Living with the Morales'

Today I was reminded of how lucky I am to be staying with such an amazing family. I told my host sister Yuli (the one in the middle of the picture) that I had never had a completo. A completo is the thing that looks like a hot dog, which it basically is. It's a hot dog, diced tomatoes, avocado, mayo and ketchup all in an oversized bun. It's a staple Chilean food. The subject came up at lunch and she made them for dinner. I was resting in my bed because I went out last night and my younger host sister and her friend Alessandra (the girl on the left) came up to my room and said they had a surprise for me and that I had to wait in my room until they told me to come out. Ok, that's fine, continuing to lay down doesn't require much effort. Well they came and got me and they were all dressed up in crazy clothes and they told me I had to close my eyes until they told me to open them. They lead me downstairs and into the kitchen. There I opened my eyes and there on the table were completos all set out nicely, some other goodies and a cake! They were calling it my pre-going away party. It was totally unexpected, and for them to do that for me really means something.

I truly feel at home here. I don't have a younger sister and my 8 year old Chilean sister Catalina is like my pseudo-sister. We goof around together, watch cartoons together, eat together and go places together. That little girl has touched my life more than she will ever know. My other Chilean sister Yuli has a heart of gold and is an amazing cook. She is always willing to help me with any little thing I want. She had Cata when she was 18 and I don't know the story but I can't help but think it wasn't planned. She is a great mom. And then there's my host mom Fatima. She's something else. A little crazy, thinks she knows everything and loves sweets just about as much as I do. When I got my wallet stolen in the first few weeks I was here we went all around the city going to the taxi stations because I thought I could have possibly left it in a taxi. We went around the campus asking people if they saw anything, she alerted the campus police. She did everything in her power to help me. I don't know where Yuli's or Cata's father is, but living in this house has really taught me something that I thought I already knew. It has shown me what it means to be a strong woman. You don't need a man to define who you are. I knew the concept, but I didn't fully understand it until now. I am truly blessed to have met and lived with this family.