Homestay Life in Salamanca: Spring 2012

BY RUTH TORRES
I got here the second week of February thinking, April seems so far away. Yeah, right! I cannot believe that I have been here in Spain for two months. Where has time gone? What I have enjoyed here in Spain is my homestay. I feel like people are often quick to judge about living with a Spanish family but personally it has been one of the best experiences of my life. Let me tell you a bit of my homestay family:  



Carmen, me and Jesus.



We have Carmen our homestay mom, Jesus our homestay dad, Sandra their oldest daughter and Juan their son-in-law. I must also mention there cute black cat whose name is Osiris, yes, like the Egyptian God. These four people have become part of my everyday life. Carmen our homestay mom is really attentive and caring.  I should also mention that she is very blunt and tells you things exactly how they are.  I personally like that she doesn’t go around a problem, she tells you straight out so we can fix things and move on. Her husband, on the other side of the picture is the complete opposite.  He is more soft spoken and more calm. Sandra enjoys being with her parents, reading books, watching movies and being with her cat.  Indeed, even the black cat plays a role in my everyday life. Sandra really loves her cat for she has had him for over thirteen years so he means a lot to her. Sandra works during the week; I see her a lot because we have the same schedules. We also watch Big brother together every Thursday because we both really enjoy it.  She is a sweet and very tranquil woman. Lastly we have Juan, Sandra’s partner. Juan is one of the best people I have met. If you are in need of help he will do anything out of his way to help you. He is also very intelligent and expresses his views on life, religion and politics in a very passionate way. It’s fun to eat breakfast or supper with him because we always have something interesting to talk about.

Cooking with Carmen and Sandra

Eating with my homestay family, sharing stories with them, as well as having breakfast everyday has been a privilege as well as a routine.  Every morning we have our typical breakfast of tea, muffins or croissants and strawberry jelly.  Sometimes we have toasted bread and other times different kind of sweet breads. It is a routine to have breakfast with have the television on. During supper we always have the television on; it’s kind of a must. I have gotten used to that, but I do however get bothered by it from time to time. We usually eat at 3pm when the food is fresh and ready . The family usually eats together and it’s good to sit and chat about our day. Sometimes I come home late from school and don’t eat with the family however they are really kind and feed me when I get home. The food has been great. I absolutely love the way our homestay mom cooks. She makes the best rice!  I asked her if she could teach me how to make it and one day she actually allowed me to cook with her. I was super excited to learn her secrets in the kitchen.

The apartment we live in is really nice. There are four bedrooms and two bathrooms. My roommate and I share one bathroom well as a bedroom and it’s great. Although it can be difficult rooming with someone you have never met before in this case my roommate and I have learnt so much, such as cooperation, getting along  and most important, communication. My roommate is great and although our room is a bit small, we both manage to work things out.

I would not change this homestay experience for anything. I learn so much from my Spanish family, their way of living as well as their way of thinking.  Hearing their life stories is priceless. Overall I have to admit that at first I was a bit freaked out thinking what will these people think of me? And what if we don’t get along? Yes, I had many questions and thoughts before stepping in to my new home.  However I learnt something valuable, and that was  to take one day at a time. Whether there are good days or bad days, take one day at a time and enjoy it as much as you can because this is only temporary and in a blink of an eye it will be over.