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.