Aero: Shelby Seeley – Costa Rica 2013 – Family Life
Aero: Shelby Seeley – Costa Rica 2013 – Family Life
Aero: Shelby Seeley – Costa Rica 2013 – Family Life
Family is a very important part of my life so I was super exited to stay with a host family rather than in a hotel. At the same time I was nervous about coming into the lives of an entire family who I knew very little of. When we exited the airport that first night we were introduced to our families and left right then and there. It was definitely a culture shock being in a place where English was not the primary language spoken. My host parents did their best to make me feel comfortable though.
My new family included my mom Marta, dad Marco, and two brothers Daniel and Marco Jr. This was interesting since I was used to having only one brother. One thing that I noticed right away is that my parents and brothers spent a great deal of time in their rooms. Right after we would eat dinner we would all go to our separate rooms for the night. No one would sit in the living room to watch television or just hang out.
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A regular day would include having breakfast at about 7:30am but it would just be Marta, Marco, Kasey, and I. Daniel and Marco Jr. were on their summer break while we were there so they rarely woke up to eat with us. Marta would make the food and Marco would occasionally make fresh juice. On Tuesdays and Thursdays Marco’s driver and the cleaning lady would join us for breakfast. After breakfast Marta and Marco would drive us to school. I would not see them again until five or six in the evening. Dinner was not at the same time every night but I did not mind this. When we did eat dinner it was never as an entire family either. Most nights it was Marta, Marco, Kasey, and I sitting at the counter. There was one night when it was just Marco Jr., Kasey, and I for dinner. This turned out to be a great because Marco Jr. really started to open up and talk with us.
One thing that I saw repeatedly that warmed my heart was how affectionate my family was with each other. Daniel and Marco Jr. would always hug and kiss Marta and Marco. Marta and Marco were also very affectionate with each other which was absolutely adorable.
Talking at home was definitely a version of Spanglish every day. Daniel and Marco Jr. spoke English very well but that is because they have been leaning and speaking it from a very early age. I would look to them to correct me if I was unsure of my Spanish wording. They were happy to help me whenever I seemed to struggle just like I helped them with English. I talked with Marta half the time in English and the other Spanish because she would often times know what I was trying to say but I needed a little help to translate into Spanish. Marco talked with us mostly in Spanish but he did so slowly, luckily. One night after dinner we talked about sports, family, and even politics in Spanish with only little translation from Marta.
Living with a family in a foreign country was a great experience because I did not feel so lost. I was provided with phone numbers and addresses on the first day which was even more comforting. Marta came to pick us at school occasionally, even when I was sick. Every host family was so caring and thoughtful that I would have loved to stay with any of them. Staying with a host family truly immerses you into the culture which I do not believe could be achieved by staying at a hotel.
– Shelby Seeley
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