Things my host family does

It's always interesting to live with a family that does things differently than your own family. Whether they are cultural actions, traditions in their family, or just odd habits, here are some things that confuse me, at times frustrate me, or things I've adapted myself. Most of these have to do with food.

The dishwasher in my house is usually my host brother! But normally after a meal we all just pile up the dishes in the sink. And if those don't get washed right away, the next meal's dishes get added to that pile, until there are no more dishes left in the cupboard. This is accompanied by a note that says to wash and store what we use, which obviously isn't followed.

Sometimes when my family locks the front door, they leave the keys in the lock. So when I come home from outside, I can't put my key in the lock, and have to stand there knocking until somebody lets me in.

Someone seems to always leave just a couple bites leftover after a meal, or just one piece of bread on a plate, and those sometimes just chill on the table for days getting stale.

They like to mash up everything into purée: Steamed vegetables... puréed, bananas and dulce de leche, puréed (add cinnamon, its the best).  The oddest is bread and cookies dipped in milk or tea and all mashed together.

My family refers to Tang as juice, and it drives me crazy because it's a pure sugar powder in water.  The other day my host mom told her granddaughter she could either have juice or water with our meal, but not soda, because gaseosa is not for ninos. I think I've already expressed how I feel about Tang, but in my opinion, soda is no worse for a nino than this fake juice.

Then the half drank pop was in our cupboard, instead of the fridge, which confused me.

My family also refers to hot dogs as salchichas, which makes me think we are going to have a delicious bratwurst or sausage for dinner. Imagine my disappointment when I get three hot dogs for dinner.

Since my host family does sleep a lot, I've become better at being able to take naps. Back at DU I always subconsciously felt really guilty about taking naps because my roommate never did, but now I fit right in.

I was told by my host sister that when I make tea, I shouldn't microwave a mug with just water in it, because the steam from the cup when I open the microwave door could hurt me. Instead, they put the tea bag in cold water and microwave it with the tea bag already in it.

When we have more informal dinners, sometimes we eat in front of the TV, and my host mom insists that everyone uses a tray to make sure no crumbs fall. So I have to carry a big bulky tray with all my food on it, which makes it probably ten times more likely that I would spill.