My host father lowered his hands off his face and looked at me before uttering those words. It really did look like a crash site - seat cushions half on the benches, halves of gnawed rolls strewn about the table, spoons in cups on top of plates, and so many crumbs on the floor that I can't recall if there was a carpet at all. This is because while we were in the Czech Republic on holiday, we were with eight children under age seven, six adults, and me. This is a lot to handle, especially early in the morning.
New Year's Even went surprisingly well. The adults and I sung karaoke in the kitchen of the rental house/hotel room thing until 12:00am, when the fireworks started going off (how the babies slept through this, I will never know) and we stood out there watching for a while, as well as setting off a few of our own (most of which fizzed themselves out before actually popping). Some people even put lamps or candles inside inflated bags and set them loose, which was really pretty. Afterwards, we went inside and had a mad dance party.
I feel like I bonded a lot with my host family during the vacation, especially with the kids. I told my host parents I loved them for the first time on January 1, 2011. Here are some quotes and stories about my host family that I think will give you some more insight into who I am living with for half of 2011:
1.Sebastiaan
Me: Sebastiaan, you are the sweetest boy in the world! The best throughout America, the best throughout the Netherlands, and the best throughout the whole world!
Seb: And Germany, too?
Me:.... Yes, and throughout Germany too.
Woman: Tonight, we are going to eat spaghetti.
Seb: YEAHHHHH WE'REGONNA EATSPATGHETTI, YOU
KNOW, WE'REGONNA EATTHE MOSTDELICIOUS SPAGHETTI IN THE ENTIREWORLD!!!
*eyes glaze over. stares at ceiling. mouth hangs open.*
Me: *thinking* I don't know why I was the only one to laugh.
Seb: HEY! That's MY blanket you're using!
Me: Oh. You're right. Can I borrow it?
Seb: Yeah. Well, actually, you know, you DON'T have to borrow it, because you live with us now, so you can use it too.
Seb: HEYYYY ELISE!! LOOK AT ME! HEYY! LOOK, I'M SITTING ON EMILY'S HEAD! DO YOU SEE ME ON EMILY'S HEAD?!?!?!
2. Elise
E: Do you like to travel by plane or car?
Me: Well... car, I guess. It's not so expensive, and I just like it better.
E: Hmm... I guess it would be expensive if you traveled a lot. But if you went somewhere by plane and stayed for a long time, then it wouldn't be so expensive, right?
Me: You're really smart! That's right!
E: Do you like to speak English?
Me: Yes. It's my mother-tongue. Just like how your mother-tongue is Dutch.
E: No, my mother speaks Flemish.
I really admire Elise. It's fun to watch her interact with other
kids. Other kids GIVE her authority, and she's really good at including everyone. She makes up games on the spot, makes up rules, and makes sure everyone understands before playing. She's also an excellent comforter. If a baby is crying, she tells him that everything will be alright. She's beautiful and she knows it, and I'm proud of her for that. She says really mature things that I'm pretty sure other kids her age never even think about.
3. Anne-Laure
A-L: Can we do a puzzle?
Me: Sure.
A-L: *dumps puzzle on floor*
Me: Do you want some help?
A-L: Just do it for me. *watches for a while. walks away.*
A-L: ilostmypacifier.
Carla: What did you say?
A-L: ilostmypacifierrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Carla: I can't understand you.
Me: She said she lost her pacifier.
A-L: YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK!!! ONLY MAMA'S ALLOWED TO TALK!!!
Carla: Did you lose your pacifier?
A-L *whimpers* yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh
Me: I think it's under her chair.
A-L: YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LOOK!!! ONLY MAMA'S ALLOWED TO LOOK!!!
Me: Oh.
(Carla says she's testing me)
A-L: Can I have a bite?
Me: No.
A-L: ...... Can I have a bite?
Me: No.
A-L: Yes I can.
Me:.... Okay, you can have a little bite.
(Let's put it this way - When Anne-Laure is sweet, she's the nicest girl ever. She'll hug you and kiss you and play with you. But, when she's cranky, she's pretty darn cranky.)
4. Carla
I'll never forget when Carla was going through her wedding photo album with me while sitting on the couch drinking beer and eating leftover cheese from a previous fondue party. She immediately became cool person #1.
C: Matthias, you know that Emily is a little bit dumb, right?
Mat: Yes.
Me: What?!?!?
C: Yup.
C: Roman was looking for you all day!
Me: Really? No he wasn't. Lies! All of them!
C: Okay, you're right, he wasn't.
Me: Carla, the only quotes I can think of for you are those of you bullying me.
Carla: I don't bully you. What? Do I bully you? No.
5. Matthias
Mathias and I had a very interesting drive back from the Czech vacation, particularly when we had to drive through Poland. I was the designated, "keep whoever is driving awake" passenger, so actually, I only got 30 or less minutes of sleep last night during the 12 hour drive from CZ to NL. But anyways, here is a recount of what happened while driving through Poland:
Me: I don't understand this street sign. Why is she holding a giant lollipop?
Mat: That's a crossing guard.
Me: Oh.
Me: I know what you do for work, but what do you actually do AT work?
Mat: Well, my job is to --
Me: ghhhheeeheheheeehhe....
Mat: ..... I have to figure out whether --
Me: ghhhhhhaaaaahahahhahhahahahah! Sorry! Keep going, yes?
Mat: .... Right, well, I have to --
Me: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHA!!!
Mat: I do hope you're laughing at that street sign we just passed, and not at my job.
Me: Yeah, I was laughing at the sign.
Mat: That was a pretty weird sign, I have to admit.
*Silence*
*About 15 street signs appear on one side of the road, one after another*
Me: ....That's a lot of street signs......
*Silence*
Both: .......gggggggggggggghhahhahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAH!!
(things are funnier when you're tired, I guess)
Me: I don't understand signs like that. I mean, thanks for telling me where I'm NOT, but where exactly AM I?
Mat: That means you're leaving one village and entering the next. You probably just don't notice the signs that have no stripe through it at the beginning of a village. Look, there's one now. Now we're in this village. Understand?
Me: Ohhh... yes. (10 seconds later) But look, there's another one with a stripe! It's the same name.
Mat: ..... Well, that was literally a five house village.
Me: WHAT WAS THAT? A BEAR?
Mat: No, I think it was a boar.
Me: A boar?
Mat: Yes, a boar. We almost hit it.
Me: If we had, we would have had dinner for the next four nights. We could have just attached it to the roof with all the other stuff.
Both: ghahhahahhaahha.
*A few hours later, in Germany*
Mat: Did you hear that?
Me: It sounded like a dog.
Mat:........ Maybe it was the boar.
Me: Oh no!! We didn't fully kill it!
Mat: It's coming to get revenge!
Both: AHHHHH!
Mat: ...Oh wait, it's just the tires.
The day after tomorrow, I'm going to my new school.
So now I'm looking forward to the rest of my year with my Welcome, AFS, Dutch, Host Family.
There is nowhere else I would rather be.
Tot ziens,
Emily
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