The Host Family

After nearly three months of being hounded by friends and family, I am finally posting a blog about my host family. I really cannot give a reason why I have not done this sooner as they are all wonderful, but hey, better late than never, right?

Let’s start with Alfonzo.

Alfonzo just had his 10th his birthday is on the 22^nd and he is who I work with the most. He is a smart, funny and playful kid who really loves cracking jokes. Generally, we work together got about two hours a day, 1 hour on writing and reading and the other hour on speaking. It is during this second hour that he and I go down to the pool and play various card games while talking about the differences between the US and Spain. Most of the time, we are joined by 4 or more of his friends who occasionally struggle to keep the one rule: you can only speak in English. It has been really reviewing vocabulary with all of them though as you never know what random words kids will know.

Anyway, Alfonzo wants to be a doctor when he grows up and is pretty sure he wants to live in Hollywood, Greece or Barcelona. He loves playing soccer (he would kill me if he heard me calling it that), riding his bike and swimming at the pool. We get along pretty well for a teacher and a student and that makes teaching really enjoyable. Of course, like with any kid, there are days when the water, bathroom, and, “Can I say something to my Mother?” breaks can seem endless, but we manage.

Next up is Jaime.

Jaime is on the left and we are eating McDonald's. These two love that place so today, we had an American lunch as opposed to a Spanish one. 

Jaime is 17 and loves partying and hanging out with his friends more than just about anything. His friends have all been very nice to me even though they think I am certifiably insane for not drinking or smoking. The thing that I love about that situation though is that they all respect my decision to do so and while Jaime sometimes offers me a cigarette as a joke, he and I know it is all done in good fun.

He is beginning his second to last year of secondary school, today actually, and is taking the more liberal arts option as opposed to the science based option. Apparently in Spain, this is who the whole, elective credit thing works. Jaime and I work together for an hour everyday and generally do so over video games or movies. So far it has worked out pretty well because most of his games are in Spanish so he has to translate for me and when we do watch a movie, we both like to comment on what is happening. So I know this may not be the BEST form of tutoring, but his mother wants me to focus mainly on his speaking and the threat of having to turn to a conversation book keeps both of us talking.

Then we have Agustin and Ana.

Agustin is a great guy and father who works long hours at his office which deals in bio diesel. His English is flawless and his accent is at times undetectable. While he has a legal education, he has never used it to practice law. We have had long discussions about the differences between the differences in the legal systems of the US and Spain, about things to see and places to visit in Spain, and about what is going on at his work.

Ana has been a stay-at-home Mom ever since she became very ill because of some complications with her pancreas and she loves it. She has a legal education like Agustin and was very successful in her professional life. But she has told many times that she is happy with her decision to stay at home with her boys because it has given her the chance to really know them and watch them grow up. She is also a good cook, and my favorite meal she makes is breaded chicken with fried, golden potatoes with vinegar and coarse salt. SO GOOD!

And last, but not least, is Rocky.

This little guy is the latest addition to the household and is one cute little bugger. His white fur has a hard time staying white for very long as he is very curious and takes to following people all over the house and even yapping when he cannot be where all the people are. At meal times, we have to close the kitchen door otherwise Rocky will stand on his hind legs, his front paws resting on your thigh looking up expectantly at you, waiting for even the smallest of table scraps. He also loves to come and inspect my ankles every time I come in from my run to see what dogs and other things I have encountered while I was out.

Observing their family dynamic over these past two months has been really wonderful. They all care about each other and it’s obvious to anyone who sees them. Although Ana has to get after Jaime and Agustin for smoking in certain parts of the house, and there are days when Alfonzo does not want to take Rocky down to the street to make his peeps and poops (his words, not mine), they are a close-knit and loving little family. Sadly, I have not been able to procure pictures of Ana and Agustin and the entire family together yet, but I will put them up as soon as I get them. 

So there you have it folks, this is the wonderful family that I have been working with for the past two months in Madrid, and I could not be happier.