Wow, I didn´t realize I had let this thing go so long already! I have a lot to catch up on naturally, but I promise I´ll try and be succinct! Thanks for anyone out there who is reading!
First off, my new Guatemalan family! I have been living with the Gomez Gil family for the past four weeks, and have enjoyed it very much. I have two little brothers, David, who is eight and Pablo, who is 13. It´s really fun to be around kids again, it´s been a long time since I´ve had a ¨little¨brother around. My mother, Rosario, is very generous and extremely patient with me and my not so fabulous Spanish. We have breakfast together every morning and talk about the day ahead, and chat again when I get home. Luckily she´s had enough students in the past to know speaking slowly is absolutely essential. I rarely have to ask her to slow down or repeat anything. She also has an amazing knack for popping into the kitchen and pulling amazing meals out of thin air. She´s kept me on a diet of chicken, black beans in various forms, rice, tomatos, onions, a little beef or pork, bread and tortillas for the past four weeks and every meal is delicious and unique. My father, Jorge, is usually gone at work by the time I get up, he´s a mason and carpenter. The first day I was in their home he and I had a big discussion about US building techniques compared to Guatemalan, which was prevalent because they are also in the process of building an addition onto their home. I was secretly thrilled with myself for being able to carry on a conversation that long about something so random.
My little brothers are also nice to have around, especially in terms of my Spanish practice. They always point out when I say something incorrectly or misconjugate, which is great because it´s always in a very benign, sweet sort of way. We usually spend the evenings painting together, hanging out around the dinner table, practicing their English, or playing marbles. They are a very tight-knit family, and very religious. My parents spend an average of four nights a week at church and are also song leaders.
The home itself is small and my parents sleep in a corner of the family room, but it´s more than adequate for four or five people. My room is up some exposed stairs on the roof level, which I love! It´s defintely the nicest room in the house, which makes me feel a little awkward to be honest. My family obviously counts on the supplemental income of taking students from this program. My windows and front door overlook several other homes, and I can look down into the courtyard area of the house next door, where that family´s parrot lives. Between the squawks of the parrot, the bellowing of the dogs, the crowing of the roosters and the 4 am birthday fireworks that are so popular here, I rarely sleep up until my alarm. It´s actually kind of a nice way to wake up to be honest. I feel very safe and cozy in my home, my mother is a wonderful cook, my dad tries his best to make little jokes with me in broken English, and my brothers are a great source of comedic relief. Life at the casa de Gomez Gil is very good.
