Yesterday was fantastic. My luggage did not get lost, and my host family met me at the airport. Our hour long drive from Alicante to Altea was not awkward in the least; they are very welcoming and kind, and I was able to understand most of what they said to me. Right now, I understand and can speak with about 75% perfection, which is much better than I was expecting. My four years of Spanish have paid off! On the other hand, I have not yet attempted to use the ‘vosotros’ form, nor have I tried speaking with the Castilian “th’ accent. So far, my fear that life with the host family would be awkward has not come true. My host sister Maria (17) took me around Altea, and, Andres (6) told me all about different animals, especially bats. Our (translated) conversation went like this:
Andres: and this is the vampire bat… and this is the tubular nosed bat… and this bat is so ugly that it doesn’t have a name…
Me: Andres, why do you like bats so much?
Andres: Porque de Batman!
So cute. For my exchange, the location and host family could not be more perfect.
