So there I was, setting the table with my roommate getting ready to eat a yummy homemade tortilla de patata. We sat down, unaware that our host mom was in the house. I took a bite of my tortilla, when all of a sudden I heard my host mom's voice from the living room.
"Maria's here?" I said to my roommate. She shrugged her shoulders.
We listened for a minute...then we heard a string of voices and something that sounded like gibberish.
"That is definitely not Spanish!"
As we struggled to identify what language we heard, three young girls walked into the dinning room, followed by Maria. Maria introduced the french girls; yes, I said french girls! Cool, right?!
My host mom is the coordinator for a study abroad program for younger French students. As the girls sat down, Sophie (my roommate) and I looked at each other with excitement! Obviously we dove right into asking them tons of questions.
What did we find out, you ask? Well... they are all 16. They attend the same school in Paris, France. They all smoke and like to go out. They like electro, techno, and some country music! (yes!)
The next night we all sat down to eat together! This time, however, it was Sophie, me, the three French girls, my host brother and my host mom. Sophie and I speak English and Spanish. Two of the three girls speak French, Spanish and English; the other speaks French, English, and German. My host brother only speaks Spanish and my host mom speaks Spanish and French.
So you can imagine dinner! It was one of the best experiences I've had since I've arrived! We spoke English for the French girl who didn't speak Spanish, but then translated everything to Spanish for my host mom and brother. When we spoke to the French girls we would mix Spanish and English because sometimes they would know one word in one language and another in the other language. Then when they spoke French among each other they would have to translate it back for us! It was like the tower of Babel, only more like the table of Babel but with fewer languages, of course!
So there I was... a girl from Midwest suburbia engaging in international relations!!! but really! It felt GREAT to navigate and utilize two languages to communicate. And when that failed, we relied on old faithful... hand gestures!
Its hard to describe in words that rush of emotions that take over when your confronted with experiences you've always hoped for. I loved learning about different people and another culture foreign to my own. It's why I'm here; to communicate, to experience, to learn!
With each day here in Sevilla, I meet someone new from a different part of the world. Whether it be from another state in the U.S. or from another country entirely, I am constantly learning about the unique people around me! I SERIOUSLY cannot explain how unreal this experience is!
"How far we travel in life matters far less than those we meet along the way."
"Maria's here?" I said to my roommate. She shrugged her shoulders.
We listened for a minute...then we heard a string of voices and something that sounded like gibberish.
"That is definitely not Spanish!"
As we struggled to identify what language we heard, three young girls walked into the dinning room, followed by Maria. Maria introduced the french girls; yes, I said french girls! Cool, right?!
My host mom is the coordinator for a study abroad program for younger French students. As the girls sat down, Sophie (my roommate) and I looked at each other with excitement! Obviously we dove right into asking them tons of questions.
What did we find out, you ask? Well... they are all 16. They attend the same school in Paris, France. They all smoke and like to go out. They like electro, techno, and some country music! (yes!)
The next night we all sat down to eat together! This time, however, it was Sophie, me, the three French girls, my host brother and my host mom. Sophie and I speak English and Spanish. Two of the three girls speak French, Spanish and English; the other speaks French, English, and German. My host brother only speaks Spanish and my host mom speaks Spanish and French.
So you can imagine dinner! It was one of the best experiences I've had since I've arrived! We spoke English for the French girl who didn't speak Spanish, but then translated everything to Spanish for my host mom and brother. When we spoke to the French girls we would mix Spanish and English because sometimes they would know one word in one language and another in the other language. Then when they spoke French among each other they would have to translate it back for us! It was like the tower of Babel, only more like the table of Babel but with fewer languages, of course!
So there I was... a girl from Midwest suburbia engaging in international relations!!! but really! It felt GREAT to navigate and utilize two languages to communicate. And when that failed, we relied on old faithful... hand gestures!
Its hard to describe in words that rush of emotions that take over when your confronted with experiences you've always hoped for. I loved learning about different people and another culture foreign to my own. It's why I'm here; to communicate, to experience, to learn!
With each day here in Sevilla, I meet someone new from a different part of the world. Whether it be from another state in the U.S. or from another country entirely, I am constantly learning about the unique people around me! I SERIOUSLY cannot explain how unreal this experience is!
"How far we travel in life matters far less than those we meet along the way."
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