Mi Vida Cotidiana

Up until this point I haven't written all that much about my host family or generally what it is that I do everyday.  I also didn't realize until recently that I have a special relationship with my family, simply because I am able to talk to them (about things more significant than what foods I like or what I am doing for the weekend).  In light of all of the political, economic, and social issues that have been going on in the world, I am very thankful that I am able to (intelligently) discuss what is going on with them.  Even more, I am learning so much outside of the classroom.  For example, in my Spanish Social Realities class, we've talked about the formation of the government, the Spanish Civil War, and life under Franco's rule.  I am able to come to class prepared with a background view and even their personal accounts.  It's also a great lesson in diplomacy because I am always careful not to offend them with my strong opinions.  My host mom is very Catholic, so she doesn't believe in the death penalty or life sentences (in opposition to my host dad who thinks that murderers should get what they deserve- a hilarious conflict at times).  No matter how much they disagree, it is always easy to see how much they love each other.  Also at every meal the topic of their dog, Poncho, comes up.  They always tell me hilarious stories, past & present.  Today at breakfast I met one of Maruja's (my host mom) 8 siblings, that's right she's one of 9!!! Carmen was telling me about when they were all out in el 'Campo' (the countryside) and Poncho got a hold of one of the chickens.  They laughed as together they told me the story of how their whole family was having a BBQ & all the sudden they heard the chickens going crazy and saw Poncho running around like a bat out of hell.  My head was swiveling like I was watching a tennis match trying to understand them both at the same time.  These are a few of my favorite moments here and the real reason that my Spanish is improving so much.  Not to mention that my host mom has no fear in correcting even my tiniest grammatical errors!