My host family!

Today I met my host family! We got out of the bus (We didn't show it very much, but I think we were all pretty nervous at this point) and walked several blocks down the road to the Instituto Cultural. Outside the gates the streets were filled with cars and rushing people and stop lights and chaos, and as soon as we walked through, it all seemed to fade away. The courtyard of the institute is beautiful, with tall trees and flowers, cleanly cut grass. The building is colonial, and painted bright yellow. Its absolutely beautiful. We all breath a sigh of relief as we sit on the veranda, waiting for directions on what to do next. The host mothers aren't there yet... the longer we have to wait the more our anticipation builds again. Soon the mothers start trickling in, and with each one I can't help but ask, is that her? Is that the woman I'm going to be living with for the next 3 months?

Soon names are called and students in my group are paired up with one of the host mothers. After about ten minutes, there's only Olivia, Abby and I left standing awkwardly to the side, while everyone else got acquainted with their family. "What if they forgot about us?" Olivia says. "Psh. They wouldn't do that." I say, though secretly I'm kinda wondering the same thing. Suddenly I look over at the entrance and see two women walking together up the path. "Olivia! Do you think that's them?" She looks too. "Oh my god oh my god, that HAS to be them." We get more and more nervous as they get closer and closer, and soon my name is called out. "Ashley (except they say it like, Ash-LEE)" the woman says, and she motions to one of the women. I immediatly run up to her and give her a huge hug. "Mucho gusto!" she says, and I say it back. Olivias name is called next, and gets paired off with the other woman. Through their hurried conversation they have with the woman working with the institute, we discover that they're sisters! "Es bien, porque estas chicas son como hermanas tambien, " our profesora says. (Its fine, because these girls are like sisters too.) Its true, the other night our profesora said the exact same thing when we had a shortage of beds at the hotel and she made us sleep in the same one. "Somos hermanas." Oh yes. Perfect excuse to share a bed.

Anyways, so Olivia and our host mothers and I cram ourselves into a taxi with all our luggage, and I end up with one of Olivias suitcases on my lap, my leg squished and falling asleep. As we tumble out of the taxi at our destination, we soon realize that our houses are RIGHT NEXT to each other! Relieved, we give each other a goodbye hug, and enter our houses. Each house is contained behind a gate, with cement walls around it. My house is small but very nice! There's a room that has one wall open to the outside, a table and a bar. Inside, my host mom Doris shows me my room and tells me all about the house and it's rules. Breakfast at 8:15. Lunch at 2:30. Small dinner at 8:15. Don't use the phone alot, because its expensive. Don't use the water alot, because it's expensive. There's internet, but she doesn't know how to do it so I'll have to wait until her husband gets home. If there's anything at all that I need, just let her know. My room has a queen bed, a closet, vanity, and several chairs. There's a big window, almost like glass doors. "Puedes abrir la ventana cuando estas aqui, pero cuando sales, cerrarla, porque hay ratones en el jardin y no los queremos que entrar." (You can open the window when you're here, but when you leave, shut it, because there are mice in the garded and we dont want them to get in."

After telling me that one of her daughters, her husband and their child are coming over for lunch, she lets me unpack, which I do quickly. When I come out of my room, I meet my host father, Remigio, who is a very friendly, charismatic, funny man who likes to practice his english with me. I also meet their grandchild Santiago... 3 years old. I feel a quick moment of homesickness when I think about the 3 year old I left at home... as I watch this kid, he reminds me alot of Brayden, except for he's speaking spanish of course. WHICH, by the way, I think is the CUTEST THING EVER, little kids speaking spanish. Anyways, so we all go outside to the room with the open wall and the bar, and the housekeeper and my host mother serve lunch. "Tu sopa es diferente porque la otra es muy picante." They give me different soup because I told my host mother before that I dont like things that are really spicy. They also give me a different entre, made with fish, instead of the lamb everyone else was eating, because she wasn't sure if I had ever had it before, or if I'd like it. After dinner, which was filled with them talking quickly in spanich (to which I at first tried to follow, but ended up giving up quickly), slowing down to ask me a couple questions and hear my response, playing with Santiago and hearing things like, "tu espanol es muy bueno!", Remigio askes me if I like tequila. I say yes, and he pours me a shot. Slightly taken aback, I put it on the table, not sure what the etiquette is for drinking here. Suddenly they take out this jar full of salt and these brown things... which I quickly find out are dried worms!! "Take one! Try it, its very expensive, its what rich people eat." They keep telling me. "Es un insecto!" I say, and they laugh at my reaction to this offer. I dont want to be rude, so reluctantly I take one in my fingers, and they continue to laugh at the face I make. "Look! Look how much Santiago likes them," they say, pointing at the three-year-old. Sure enough, he is scarfing them down; as soon as he swollows one, his hand is outstreched for another one. Slowly and reluctantly I raise the dried worm to my mouth, and finally put it in. It tastes exactly what I think a bug would taste like... crunchy in a rather upsetting kind of way, and salty. At this point I drink part of the shot of tequila and suck on some lime. The tequila is SO GOOD, much different than the Jose Cuervo that I'm used to.

After dinner, Remigio asks if I would like to walk down the street to a tienda (store) with him and Santiago. Not being able to pass up a moment with this ADORABLE child, I go with them. Santiago brings his child-size shopping cart, and it's filled with model airplanes of all sizes. A plane flies over us and he stops and points, "Adios avion!" he says, waving at the sky. At the store, Remigio buys us both popsickles. While we're waiting for Remigio to pay, I open Santiagos popsickle for him, and let him try mine. He then raises up his popsicke so that I can try his in return, and then wants another bite of mine. ES MUY PRECIOSO (CUTE). We walk back up to the gate of the house, pushing his cart of planes the whole way.

When we get back to the house, I go back to my room again and get ready to go meet up with the group, because we're going to walk to the Zocalo and look around Oaxaca. Immediatly, as we reach the first streets and the first market, I fall in love with the place. It's just beautiful, the buildings are so brightly colored and colonial, the market is full of so many different authentic things; necklaces, shirts, shawls, paintings... the cathedrals we walk by are small but gorgeous. It's valentines day and the Zocalo is filled with people, there's a band playing, there are balloons everywhere. The people are so nice.

On the walk back we search for awhile, trying to find everyones houses as some of us have forgotten. When I finally make it back home, my host family is gone, and I'm alone. I really want to call my mom, but I can't use the phone. I really want to call Tyler because it's Valentines day, but I can't. I remember that I have a phone card, and try to call each of them but no one answers. I dont know how to use the internet. Suddenly, knowing that I can't reach anyone I love and my host family isn't even there and I'm alone in Oaxaca, I feel like crying. I go into my room to write, because that sometimes calms me down, and within 10 minutes I hear my host family come back. They are so friendly and caring that I calm down instantly... my host mom makes me a small dinner and we sit and talk together for about half an hour... and I'm so surprised with myself at how comfortable I feel speaking spanish! So... the first day has been pretty good, I just wish that Skype was working! Hasta luego!