Another cheesy title, another normal day.
As stated in a previous post, choosing a homestay wasn't even a debate, and now, after living in one for a month and a half, I feel that I am now able to offer some thoughts on the subject.
Yeah, it was awkward for the first few hours. However, with the three-year old running around, that quickly dissipated and now, I feel like a strange cross between a member of the family and a boarder. I eat breakfast, dinner and sometimes lunch with them, drink a lot of tea with my hostmom, play with my younger host-brother, have increasingly-less awkward conversations with my other host brother and host-father and sometimes accompany them to the park, cafes, market and more. And with that, let me give you a quick overview of everyone I live with.
L - My host mother. Dark curly hair, French-Italian, short, speaks French, English, German and Italian, actress and theater-producer for children, incredibly sweet, go-to swear word: 'oh, shit' with a musical French accent, describes things as 'beautiful' a lot, cute, laughs a lot, wonderful mother, has made me feel at home since day one, easy to talk to, patient
O - My host father. Tall, lanky. Brown short hair. British-German, speaks French, English and German, freelance video editor, very down to earth, friendly, methodical, goofy, great cook, sarcastic, amazing father
M - Older host-brother, seventeen, wavy brown hair to his shoulders, likes language, theater and history, speaks French, English and German, quiet initially, but theatrical, friendly but reserved, wonderful older brother, not around a lot, about to undergo his final exams before he finishes school, not sure what he's doing after
G - Younger host-brother, three, going on four, tiny, curly light brown hair, blue eyes, dramatic, loves cars, quite clumsy, falls down a lot, basically a grumpy old man in a child's body, future engineer, speaks French and German, likes to overact, silly, lots of energy
The family lives on a bustling street corner in Neukölln, a neighborhood that is a rich mix of cultures and ages, but mostly Turkish or Arabic. The building is a little run-down, but quaint, with a hole-in-the-wall döner shop below, a doctor's office on the second floor, and a small courtyard in the back. Their apartment is quirky, and homey, with three theater seats in the living room, and G's drawings, postcards and notes, taped all over the walls. It's cosy but I'm quite fond of it. My room is off the kitchen, and looks out onto the busy street.
Homemade dinners are wonderful, usually accompanied by a very energetic or very crabby three-year old, an overly-theatrical teenager, my cheerful host mom, and grounded host father. I laugh every day in this house at something from my terrible German to one of them being over-the-top dramatic in regards to something. Today, I came home after an evening adventure to find my host-parents curled up on the couch together enjoying a movie and the peace that comes with their youngest child staying at his grandparents.
Although, I do miss the convenience of having a dryer, and a microwave, this is a wonderful family in a brilliant city and I love every minute of establishing connections that will last for a lifetime.
Yeah, it was awkward for the first few hours. However, with the three-year old running around, that quickly dissipated and now, I feel like a strange cross between a member of the family and a boarder. I eat breakfast, dinner and sometimes lunch with them, drink a lot of tea with my hostmom, play with my younger host-brother, have increasingly-less awkward conversations with my other host brother and host-father and sometimes accompany them to the park, cafes, market and more. And with that, let me give you a quick overview of everyone I live with.
L - My host mother. Dark curly hair, French-Italian, short, speaks French, English, German and Italian, actress and theater-producer for children, incredibly sweet, go-to swear word: 'oh, shit' with a musical French accent, describes things as 'beautiful' a lot, cute, laughs a lot, wonderful mother, has made me feel at home since day one, easy to talk to, patient
O - My host father. Tall, lanky. Brown short hair. British-German, speaks French, English and German, freelance video editor, very down to earth, friendly, methodical, goofy, great cook, sarcastic, amazing father
M - Older host-brother, seventeen, wavy brown hair to his shoulders, likes language, theater and history, speaks French, English and German, quiet initially, but theatrical, friendly but reserved, wonderful older brother, not around a lot, about to undergo his final exams before he finishes school, not sure what he's doing after
G - Younger host-brother, three, going on four, tiny, curly light brown hair, blue eyes, dramatic, loves cars, quite clumsy, falls down a lot, basically a grumpy old man in a child's body, future engineer, speaks French and German, likes to overact, silly, lots of energy
The family lives on a bustling street corner in Neukölln, a neighborhood that is a rich mix of cultures and ages, but mostly Turkish or Arabic. The building is a little run-down, but quaint, with a hole-in-the-wall döner shop below, a doctor's office on the second floor, and a small courtyard in the back. Their apartment is quirky, and homey, with three theater seats in the living room, and G's drawings, postcards and notes, taped all over the walls. It's cosy but I'm quite fond of it. My room is off the kitchen, and looks out onto the busy street.
Homemade dinners are wonderful, usually accompanied by a very energetic or very crabby three-year old, an overly-theatrical teenager, my cheerful host mom, and grounded host father. I laugh every day in this house at something from my terrible German to one of them being over-the-top dramatic in regards to something. Today, I came home after an evening adventure to find my host-parents curled up on the couch together enjoying a movie and the peace that comes with their youngest child staying at his grandparents.
Although, I do miss the convenience of having a dryer, and a microwave, this is a wonderful family in a brilliant city and I love every minute of establishing connections that will last for a lifetime.
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