Me and my friend stayed at the Santa Clara house during our stay. It was basically a house that rented out a few beds. Or so we thought at first impressions. It was actually a network of houses were the owner rented out bunk beds in all of them including his own house where we stayed.
The House had four bedrooms two of them were private rooms and the other two were shared. I stayed in the largest shared room with five other people. The house had at tops about 13 people staying in it whilst there were only 12 beds. At some point they told me that once they had about 18 guests staying there at once due to overbooking and overstaying. The living room is where we spent most of our time in the house. It contained everything from television to musical instruments such as guitars, a piano and a cello. You could even exercise with the different machines located in there. The kitchen was your standard kitchen containing a stove, dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer and of course a microwave. The cabinets were labeled with what they contained to make it easier for you to find your way around the kitchen. There was also a communal cabinet where you stored goods you’d allow everyone to enjoy. The house owner often filled that cabinet up with breakfast cereal for everyone to eat and filled the fridge with milk. In the backyard there was a pool covering the most of it's area.
To me the people of this house became like my second family. You’d find people with all types of different personalities. Hardworking, goofy, mischievous, honest and people who really enjoyed the company of others. It was like a multicultural gathering with people from around the globe when we realized that almost everyone came from different countries during my stay. Everyone was nice and helped you with whatever you needed. As for instance I was hungry a few times during my stay and wanted to eat out. Without even asking they offered to give me a ride to wherever I wanted to go. Being of the age when you’re unable to rent a car this sure was one of the best things that could have happened.
The best things in my opinion were the home cooked meals. Either Vic or his girlfriend would cook or one of the guests staying would occasionally be up for the task. Not every dinner was cooked at home by the residents. People usually cooked their own food or bought it from elsewhere. But eating together as a family definitely made experience there better.
All in all it was a really warm and welcoming atmosphere in the house which was of the out most enjoyable and fun during my experience being abroad working. I'd come back there anytime if I ever got the chance!