Enjoyable Times…Lights Out!

A JOURNAL ENTRY WRITTEN BY JESSE BONTREGER

I have had a lot of great times with my host family over the past few weeks. We’ve gotten to know each other very well and I’ve had fun living with them. One particularly good time together was last week when the power was out. Normally these occurrences make me very grumpy and pessimistic as they interrupt the planned flow of my day. However, I really was thankful for it last week.

My family is constantly away or busy and the power outage gave us all a minute to sit and breathe. We lit a candle together and sat in our living room. Without the distractions of television or internet, we had time to talk together. I realized how little I had spoken with them about my real family, and took the opportunity to give them more of my backstory. This prompted them to talk more about their pasts and thoughts about Nicaragua and the US.

It was fascinating to hear them speak about the things we’ve had lectures on. I will admit that I was disappointed when the lights came back on and I am grateful for the enjoyable time we had to talk. Since the, we’ve all been talking a lot more and I feel like I understand my family on a deeper level.