Mi Segunda Familia - Life at Hope College

I’d like to start with
an apology for my infrequent posts.
I’ve been awfully busy
juggling school, travel, and experiencing the differences that life in Europe
brings. Not that that’s an excuse!

Ideally this would
have been my first post, but late is better than never, right?

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My homestay is a
family made up of Juan, Asunción, and her two sons, Dani and Alejandro. We also have 4 dogs and 7 birds, which
have certainly contributed to wonderfully cheerful mornings, full of noise and
spirit. One of the birds, Juanillo, became a pet when he flew threw the open balcony door, through the living room, made a sharp right down the hall, and another into the master bedroom, settling on Juan’s shoulder.

We live on the fourth (and
top) floor of an apartment building, which means we have the largest balcony in
the complex. During the initial
few weeks, I was able to spend afternoons reading my (required) contemporary Spanish
novels. It also serves as a second
living room when we have the extended family over on Sunday nights, as the picture above demonstrates.

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Of my family members,
I spend the most time with Juan.
He has been retired since he turned 50, almost a decade ago. Juan started working at a local bank at
the spritely age of 15 and worked his way up the management ladder, which
allowed him an early (and European) retirement. But he prides himself on his youthfulness and we jest during
all hours of the day.

“Si se pierde su juventud al dentro, se pierde suyo.”

— Juan

“If you lose your inner youth, you lose yourself.”

— [translation]

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However, it’s not all
jokes between the two of us pranksters. We’ve had some stimulating
conversation, ranging from the health benefits of olive oil all the way to
Franco’s regime and capital punishment. He is very well read and has surprised me on more than a few occasions with his opinion. We play chess on a weekly basis and have plans to frequent the local
pool hall and run the tables together next week. His health is very important to him, as he has not been to a doctor in some 15 years (his eldest son is a doctor ironically). I often find him sprawled on the couch with a book about health & wellness. He claims that with proper nutrition and exercise, one should not (and will not) get sick, pointing to himself as an example. It’s because of people like Juan that universal healthcare functions for Europe.

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Accordingly, his daily
routine is to wake up before dawn and run or walk in the park with the two
larger dogs: Troylo and Currero. I
had the opportunity to join him this morning. The park was shrouded by fog, and Juan let the dogs run free
as we conversed about whatever crossed our minds. After stopping to chat with other dog-enthusiasts multiple
times, he explained (with a grin) that he knows virtually everyone who
frequents Parque de los Principies.

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Asunción is a bit more
serious than Juan. That being
said, she is extremely sweet and dotes on me constantly. She is always busy, whether it be
cooking for the family, cleaning the house, doing laundry, or shopping (the
Spanish buy their bread at the beginning of every day, resulting in incredibly
fresh toast & sandwiches). She
doesn’t relax until after dinner, when she finally sits down and watches her
favorite television programs. It
is an unspoken rule that she gets to decide what we watch during dinner and
after. To my dismay, she despises
fútbol and says “FÚTBOL?” in a very similar tone of voice to that of Waterboy’s
mother (Adam Sandler reference) when she discovers Ale and I watching a match.

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Dani, the elder of the
two brother at 24, works as an Erasmus guide at the University of Sevilla. This has proved incredibly helpful for
me as far as understanding Spanish.
He is extremely knowledgeable about common language mistakes and has
corrected me countless times, helping me to correct bad habits. His English is roughly the level of my
Spanish, although we do not speak English unless he inquires about a phrase
that he heard from an Erasmus student.
In addition, he works weekends/holidays at OpenCor, a Walgreens-like
establishment. He plays the
trombone extremely well, and is in a band that has the honor of playing during
Semana Santa, Spain’s version of Easter week, when all of Spain takes to the
streets for a weeklong celebration.

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Alejandro is 19 and has
just started taking classes at the University. He is a bit more withdrawn than Dani. As a result, we have not spent nearly
as much time together as Dani and I have.
However, he has a passion for fútbol and is very knowledgeable about La
Liga, educating me in fútbol terminology and occasionally exposing me to the underground
Spanish music scene.

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In parallel with all
Spaniards, both Dani and Ale love American television. They are particularly fond of “Walking
Dead.” The producers did a fairly
good job modifying the language for Spanish viewers. I justify my watching an episode each week by choosing to watch
it in Castillan Spanish.

¡Hasta luego!

-Steven

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