My Host Family

Parisa Pajooh
Jul 11, 2017
2 min read

My host family has to be the most perfect match I could have asked for! On my first night of arrival, I got to meet the family of three for the first time; including mom, and two siblings; Diego and Jenny.

There I was at my new home for the first time ever, looking for the people that I am going to live with for months! As I sat down, there was my host mom, Adriana, with the most welcoming smile ever. All of a sudden it hit me, that lady is going to be my mom for four months!

Mis casa es tu casa (make yourself at home; literally “my house is your house”) was her first few words to me. I mean welcoming a stranger that came all the way from another country wasn't exactly an everyday deal, but they made me feel welcomed and 'broke the ice' as they say from the beginning. I was thankful for that! All was well as I sat down, got to talk to the family, and learned about their lifestyle, view of me, and my background. I felt so happy that I got the chance to introduce not only Canada, but also my original country Iran to them. I felt so proud of it, and wanted to tell everyone about it.

By spending a week with my host family we got used to the cultural differences, which was really helpful during the project. By asking a lot to my host family I learned a lot about what belonged to the norms and values of the local people. So if you want to go beyond the surface and really immerse yourself in the culture when you visit another country, staying with a host family could be the best way to live that experience!

Feria Nacional de San Marcos

One of the biggest highlights of the first week, however, was getting to spend some time at "San Marcos Fair". Feria Nacional de San Marcos is a national fair held in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes every year for three (or sometimes four) weeks. Most of the events related to the fair, however, occur in the city of Aguascalientes, the state capital. On my second night of stay, I went to the fair with my host family. And soon I got familiar with the vast array of music and dance genres, showing the diversity of Mexican culture. Traditional music including Mariachi, Banda, Norteño, and Tambora were being played by local bands. Coolest thing about the fair? drinking in the streets is permitted (or should I say encouraged) hahaha!

It was the night that I’ve also learned about Voladores de Papantla (Dance of Papantla's flyers), chascas, elote, mohito, michelada, chorros and other Mexican goodies!