As I stepped up to the porch of my host family my heart was racing. A young man opened the door and his expression was as if he was shocked that I was at his doorstep. This made me even more nervous. I stepped inside to find myself in a family room. I sat down and met the family. After an awkward dinner of spanglish, the man who greeted me said that my host, Jose, would be here in 2 hours. He left and then I talked to my host sister and her daughter and baby son. I was surprised that she was a mother because she seemed so young. The family taught me Guarani with guttural noises while my host sister kept saying “repito” after every time my American accent made a poor impression.
The family that is hosting me is really close. Even though my host brother is 19 and my host sister is 29, they are supportive of each other and of my host sister’s children. It is very different than my family because my siblings live on their own with their own lives and and their own families. My host family, however, even with the hardship of raising a family while being so young, going to university and working as a lawyer, was still extremely supportive of me.
This family is the most welcoming family that I have ever met. They are fun, intelligent, and are truly some of the nicest people I have ever met. All of them put each other’s needs ahead of their own. For example, there is Jose who supports the family, works at the school as an English teacher and is going to the university to become a lawyer. His sister is a mother of 2 and a lawyer. There is also Claira who is 10, supports her baby brother, is at the top of her class and is a fantastic cook. It amazes me at how much responsibility both Jose and his sister have at such young ages. And even though it is freezing in the house, there is much warmth from my host family.
— Joe
