Home is where the heart is

At the moment, I am living on a sailing ship. Nevertheless, I still remember living in Germany at my house. However, what does „at home“ actually mean?

For me, it is a place where I feel comfortable, safe, secure, and where I am treated well. That is always the case at home, at my family’s place, in Germany. Fortunately, it was also the case with my host family in Boquete, a little town in the middle of Panama, in the valley of the inactive volcano Barú – although I was a little nervous in the beginning because it was my first time living in a host family in a country where I do not speak the language fluently. However, when I arrived, my host parents welcomed me with open arms and big smiles. I felt at home right away.

Those were good conditions to pass an excellent stay by my host family. During my time in Boquete I learned a lot, much more than if I had just stayed in a hostel due to the fact that me and the other KUSis lived with natives. We had the opportunity to experience their way of living firsthand. We got insights into their culture, their traditions, their traditional food, their home, activities in their free time, their perspective on different topics, and many other aspects.

To give you an overview about my week, I will start by telling you something about my daily routine in my family. In general, I got up early to have a delicious breakfast before I went to school by taxi. In Germany, I would never go to school by taxi because they are too expensive and there are simply not enough. Here in Panama, it is common to take taxis to get from one point to another. Almost everybody takes one, it is comfortable, easy, fast, and cheap. It costs only one dollar per ride. School always starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 12:00 p.m.. Every morning, we had Spanish lessons in small groups with different levels to improve our Spanish skills for an easier communication with Panamanian people. I can say that at the end of the Spanish lessons, I was able to understand much more, and it was definitely easier to speak and build sentences.

In the afternoons, we were able to use what we had learned in the morning because we had free time in the city centre, participating in a coffee tour on a finca, relaxing in a café, going shopping in small shops, walking around in the city or going to markets. There, natives sold handmade things like dresses, bracelets, or traditional molas, a skillfully made embroidery. All these were different activities which we enjoyed doing in the afternoon.

In the early evening, at around 6:15 p.m., I returned to my host family’s house. When I arrived, we normally cooked dinner, often a specialty from Panama. It was always delicious and made with love. In the evenings, after dinner, I sat with my host parents. We talked about our families, typical traditions in Boquete, or Panamanian food. There was never an awkward silence because there was always a topic to talk about – sometimes difficult topics for a conversation in Spanish as a beginner, like politics. We just got more creative in our ways of communication, speaking with hands and feet.

So, what have I learned during my stay? I have improved my skills in so many areas. I have learned to speak Spanish and if there was a word which I did not know before I showed my host parents using my hands. I have learned how to cook Panamanian food, for instance „Patacones“. Very delicious! They are pan-fried, squashed and again fried plantains (something we in Germany know as bananas for cooking), served with some salt. However, also rice with beans, it is called „arroz con frijoles“ and is very popular. In general, Panamanians eat a lot of rice as well as eggs, which are eaten in different forms and are common for breakfast as scrambled eggs, omelet, hard boiled eggs, or fried eggs. It does not matter in which form – egg in the first place.

Besides learning the typical dishes, I have also continued to learn more about cooking. My family, for example, does not own a vegetable peeler, so at home, we peel everything with a fork, which works surprisingly well.

Moreover, I have learned what people in Boquete are doing in their free time and during the day. They are always relaxed, they are watching a lot of TV, they love cooking and they like talking. That is the reason why we laughed a lot.

After almost one week of living in the host family, the last day of laughing with my host parents arrived and I had to say goodbye. I really enjoyed the time and then, it was suddenly already over.

However, saying goodbye to my host family felt like saying goodbye to my own family, because I felt like I was at home. They were so friendly, helpful, and caring – like real parents. That is the reason why I called them „Mama Panama and Papa Panama“. I am sure, I will keep in touch with them!

I am thankful for the wonderful people who made me feel at home!