Una mezcla de dos culturas

I was fortunate enough to have my parents be able to come and spend some time here in Spain with me. My host family was adament that they come over for a lunch one day, and as most of you know lunch is the most important meal of the day here in Spain. I thought this was incredibly considerate of them inviting others into their house, especially not really knowing anything about my parents. Well, I knew it was going to be an interesting experience seeing as how my parents do not know that much Spanish (although to my Dad's credit he does know more than I thought he did) and my host family knows some English. I was definitely apprehensive knowing that I would have to be the one to translate and make sure everyone understood what was being said and the like.

My parents took flowers and a bottle of wine to Macarena and Tato (my host parents) as is customary when you go to another's house in Spain and I think this was a great icebreaker. They were so welcoming from the time my parents walked into the house, and this really meant a lot to me. After introductions and besos, we sat down for an incredible meal. We had seafood paella, a typical dish in the southern part Spain, and spinach salad with raisins and apples - one of my new found favorite dishes. From the very beginning I knew everything was going to be ok - Macarena would tell a story in Spanish and I could translate it for the most part with help from my roommate and then tell it to my parents in English. Then my parents would say something in English and I could translate it into Spanish. By the end of the meal I was exhausted and my brain hurt from all of the translating, but obviously that is why I am here so it was a good thing!

This was definitely a learning experience for all of us - a mixing of 2 cultures. It showed me how much I have in common with the family with whom I am living, and I am glad my parents could experience a lunch with the family, although the children didn't eat with us because Macarena wanted it to be a calm quiet lunch. I think if the children had eaten with us it would have been a completely different experience! Overall I think this has been one of the highlights of my trip.