Managing My First 96 Hours in Valencia
The first housemother I met was Dolores, and I worried that my housemother was going to be just as rigid as her. However, when I met my housemother, she definitely didn’t give me the same vibe as Dolores. She seemed more like a nurturing mom figure versus a strict, demanding grandma like Dolores. Dolores also did not speak a word of English, so it was hard to converse with her. Not to say that Dolores was a bad housemother by any means; her personality was just not what I expected. To be completely honest, I did not really know what to expect, but I hoped that my housemother would be more on the nurturing and sweet side; I wanted her to like me and think highly of me. Ana seemed to fit what I had hoped for relatively well when I first met her.
Ana and I tried conversing, which was difficult, but not quite as hard as it was with Dolores. Luckily, Ana’s trying to learn English and I’m learning Spanish, so she usually understands my main point if I talk slowly and use hand gestures in combination with my translating app (Whatever works, right?). Once we got upstairs, she gave me a brief tour of her home and introduced me to her daughter, Ennis, who fortunately spoke English. Ennis showed me a sheet of paper, which spelled out every single house rule. They consisted mainly of common courtesy tasks, like keeping our rooms clean, helping set and clear the table at meal times, and not showering more than necessary. I wasn’t too worried, but wanted to do my best to be respectful since I was staying in their home as a guest.
My first night wasn’t too bumpy, and I left the bathroom immaculate after showering that night. I honestly spent more time making sure the bathroom was as spotless as I found it than I did getting ready for bed and showering. I anxiously awaited the arrival of my roommate, Casey, who was coming within the next day or two. If I’m ever so honest, I wanted her there to help ease the language barrier and to help me with translation. For example, Friday night I asked Ana if there was a place in the kitchen that I could fill my water bottle, and she showed me the filtered water spout. However, she then asked if I needed water, and I said I did, but that I would get it myself. She said, “si si”, and grabbed a flower vase, dumped it out and put some filtered water in it. She handed me the vase with a gigantic smile and said “aqui”. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever smiled so much out of confusion in my life.
I knew her intentions were good, but I found it hilarious while thinking to myself, “Man oh man, this is going to be quite the learning experience.” Saturday she asked how I was and I told her I was good, and to please pack my breakfast and lunch to go, because I had to be somewhere at 9am. She ended up understanding what I was saying after I reworded it 3 times, because she put the food in bags for me and said they were for my “picnic”. I thanked her, told her she did a perfect job, and told her she looked “muy guapa” in the dress she was wearing. After she kissed me on both cheeks, I was on my merry way with my brown sack lunch in hand like a little schoolgirl ready to catch her bus for the first day of class.
I did not see Ana much on Sunday, because she was gone all day. On Monday morning Casey helped me ask her if she had café Americano, which I learned a few days ago is what I have to ask for if I don’t want espresso. She said she had instant coffee and I said that would be excellent. After sitting down at the table with my café Americano, I added what I thought were a few scoops of sugar, but actually turned out to be salt. I ended up chucking the coffee and decided to just go on a run and wake up.
Despite the couple of hiccups and mis-communications, I feel Ana thinks I’m a respectful person overall. However, I can see why she wants me to learn Spanish, and respects the fact that my roommate is nearly fluent. From what I’ve heard in regards to other students’ house moms, mine seems pretty cool and easy going, so I’m happy about that. I’ll keep trying to speak a little more Spanish each day; hopefully Ana sees my efforts.
