"Vamos a la Playa.."

I probably would have known that we were going to go to the beach if my Spanish was a little better but what a surprise :)  For the beach, I put my hair in braids -- and Agueda told her mom that she wanted her hair just like mine so I had to take a picture.. :) My host mom's sister has a house in a small city by the beach where the girls always go in the summer.  On the way to the beach we made a stop at my host dad's father's house to have some lunch.  His family was so welcoming and hospitable.  My host dad, Julio, grew up on Ponteverda and so he took some time to tell me about the history and his school.  Even though my Spanish is still bad,  I feel like a part of the family.

After lunch, we drove through Vigo which is the largest city in Galicia and made it just in time to go to the beach with the girls.  Seeing these young girls running around on the beach reminded me of the videos my parents have of when I was little at the beach.  Even though they are not my children, watching them so happy just warmed my heart- and for a moment I didn't remember some of the things in my past, or that I missed my family, only that there was no place I'd rather be than watching these children play in the sand.

Sunday morning, we took the girls on a bike ride around the town.  There are no words to describe how that moment felt.  I mean, here I am - in Spain - at the beach - riding bikes with my Spanish family .  I just kept saying to myself  "I can't believe I live here, I can't believe I live here."  I mean, yes, there are some times that are tougher than others...like when I cannot understand what people are saying or asking me, or how to explain something, but I'd rather have that problem and know that I took a leap of faith and stepped out of my comfort zone than to have not tried at all.  I feel so lucky, and even more grateful, that I have this opportunity, a family who supports me, and a Spanish family that has taken me under their wing.