Blog Post #1 - LF

Entering into my homestay was intimidating. I was about to live with a family whom I knew nothing about for four weeks. The first few nights were a bit awkward and uncomfortable. I struggled to get to know them and felt like a stranger in their house. However, on the third night, my roommate and I presented the gifts we had brought from America to our family. We had waited until the third night because our homestay mom was never around due to work and we wanted to give some of our gifts to her. One of the gifts I brought was the card game UNO for my 8-year old sister, Bupe. When I gave this gift to Bupe, she had never heard of the game before. Nobody in our family had ever heard of the game. Because of this, she did not seem too excited about her present. However, she was excited to learn how to play and I was excited to teach the whole family how to play. Since being taught, UNO has become a nightly staple in our household. On some nights we play so many rounds of cards that I can’t even keep count. Everyone in the family has played and even the neighbors occasionally come over to play.

I chose this experience to write about because I felt like it was really the ice breaker I needed to feel more comfortable in my homestay. UNO was one thing that was familiar to me, unlike any of the other things in the house. I had to get used to the food and the cultural way of serving the food as well as the bathing routine and much more. Additionally, most of my time in Zambia has been a learning experience as I get to know more about the Zambian culture and traditions that it was nice to be able to share something my family enjoys doing at home in America. At home, I often have family game nights where we will play a variety of board games and card games, including UNO. I have found that my game nights both in Zambia and at home are a nice way for everyone to come together and laugh. I have also noticed that occasionally Bupe and my other family members will play UNO without me which shows just how much they love the game.

I am happy that I was able to find a common ground with my homestay family and share something with them that I enjoy doing with my own family. However, it was really hard to pick one specific moment to write about because I have had so many memorable moments and conversations. This reflection has taught me that sometimes the small moments are the ones that can be the most impactful. Thus, I really need to be present in every conversation and experience as well as continue to reflect on my days so that I do not miss out on anything in my short time here.