Aero: Autumn Clearwater-Day – Costa Rica 2015 – Life at Home
Aero: Autumn Clearwater-Day – Costa Rica 2015 – Life at Home
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project
Aero: Autumn Clearwater-Day – Costa Rica 2015 – Life at Home
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Autumn
Clearwater-Day
The first day in my host family’s home I was so nervous, pacing back and forth. Mayra told us, “mi casa es su casa”, “my house is your house” and that was exactly how it was. The very first day I took a nap and already felt at home. The family was incredibly nice and served us at each meal. For breakfast and dinner it felt like I had been eating at a restaurant because Mayra, Pablo and Pablo’s daughter, Paula would set our table, serve our food and pour our drinks. Mayra did not let us go hungry, she gave us plenty of food and whenever I was relaxing at her house she gave me snacks. Family and guests always came over to eat dinner or visit.
Pablo’s cousin, Jackie, her husband, Tony and their daughter, Dailyn always came over to visit. We would set out chairs on the street to watch cars go by and talk all night. Mayra and Pablo knew almost everyone who walked by on the street. I liked listening to the family conversations, even without understanding what they were saying I could read their emotions. The family had everyday conversations about everything going on in their lives.
By observing the family I noticed that time spent with family is important. The family was super close and greeted each other with a hug every time.The closeness of the family reminded me of my own. My family has always enjoyed time spent together and we seem to know everyone in our community. I felt at home while spending time with my host family. It turns out that living with my host family turned from what I had been most nervous about on the trip to my favorite part.
ML@FLCC Costa Rica
2015 Flickr Gallery
I built strong friendships with the whole family through their kindness and willingness to treat us as family. Every moment spent with my host family was full of laughter, smiles, choppy English and bad Spanish. Marriah and I spent most of our free time with our host family and usually we were doing some sort of pranks or joking around. The whole family had a sense of humor which made it easy to start trouble. The good part was that I always felt welcome and never uncomfortable around my host family. Living with my host family was completely natural and when it was time to leave it felt like I was leaving family that I had known for a lifetime.
Autumn Clearwater-Day
LEAF Contributor
