Mi Casa Es Tu Casa

As you know if you read my last blog post about my neighborhood Realejo, I live in an independent house called a chalet. It is very rare to live in a chalet close to the center of the city because a chalet is a house that is gated in and has a small yard. My house also has a garage where they can store their car.

Although the yard is small, it's an luxury to have it. Many children have to go to a plaza to play outside because most families live in apartments. My yard/patio is filled with plants and many toys for the children. There are swings, a basketball net, and many of our childhood toys. Unfortunately the pool just broke before I arrived and they aren't getting it fixed until next summer, but they do have this temporary pool that they use for now! It's different compared to my house in the United States because their "yard" is a patio. They don't have grass for a yard.

When you walk into the house, the first floor is a separate apartment for my host mother's mother. She lives with them for half of the year, but just left to go back to where she grew up. It's not as common to find houses with separate apartments in the Untied States. Family tends to be more important here.

The second floor is the main part of the house. There are three bedrooms on the floor: one for Luis, one for Lola, and the master bedroom. There is also two full bathrooms: one for my host parents and one that I share with Lola and Luis. I always get to enjoy the company of some rubber ducks and other toys when I shower!

Also on the second floor is the kitchen, living room, and a room similar to a office. The kitchen is quite small compared to the other rooms of the house, but it has all if the necessities. It's quite enjoyable to all cramp into one room during breakfast and dinner and talk to each other. I also find it very interesting that the washing machine is inside the kitchen! The living has a tv that is normally on, and it's where the family hangs out together. There is also a dining room table where the family eats only for lunches on Sundays. The office has a desk where my house mom keeps her computer but it's also filled with all of the children's toys. Also, just outside of the office is a patio where the clothes hang to dry. Houses in Spain don't tend to have a laundry room, and almost never have a dryer!

Lastly, if you go up the the top floor, you have my room and my half bath. My room is quite large and has a bed, dresser, desk, couch, and two huge bookcases. It's nice to have some space of my own sometimes, but when I want to hangout with my family, I just need to go to the living room or out into the yard to find them! This is similar to my house because my family is always either hanging out in the kitchen or living room!