„Move“ - THE HUB

Hey👋🏻

Yesterday morning I went to school quite early because I wanted to talk to the EF office about my living situation.

The situation with the host father, who is an alcoholic, was a bit uncomfortable for me, so I wanted to change my host family.

At first, we didn't get much feedback because no one had time for me and Dodo (roommate), so we were told to come back to the office at 4:25 PM.

When we were back at the office in the afternoon, they suggested that Dodo could move to "the Hub" in the evening and I could follow a few days later. Our third roommate had some communication problems, so it was not clear when she wanted to change host families.

However, after I explained that I don't want to stay alone in the host family, they also suggested that I could move to "the Hub".

Later, the third student clarified that she also wants to change, so all three of us moved last night at 9:00 PM.

"The Hub" is a kind of shared apartment and is located directly at Union Square (Downtown), so it only takes 15 minutes by bus to get to school. It has 5 floors. Each floor has rooms divided into single, double, and triple rooms. The top floor has a kitchen and there are washing machines in the basement.

We three "students" were placed in different rooms, but we didn't mind because we were happy that we could move.

Last night, I wasn't sure anymore if it was right to leave the host family, as I knew that the host family would be very different from home. So it was a bit difficult for me to make a decision yesterday because I felt sorry for the host mother, as she considers us her business and I think she is also dependent on us and because I actually wanted to have the experience of staying with a host family.

After spending a night in "the Hub", which also has a clean bathroom (😂), I think differently now. I'm glad to be here because I can't trust an alcoholic whom I've only known for 2 weeks.

It was not clear how long I can stay here, as "the Hub" usually costs $175 per week and I am currently staying here "for free". However, this afternoon I was informed that I can stay in "the Hub" for free until April 28th, as they don't have a new host family for me. I'm very happy about that because I don't want to move every other day, as I only have 2 1/2 weeks left here. So I consider my switch from host family to "the Hub" as an adventure.

Currently, I have a more expensive double room with a bathroom, as there are usually bathrooms in the hallway.

Today, I cooked schnitzel with my former roommate and she loved it 👍🏻😊. The only disadvantage is that I have to cook for myself and therefore have to pay for the food myself.

Dodo is still unsure whether she wants to stay in "the Hub" or move to a new host family, as a new family has been found for her and she can't stay here for free for another 2 months.

Today was definitely much better than yesterday🙈. Now I don't feel "homeless" anymore (😂) because it's clear that I can stay in "the Hub". At noon, I was in the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, the third largest chocolate company in the USA (1852). I find it funny that it is a subsidiary of Lindt & Sprüngli😂. It was nice to just sit there for two hours and chat with a friend from Switzerland (of course in English, as Swiss German is incredibly difficult to understand😂) and not constantly be "on the go".

For a moment, I was unsure because of my living situation, but now I am still incredibly happy to be here, as San Francisco is beautiful and our group harmonizes well and wants to experience the same in San Francisco and the surrounding area.

I will probably get in touch again over the weekend, because we have a lot planned for this week😊.

Greetings from "the Hub" 👋🏻

Ah👆🏻 In the map, you should actually be able to see the location of "the Hub", if you're interested😁.