay in a home-stay situation for international students who just arrive because it's more convenient, requires fewer responsibilities and offers a better chance to learn English. I am glad that I made the right choice when I just arrived here. Although there are a few advantages for renting an apartment, I still often recall having an enjoyable time with my home-stay family.

July 1998