Marylinda has Arrived!!!!!!!!!!

Aída and Coque

Luciaño enjoying his ice cream! :)

Me, Aída, and Marylinda

Marylinda and Flavia

Wednesday night we loaded up the cars and headed out to the airport to pick up my new host sister, Marylinda. Everyone was excited throughout the day as we anxiously awaited the arrival of Mary. Finally, at 10 P.M. it was time to leave!!!! Mary was greeted by both her family and friends at the airport. Now that Mary has arrived, it’s time to give you a run-down of who I will be living with the next three months:

Aida (Sr.)-Aida (Sr.) is the oldest in the house and serves as both a mom and grandmother to the people who live here. She is an extremely sweet lady with a kind heart. She does everything she can not only for her children, but for me too. For instance, she discovered that I love peaches and one day I came out of the shower to find a fresh peach on my desk straight from the market. She has bent over backwards for me these past three weeks and I feel so blest to have her as a host mom.

Gladius- Gladius (A.K.A. Tia) is the sister of Aida. When I am around her I am automatically able to relax. Gladius exudes this sense of calmness.

Aida (Jr.)-Aida is the oldest of the four children. She is married with three kids of her own. She is actually the person who picked me up at the airport since Aida (Sr.) was still on vacation. She has taken me under her wing and always makes sure I am safe and have everything I need. She has already gotten to know me so well. The other day Aida (Sr.) asked what I wanted to drink and before I could even answer both Aida (Jr.) and her husband said lemonade.

Coque- Coque is the husband of Aida. He is extremely funny and even plays tennis!!! He only knows a couple of words in English but whenever he tries to explain something to me he always uses really good hand gestures and acts it out and I usually catch on.

Aleesia (age 10), Flavia (age 4), and Luciano (age 2) are Coque and Aida’s three children. They are constantly making me laugh. We all went swimming this past Sunday and later that evening we noticed that Flavia was a little burnt. She turned to me and said that she was burnt just like I always am!

Pito- Pito is second in line after Aida and he is hilarious. He is always teasing his siblings and getting into little bickering arguments with them. He is also very handy and fixes whatever breaks in the house.

Veronica- Veronica is Pito’s wife and she speaks English very well. Pito and Veronica actually lived in Atlanta for six years and that is where they learned English. Veronica is so sweet and always makes sure I am well fed and have everything I need.

Adriana (age 8) and Lyah (age 5) are Pito and Veronica’s two children. They are both extremely kind and can always make me smile. Adriana is very patient with me and whenever she says something and I don’t understand she always says “A Ver” (hold on) and then thinks of a new way to explain it.

Marylinda- Marylinda just arrived at the house after a one year internship in Atlanta and is the youngest of the four children. She is one of the cheeriest and prettiest people I know. Whenever she is around the happiness level in the room always increases and everyone is always excited to see her. She is so inviting and everyone just wants to be around her. Even though she speaks perfect English, Mary and I always converse in Spanish because she knows that I came here to learn Spanish.

If you have been following along, you have discovered that I live with 12 other people!!!! This makes for a full house always on the go and constant energy going in every direction. And I wouldn’t change my situation for the world. I feel so blessed and am so grateful to be considered the newest member of the Castro family. They are extremely welcoming, they always make me laugh, and they always make sure my every need is met!!! 

I came across this quote the other day and I think it fits my new family perfectly:

“Other things may change us, but we start and end with family.”-Anthony Brandt

When you are with the Flores family it is clear that they all have unconditional love for each other. Any family member would do anything for another family member. Just the other day Pito went out of his way to drive me to the post office to pick up two packages from my parents. I can’t really put into words what family means here. I know in the U.S. some dads have a bad rep for not being involved in their children’s lives. Well, I can tell you that is not the case for Pito and Coque. When they get home from work and on the weekends they are always playing with their children and just spending time with them. My favorite times here are when the entire family is together just talking and laughing. Family is everything here and that has been made very apparent to me by mi familia nueva!