The family, Luz Belia with the Edgar in front (his birthday) Cristian in the back left and Flor back right.
From left to right: Marta (Cristian's girlfriend),Rosalba (her twin sister), and Valeria (house student)Listen to the sounds of my house as I write. Every once and awhile I can hear Luz Belia, the head of the house, talk with her brother and sister-in-law in the kitchen downstairs. Her twenty year old daughter Flor’s voice comes though louder though as she and her friends are hanging out in the room below mine. Maria Elena, an eight year old niece, talks to herself as she plays on the stairs. In the street below, dogs bark and occasional cars pass by. I am sure that the TV is on as well as twenty-four year son Cristian is a movie fanatic. However in my room, there is only the whirl of the fan and the tap dance of the keys on the computer. I have a room to myself in this house full of people, and if the AC was turned on upstairs, I wouldn’t hear anything. Well, almost. Manchitas, (“Spotty”) the dog, when she is outside of the patio, barks at every living creature that passes by. However, I think she’s down stairs.
I arrived here a week ago Sunday, and it has proved to be the perfect place for me. One reason is that I am living with a family. The family consists of Luz Belia and her three children: Edgar 15, Flor 20ish, and Cristian 24. (Her husband died a little over a year ago of cancer.) Her nephew Antonio, also known as “Chaco,” also lives in the house as he is not from Hermosillo, but is studying at the University here. (A linguistic note: Here in Hermosillo, the “ch” is pronounced “sh” is nickname is really “Shasho”. Not so great Spanish from a purist standpoint, but very helpful in determining someone’s origin in Mexico.) Anyway, the family has been extremely welcoming both in regards to the house and their activities. I have already been to an uncle’s birthday party and met several other relatives. Not only do I get to get plugged into their family network, I also have a social network of University students. Not only are Cristian, Flor , Chaco, and myself studying, there are two other girls living here, Valeria and Ilse, but Cristian’s girlfriend Marta and her twin sister often frequent the house. So despite the fact that I feel “old” as I am hanging out with people in their early twenties, there is almost always something going on, so that is really nice. However, I also get my own space! I offered to pay a little extra to have a room to myself. At times I feel a little guilty as the house is quite full, but not guilty enough to change it as I really appreciate having a quiet place to study or retreat when I need it. The final reason the house is perfect is that Luz Belia is a practicing Catholic who also attends an Evangelical church which also has some Pentecostal beliefs as well! As a fellow Christian, I feel blessed to live with a common faith from whom I can be challenged with the differences as well. Furthermore, Valeria, one of the other girls who lives here, is also a Christian.
Regarding the actual house building, the house is not large, but not too small either. There is a downstairs with a kitchen and living room with a little corner for the computer by the stairs as well as a bathroom. Adjacent to the kitchen is a little store (groceries and snacks) that Luz Belia runs and owns. Upstairs, are the four bedrooms as well as two bathrooms. The house amenities are fabulous! We have air conditioning and wireless internet in the house! In summary, it is a very nice place to live and I am pleased.
