La Familia

I have a lot to write about to catch you all up to speed about my life here. So first things first: mi familia.

Before they picked me up at the Hotel Ticomo where everyone in the program spent the first two nights for orientation, I was terrified. Like, paralyzing fear. You know, butterflies-in-the stomach sort of feeling? Except if those butterflies were piranhas. Yeah.

I’m not sure what I was scared of. That I would be living with these people for 5 months? That a 3-year-old here speaks better spanish then I do? A combination, I think. Many people have told me that I am really brave for doing this program, but as were we riding in the car back to the house, man, not even the Wizard of Oz could have convinced me that I had an ounce of courage in my bones. 

And was I right to be scared! These people that I live with are crazy. CRAZY! Like I said before, they like to teach me swear words (thats what they did the first hour I was here!). My host sister, Laura Mariela, and brother, Armando, like to talk really fast to confuse me (which isn’t hard to do at all). They also try to convince me that I’m eating horse or iguana or monkey when I ask what dinner is. Even the dog, Bruno, harasses me with a morning hello of trying to wrestle my flip flop off my foot. And they treat him like a prince. Everyone makes fun of me and use words I don’t understand, and my only comeback is to stick my tongue out (which Armando threatened to cut off the next time, “with love”, he said). They yell and fight and make fun of each other all the time. And in no way am I spared for being the younger, confused foreign exchange student. They treat me just like family. 

And I do mean just like family. My madre Doña Laura cooks delicious meals for us everyday, and explains food, holidays, history, and new words to me. Armando rode the bus with me to class to teach me how, and goes with me other places to make sure I’m safe. Laura Mariela teaches me new things too (not all PG friendly, but necessary if I’m gonna be able to chat with a college level vocabulary :). They both invite me out with them, which is always super fun. Rudy, Laura Mariela’s husband, is taking English class and helps explains things to me when I don’t understand. Or he tells me the truth when Laura tells me we’re eating monkey for dinner. He also fixed my computer so I can blog! And Bruno greets me at the door when I come in and hangs out with me while I do my homework. They really have made me feel right at home, and now it’s hard to even imagine why I ever felt like piranhas were eating my insides that first day I moved in. I sure haven’t felt that way since. 

And now that I feel at home, I’ve started to fight back a bit too. I bang on Armando’s door and wake him up with a lovely “BUENOS DIAS!” which I know he enjoys. I fight and joke with Laura Mariela using the little vocabulary I have, and slowly I have learned enough to let my sarcasm shine through. I make faces and fall and basically act like myself, including the fact that I can’t speak correctly (english or spanish).

Rudy said that I’m just as crazy as the rest of them. And, well, he’s totally right. I feel right at home, and I am absolutely loving it :)