"Why homestay?" A C2 Proficiency article about unusual accommodation


I am thrilled to share an article written by my C2 Proficiency student Ekaterina Glukhova. I am thrilled not because she wrote an excellent exam answer, but because her article reads like a real article you might find in a real magazine. My philosophy is even when you write an exam answer, imagine real readers and write it for them, not just for the teacher. Ekaterina writes about her homestay experience in Brighton. Have you been to the UK? What was your accommodation like?

Prompt:

A magazine is running a series on unusual accommodation. You decide to write an article in which you briefly describe an unusual place you stayed at and explain why you enjoyed or didn’t enjoy staying there. You should also discuss how much the choice of accommodation to stay at can contribute to the overall impression of the trip.

Why homestay? 

Chalk cliffs, salty breeze, merrily jingling rides - yes, the good old Brighton, a seaside residence of George IV and mine, if only for a fortnight. And yet my “quintessential” - in the words of the agency - English retreat was about to be clouded. My lodgings, a room in a terracotta terraced house, were the property of Clodagh, an Irishwoman to the core.

No, I have nothing against the Irish. But by enrolling on an English course in Essex, I was hoping to take care of three birds with one stone: to burnish my British English, to peep into English culture, and to rest, of course. Opting for a homestay seemed a bright idea, and - despite all the awkwardness of using a stranger’s hospitality - my curiosity was inextinguishable. Can every decent English house boast its own garden, however tiny? What does it take to shower with two taps? Am I tough enough to survive on notoriously off-putting fare?

As luck would have it, the hostess was a heaven-born cook, meshing hearty Irish cuisine with sophisticated Jamie Oliver’s recipes. The taps were separate indeed, though - thanks goodness - only on the basin; the shower had a mixer. The garden was spacious and sequestered from prying eyes by a wall of twining Irish ivy.

While enjoying the hospitable lodging, I had to keep in mind that when a guest, do as the hostess does. Whether in England, Ireland or wherever you stay, long established household rules will make no exception for casual visitors. If there are fixed days to do the laundry, manage as you will, traveller, with your limited garments. Yet another peculiarity was Clodagh’s expectation of me, a fervent Anglophile at the time, to offer a sympathetic ear to her rants about the English and dithyrambs on the Irish.

Did staying in an Irish home interfere with my pursuit of the real, true Albion? Not necessarily. “Authenticity” or “typicality” is a construct, reinforced by tourist establishments to satisfy some travellers, compliant and, perhaps, anticipating a somewhat distilled cultural image. If scaled down, there, however, will be revealed an intricate tangle of habits, traditions and lineages constituting the whole. Had I chosen a grand hotel with a group tour, I would have never been reminded one more time of the reality being far more complex and a lot more curious than an advertising leaflet.

While not achieving my initial aim, I still felt like a stereotypical Brit - confused and embarrassed and frustrated and unable for some 15 minutes to figure out the right terracotta doorway to finally get home. This won’t be an issue in Ireland, will it?
✽✽✽

It won't. The cover image is what houses in Ireland look like. Just kidding. =) It's a photo I took in Limerick. 🍀

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