No hablo español...

...is a very important sentence, and also my reality at the present time. Certainly, the inability to communicate it is beyond frustrating. The simplest things are so difficult. I think I am even starting to speak English a bit strangely because my brain is used to putting all of my thoughts through a different language filter. One good thing about my limited Spanish ability is that I have started to understand personality and hospitality differently. Since I couldn´t understand what my familia was saying, I paid more attention to their actions, their demeanor, the tone of their voices.

Here is what I have learned about them in the first few days. Estefi (19) is my sister, and she speaks English very well since she spent a year of high school as an exchange student in the US. She is very warm and understands what it is like to be in a different country. She loves American music like Keane (okay, that one is British actually, but anyway...) and read "Blue like Jazz" recently. Small world, eh? Ana is the 13 year old sister, the youngest in the family. Enthusiastic and full of energy. She speaks some English and has been my guide to the neighborhood. I can already tell that I will miss her a lot when I leave. Enri is the youngest son. He drove me here from the airport, and I was pretty sure that I was going to die. I think he is 18-ish...not sure. Sarcastic and hilarious. I can´t wait until I can understand him better. Fabri is the oldest son, maybe 23. He is a bit more sensible than Enri, and extremely helpful. He likes heavy metal music and is studying computer engineering. Sofi is the oldest sister. She is spunky and has a great laugh. David (19) is a cousin that lives here as well. He is shy, sweet, and hard-working. Bettina and Enrique are the parents, and they are extremely caring.

So I live with a big family, which means constant activity and noise. It´s actually comforting and makes me feel less conspicusous. Of course that also means seven or eight people speaking Spanish to me all at once, and consequently me looking profoundly confused most of the time. I am continually impressed with the kindness and hospitality of this family--it is such a blessing here. They tell me that I am learning Spanish so quickly, although it doesn´t feel that way to me. I am able to understand their Spanish more and more each day, which is also encouraging. I will feel very accomplished if by the end of my stay I am able to understand all of the conversations that happen at the dinner table.