Becoming Home

I've settled into a routine here. My family knows my level of Spanish, and they're great at finishing sentences for me or correcting a wrongly conjugated verb, so we can communicate without too much effort. For meals, I sit at the same spot at the table, and I help set the table and wash the dishes afterward. The dog usually comes for some daily attention. I know when I like to leave for the bus in the morning, I stand on the same street corner while I wait for the bus, and some of the same people pass me every morning on their way to school or work. In the afternoon, I walk with the same group of people to catch the bus home. I sit in the same seat in Spanish class everyday. I'm finding my place here.

We've been here for several weeks already, which is hard to believe - we've crammed a lot into that time, learned a lot, and studied a lot of Spanish. Things are never "normal" here, and probably will never be, because there are always things that I misunderstand due to language barriers, and our schedule changes a little bit from week to week. However, the longer I'm here, the closer I come to finding a new "normal" as this place becomes home.

Having said that, I continue to be surprised when I discover new things. I walk the same route every day, but only recently discovered that I pass a bread shop. A new part of my routine is to wait for the amazing smell of freshly baked bread, which reaches me about 3 steps past the shop. I continue to learn new things about my family that come up in conversation that I hadn't known before. I'm hearing many new Spanish words, a portion of which I actually remember, but my vocabulary is increasing (I hope - sometimes it's hard to tell). We're seeing more of the city, and also traveling to places outside of Guatemala City.

Some things are "normal" and some are new, and the combination is creating a unique experience that I'm enjoying. Things aren't always easy or comfortable, and sometimes I have a day that could have gone better, but I know that a well-rounded experience is best. Familiarity mixed with new is the perfect combination to make me aware of my surroundings, yet comfortable in them. This place has become home.

A Host Family´s Hospitality

We arrived in Guatemala last Tuesday, January 25th. Thursday night was our first night with our host families. My host family is big - parents, 2 host sisters, a host brother, a cousin, an uncle and aunt, and a grandma, and some pets as well. I´m the 10th person, so the house feels quite full when everybody´s there. We spend all of our time there, and they rent a room down the street that I share with my my mom and 2 sisters. We´re hardly there except to sleep.

It has been an interesting experience, and I´m learning a lot from my host family. They are very patient with me, have showed me great hospitality, and have adopted me as one of their own. I´ve shared in many family activities with them - I´ve gone to church with them, shared many meals, made tortillas, watched movies, gone to the store, and participated in nightly family meetings of prayer, singing, and reading the Bible. Best of all, they´re willing to repeat or rephrase Spanish for me if I don´t understand, or teach me what I don´t know. No one in the house speaks English, more than a few words. It´s hard sometimes, but it will definitely help my Spanish!

Spanish has been going well for me, and I´m enjoying learning more. I´ve had many conversations with my host family already. I usually can´t say exactly what´s on my mind because my vocab isn´t that great yet, but I can get my point across.

The best times, though, are when language doesn´t matter. I can laugh along with them, or share a smile. I probably don´t understand their jokes or what is funny to the same extent as them, but I can still share a smile or laugh.

Secretly, though, I love their dog Spike. He may come when called or be quiet when they tell him to be (sometimes), but he doesn´t speak Spanish or always understand what´s going on...just like me!