Living with my ‘new family’ this week has been fun and helpful for my Spanish. My ‘mom’ is a year younger than me, so it’s nice to be able to learn a bit more about Guatemalan culture from someone in my age group. I have a ‘little brother’ named Javier who’s 9. He’s a really outgoing little guy who wants to play games like ‘tag’ when I get home from school. He also corrects my Spanish all the time which is both awesome and humbling! The other day I showed him some games on the iPad (Angry Birds, etc.) and I think his mind was blown!
Our house is a beautiful townhouse about a 5 minute walk from the school. It is beautiful and has an amazing garden area. I have breakfast and supper at home, where ‘mom’ serves me huge portions of great food. Sometimes it’s more typical Guatemalan food (eggs, beans, rice, tortillas, chicken, etc) and sometimes it’s very similar to what people typically eat at home (French toast, fettuccini with shrimp, etc).
I have found that Guatemaltecans are really open and honest. They talk about things that are kind of a faux-pas in Canada. For example Javier was eating Fruit Loops the other day. I told him that I don’t really like them because they’re too sweet. He grabbed onto his belly fat with both hands and started shaking it up and down. He said, “I like them but it’s probably why I’m fat”. Similarly my teacher was trying to get me to describe her. I started using words like ‘kind’ and ‘intelligent’ and she said, “No, physical description, like how I am short and fat”!
Pictures around home:
My Spanish classes are going well. At one point this week I was pretty sure my brain was going to explode, but I have progressed to the point of feeling pretty confident talking about ideas, hopes, politics, etc. I even beat my teacher in a game of Spanish Scrabble!
I also checked out a local zumba class this week. It turned out to be even more than zumba – we also learned some salsa and meringue moves. It was even more fun that I could follow the directions in Spanish!
Here are some pics of school stuff and more of Antigua:
And for Rocky:
Stay tuned because I’m anticipating at least 1 more blog this weekend. I have some cool things lined up!
You guys must frame some of your photos!
At least when they are talking "faux-pas" they are referring to themselves. I've worked with many students from around the world, and lets just say that students from certain East Asian countries would be more likely to let you know that you are short and fat! (or whatever flaw they perceive you have!)
By the way, my mouth is now watering!!