Tuesday, June 26 – The first day of my home-stay was a difficult adjustment for me. Initially, I was preoccupied with the tangible differences between my host family’s lifestyle and my own. Unlike my own family, my host family speaks primarily Spanish, lives in a humble home consisting of two rooms separated by a curtain, and uses the bathroom in a hole in the ground.
While it still is difficult to navigate the cultural differences that I’ve been confronted with, I’ve recently come to notice that some aspects of my host family’s life are not as foreign as I once thought. My host sister Ramona and I were getting ready to go to a party at a neighbor’s house last night, and I was struggling to brush my curly, tangled hair. Her mother entered the room and immediately offered to brush my hair for me. I was initially taken aback, feeling silly that she noticed me struggling with the simple task of brushing my hair, yet I was so flattered by her kind gesture. I handed her the brush, and she began to lovingly comb through the peaks and valleys of my curls.
Once my tangles had disappeared, my host mother told me that she needed to grab something from the cabinet and that she would return shortly. She quickly returned with a proud smile plastered on her face and opened her palm, revealing a beautiful floral barrette. For the party, she said. She delicately placed the clip in my hair, beaming. I finally felt like I was at home.
When I left Washington, I was prepared to abandon the affection and care that my own mother gives me. However, despite the other aspects of this family’s lifestyle feeling so foreign, the loving touch of a mother is universal, transcending geographic boundaries and bringing comfort to those who need it most.
Sarah G., The Potomac School