by Shuntavi
Today we celebrated reaching the halfway point of the program! It has been a week now since we have met our host families and begun to settle into our new life. Adjustment to family living has been easier for me than I expected. I was told my parents and two younger brothers were matched with me because we all have lots of energy and there is no doubt it is a perfect fit. I did not have time to be nervous on the first day as my brothers, Santiago (10) and Gabriel (7), were hugging me, running in circles around me asking questions, and handing me sweets the minute I introduced myself as their sister. From that moment on it was all teasing and laughter–about how my brothers speak so fast I can barely understand them, about how my Spanish sounds even worse when I am wearing my retainer, about how I eat more than anyone they’ve ever met in their lives because I love Peruvian food so much.
I was not sure what to expect before I came here, but integrating into their family has felt surprisingly natural. On the first day, I met Abuela and Abuelo, who live downstairs and my 4-year-old cousin who lives next door. Just like at home, family and friends are always walking in and out of the house to say hello. On Thursday, my host mom’s brother and his family arrived after 15 hours of driving, surprising us all. His 4-month-old baby and 4-year-old were precious and quickly became family as well. I spent all Friday night playing tag with the 4-year-old, watching her when the rest of the family went out and making sure she ate all of her dinner as an older cousin would. That night we watched a movie and she curled up on my lap, comfortable with me as if I was family.
While I will miss Roca Fuerte dinners all eleven of us in the cohort, reading together on the hammocks, movie nights, and the simple joy of sharing the mundanities of life, I am excited for this next chapter. I am excited for all the Spanish I will continue to learn and all the connections I will strengthen in my time here–whether that be with Mama Flora at the corner store down the street or my adorable 4-year-old cousin. I know that no matter how much Spanish I misunderstand–which will be a lot inevitably–there will be much laugher and joy in the next month and a half because in just the last week there has been an abundance of the two.
– Shuntavi