Mi familia

So, I bet you've all been wondering, why hasn't Amy told us about the family she's been living with? Well, I wanted to give it some time just to make sure I was going to stay....j/k! I'm not going anywhere. On Sunday, July 17th, I moved in with my Tico mom, Sara. Funny, same name as my real mom (even though it's spelled differently) and this one is just about the same age....give or take a year. I was a little disappointed at first that I was only living with one other person, much like my study abroad experience in Italy. I was looking forward to a family with children but in the end, I think this is the best situation. Sara has three children between the ages of 22-31 who are all married and have children (well, almost). The oldest daughter Rebecca lives around the corner from us with her husband Wilkyn and two children Marcella and Marco ages 5 and 4 respectively. On the day of my arrival they came over for lunch to meet me and the first thing my niece and nephew did was give me kisses on the cheek. I felt like royalty. Could you imagine making your children kiss some stranger from another country who you didn't even know? In about the first 3 minutes we came to the conclusion that Marcella and I share the same birthday (Sept. 13th in case you forgot....lol!) and that I didn't understand a lick of Spanish. Fortunately for me, my brother-in-law, Wilkyn, knows a little English....better than my Spanish actually....and it is so much easier to communicate with him. I see that family often. Next there is my sister Auxiliadora, 27 who has lived in Nashville for the past 5 years actually and is expecting her first child in February. I get to talk to her on the phone each week though the connection is really bad and all I manage to get out is that her mother is great and is taking good care of me....which is the truth. Josue, 23 lives in the next barrio over and is married to Evette. They have a 2 year old son named Dylon. I see them about once a week. If you're wondering about the man who pays the bills, that would be Jose who left Sarita (my Tico mom) about two years ago for another woman. He pays the water, electric and half of the phone bill. I do enjoy the long, hot showers! J/k. No, actually I've met him on two occasions now and have met his entire family. His mom and like 5 sisters live a few houses down from us and for some reason, my mom is still in touch with all of them. We actually went to this 100 person 50th birthday party on Friday night which was for the husband of the sister of my mom's ex-husband. Try imagining that. It was a really formal party with assigned tables and I'm happy to say that on the seating chart under my Tico mom's name it read: accompanied by the "Gringa"! I'm used to it now. So, in a nutshell, that is my family. They are all really great, especially my mom who cooks me great food and washes and irons all my clothes. My real mom must have told the PC the living arrangements I was used to at home! Thanks mom. ;-) That's all for now. I usually only get to the internet about once a week. Next time, I'll tell you about the shack I live in.