Host Family & Ñeque y Más Ñeque

Originally I perceived my host family to be very shy and reserved, but that perception changed very quickly. My first impression was also that they would be very judgmental of my Spanish. Since then, I have come to realize that they are very outgoing and welcoming towards everyone. I think it was just the initial nervousness that had me worried about my host family not welcoming me. We all had to get to know each other much more in order to have that close and friendly relationship. I have come to find that talking with them actually improves my confidence with speaking Spanish and my host family has helped me improve both my grammar and vocabulary. I feel much more welcome and more like an actual part of their family. They are one of the best and most genuine families I’ve ever met, which has been great because I was originally afraid I would only just be living in their house and not a part of it.
Today, I did go to buy a lot of school supplies and food for Ñeque y Más Ñeque with a lot of the money that we paid in order to be here. While that was a large donation, I don’t think that was my biggest contribution to the school. the biggest and most important contribution I feel like I’ve made to Ñeque y Más Ñeque. I feel like the most important contribution I’ve made to the school is by simply being someone who could be there to listen to the kids and to spend genuine time with them. That seems to be something that they do not receive every day, and I feel as if it was very important to be a person they could count on seeing, at least a few times. I think making these kids feel loved is the most important thing I’ve done at Ñeque y Más Ñeque.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meng - Blog 16

1. In Paige's Blog(#14), she mentioned that she used some nonverbal communication to communicate with teachers when they were cooking. It is an effective way of intercultural communication. I totally agree that sometimes, if you don't know how to express yourself, body language helps a lot, and it even works better than language. 2. In Blog12, Tyessa said that she feel not close with her host family, and usually, they don't communicate with each other too much, which makes she felt upset because she wants to get closer to them. In my points of view, it can be seen as an ineffective communication. I think in the process of communicating with people, sometimes you should learn to be proactive. Break the silence first, and take the initiative to communicate with others. If you are especially enthusiastic about other people, they will feel it. 3. An example of effective communication came from  Linsey. She talked about how the communication way changed ...
Read more
      I will admit that the thing I am looking forward to the most when I get back home is some good, processed, junk food. It seems strange, because I like the food in Ecuador, and am almost always willing to be adventurous and try new foods. But that sense of adventure is exactly the problem. I rarely feel as though I can just gulp down anything placed in front of me, secure in the knowledge of exactly what it is and what it will taste like. The classic foods from home will allow me to eat with that security intact, and that security is what I really miss.      I think the thing I will miss the most about Ecuador is the sense of adventure that I could feel every time I left the house, whether it was just to class at the academia or to some other attraction. I loved the feeling that I was going to see new sights, experience new things, and accomplish something impressive every day. The quote that struck me today, as we were le...
Read more

Blog post #15

1) what are you most excited about returning to in the US? What I am most looking forward to about heading home is the opportunity to share my experiences with others. I want to share the funny stories of my host family with my friends and family here in the U.S. so that they too can be exposed to some Ecuadorian culture. I am very much looking forward to returning home because I will use my experience of Ecuador to further think about what it is I want to do with my life. Not having a clear path for my profession is a challenge for me, but through using my travel experience to discover what my passions and interest are, I am always one step closer to knowing what it is I want to do with my life.   2) what will you miss the most about Ecuador? What I think I am going to miss most is the walk to school Carolina and I shared in the mornings and afternoons. In the two mile hike to school I saw mothers sending their kids off to the bus, adults off to work and busses ...
Read more