My Homie

I'm absolutely in love with my homestay. Everyone was looking at the clock yesterday, sitting through presentations when we realized...it was ten minutes until our host families picked us up! Ah! We had heard horror stories, actually, let me correct myself, I had already resigned myself to telling everyone that I wouldn't have hot water, a shower, a western toilet, my own room, or a host family who spoke French, Spanish, or English. So now, I take this breath to tell you that I have hot water, a western toilet, and a host family that speaks French, Spanish, and a little bit of English! Yay! I live with three women, Maria, her sister, and her mother. She is sassy. Someone came in the door, so she just kicked the windows seperating the living room from the atrium so she could see them. Her two newphews are Anwar and Abdula. Anwar is ten, from Spain, and shy and cautious upon first meeting him, but playful and talkative. He's VERY patient with my Spanish. Abdula is a little fireball. He's twelve, looks like a facsimilie of Raphael Nadal, and speaks fluent English. Though he's never had a day of English in his life. He learned English from watching American TV. He loves Hannah Montana and the Suite Life with Zach and Cody. Oh, and he also loves Troy and King Arthur. He probably loves the Exorcist too, I neglected to ask. Abdula's dream is to be an actor in the US. I'll get pictures up for you all later. Abdula wants to bring me to a woman who speaks German, and he also wants to have a sleepover tomorrow in Sale, where he lives. Unfortunately, Anwar goes back to Spain after Ramadaan (Sept12th).
Maria knows very little Spanish, but kept repeating to me (about Anwar) that he was her "novio." Her "guapo, gordito novio." Abdula then began imitating Shakira.
I played cards with the two boys for about two hours (I taught them Egyptian Rat Screw, though O so tactfully renamed it "Rat Trap."), whereupon Abdula continually cheated and the two of them kept shouting "SHIT" at the top of their lungs because they thought it was funny.

I gotta run to class, but I'll post again later!

Besaleem!

Raleigh