I'll be writing more about my experiences in my week-long site visit later this week, before I head back on Sunday to live there. Today I'd like to write an appreciation of our host community where I've spent the last few months. I appreciate very much the love and care of my host family, Jilma and Amadis. I dropped in on them after a last minute change of plans but they took it in stride and welcomed me right in.
Host mother Jilma was person at home number-one for me. She is an expert multi tasker, often caring for her two baby grandchildren while cooking, cleaning, and doing the laundry. She definitely expresses her love and care in service to other people. For instance she would wash my clothes frequently, even when I didn't consider them exactly dirty, and wouldn't rest until my white socks were brush- scrubbed very clean. If she were to see my white socks a few months from now, she might be disappointed in my washing efforts because I don't have her high standards for undergarments. She also cooks each simple meal from scratch and dishes up individual plates. It's true that compared with the other women in the house, I don't really do housework, but they have their schedule and don't seem to mind... Well, I appreciate how my family has cared for me in many ways.
My host father Amadis always conducts himself as a gentleman. He keeps busy with lots of work- from his full time job in maintenance at the hospital, to weekends freelancing in construction, building furniture out of scrap wood, or cutting hair for the neighborhood.
My host parents displaced their 13 year old son, Edward, from his room in order to give it to me, and when he came home from school he didn't even grumble. He's a bright and funny child with an enthusiasm to learn.
21 year old host sister Jeidi is very loving and serious, taking after her mother in many ways. She is studying early childhood education in college and definitely wants a career rather than starting a family young (which is very popular here).
Host brother Eli was a bit of a tease. He likes to share about sports and is on the town soccer team. Eli's wife Sujeidi invited me to a tiny home church on Thursday nights, which I attended twice. It was nice to study the Word together. Their baby Elian learned to walk during my stay. He's a growing boy, and he doesn't even cry that much. Or, at least, his room was on the other end of the house.
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| Edward and his nephew Elian |
There's more family outside the house- grandpa Julio, brother Julio and his wife Omira and son Jair. They are friendly and quiet, and their 8 month old baby serious and exploratory.
Aunt Mary, Uncle Samuel, and cousins Anet and Glorisel would often stop by and visit. Generously they invited me to come and visit more at their house as well. One Sunday we cooked a meal together with a home grown chicken "gallina de patio" which I helped to clean and prepare. We also made banana bread together. Even though I didn't visit them that much, they were always very welcoming.
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| making cinnamon rolls with Glorisel, Edward, and Anet |
The rest of the community, too, was so inviting. It can't be easy to have a bunch of foreigners drop in on your tiny town for classes, asking questions, and so on. But they opened their hearts and their homes to us and for that, we are very grateful. They have invited me to visit them again, and I would like to do so.
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| Preparing arroz con pollo with another host family for our goodbye party |
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| Pinata time at our goodbye party! |
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