Participants Blog

I Got It From My Momma ☺

My relationship with my host mother was, and continues to be, special on so many levels.  My host mother’s name is Reina and she is sixty-six years old.  Despite the obvious Spanish-English language barrier that existed in our home my mother and I managed to communicate surprisingly well.  In many ways I believe the language barrier brought us even closer together because it forced us to get out of our comfort zones and well…get creative in terms of communication techniques. Charades in particular became an essential tool in our relationship and the odd dance party in our kitchen while preparing lunch only built my feelings of love and respect for her.  For my mother and I, our somewhat dysfunctional communication became merely our daily entertainment and we really did have some good times.

Being able to joke about miscommunications was not the only trait that made our relationship stand out for me.  Knowing that she was willing to partake in such ridiculous re-enactments and dramatizations in order to get to know and understand me really did make my experience in Honduras spectacular.  I admire my mother and have learned many things from her because of her confidence.  From my mother I learned not only a functional amount of Spanish, but also how beautiful it feels to trust and allow yourself to depend on the people you meet along this journey of life.  My mother, I believe, lives a life in which she radiates unconditional love.  Her love for me, as she reminded me everyday before I left for work, was constant.  Even though I have now returned to my home in Canada, I think about how it felt having my host mother hug me before I left for work and I can still see the smile on her face when we would be joking around.

I really did get the experiences and emotions of my placement from my momma. I was definitely out of my element by not knowing the language but having my host mother who allowed me to feel completely accepted upon first encounter was amazing.  Her acceptance was (and still is) what defines my placement in Honduras.