After being in Spain for four months, by favorite part has been sharing. Obviously, my host family has shared a lot of their culture and experiences with me. I have learned about traditional foods, religion, festivities, the regions of Spain and much more.

My host dad loves to tell me all about his home of Granada and how the people from that region are the best in all of Spain (the smartest, the kindest, the prettiest…). My host mom disagrees with him, of course, because she is from the north of Spain and thinks that her home town produces the best Spaniards. From their friendly bickering, I learned a lot about the regions of Spain and the stereotypes each community has – much like each state in the United States.

My host parents also love to share their favorite things to watch on TV. When we’re not watching the Spanish news (which is very often talking about the United States), we watch game shows, reality TV or soccer. My host moms favorite game show is “La Ruleta De Suerte,” which is a Spanish version of “Wheel of Fortune.” The Spanish and American versions are very similar, but the Spanish version has a lot more music and even their own guitarist.

This is something I’ve noticed a lot on Spanish TV; they use clips of music in English very often. I’ve asked my host parents if it bothers them when music, signs, etc. are in English and they always say no! They are used to it. Obviously, we also watch a LOT of soccer. It seems like there is constantly a game playing.

Recently, my mom and her boyfriend, Broc, came to visit. While they were here, we watched many soccer games and my mom got to talk to my host dad about her time playing soccer in college! My mom does not speak any Spanish, so I translated for her all week, which was challenging but very fun. Broc also loved to talk to my host parents using Google Translate and Duolingo Spanish. They loved to compare similarities/differences between the U.S. and Spain. Topics ranged from Formula One racing to the best way to peel an orange to Easter traditions.

My best friend also recently visited and got to spend an evening with my host parents. Every time I bring someone to my host parents, they always want to know their favorite and least favorite parts of Spain. This gets us talking and sharing not only what we’ve experienced in Spain, but also how things differ from the United States. My best friend talked about the differences in the food and how amazing the walkable cities were. My mom and Broc talked about the café con leche and safety in Spain.

Being in the United States, I usually take it for granted. I am used to the little things like driving my car, Seven Brew and understanding what the waiter says to me. Being so far from it, however, I realize how important these things are to me. I take any chance I get to talk about home with my host family, even if it’s just showing pictures of my car or my favorite fast food restaurant.

Getting to take my loved ones to my host family, and actually showing them my home is an experience unlike any other. I can show them pictures and talk about it forever and ever, but bringing my mom into their home and saying, “Look! This is my mom. This is what I’ve been telling you about,” is something so, so special. Vice versa, I get to show my host family to my loved ones from home. I share with them where I eat lunch every day, where I take my siesta, the tram I take to school and the people who care for me while I’m here.

These people are all very different. They are different generations, from different countries, have different beliefs and speak different languages. But they are all mine; I am so grateful to get to share them with each other.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: ALI Abroad: University of Alicante