the fam

Can I just say how great my host family is? They are wonderful. My dad is super dad-like, fixing my bike and making sure my water filter works properly and watching the news with me. My mom is completely adorable, talking fashion with me and taking me to the tailor to get dresses made and giving me a necklace! My brother, who is six, shows me his karate moves and tried on my glasses (which sent him into uncontrollable laughter) and is fascinated by my painting. He watched me painting a mango like a globe to use in a class demonstration, then got some of his friends together and found me three really good calabashes (dried gourds) that I can paint like the world and which won't go bad. And my baby sister, Malika, who is now seven months old, has learned to crawl and started to talk and when you say my name she looks right at me, and laughs when I make faces at her. I'm going to be so sad to leave them this week, but I have an open invitation to come back whenever I want to and I'm hopeful about our mutual desire to keep in touch.