Ohhhh Josefina

More about lovely Sra...

She has 2 hijas/daughters:


Maria Jose- Who is married and has 2 daughters- Carmen (2 yr) y Helena (pronounced Elena- 8 mo.)


“ " (cannot for the life of me understand her name)- Who is married and has 1 daughter- Noa (most of the pictures of Noa had no hair so for the longest time I thought she was a boy!)


Carmen and Noa are 2 days apart and “Son mejores amigas!”


Her daughters and their families visit often, so she has a larger guestroom that is reserved just for them and several baby things scattered throughout the house. I can’t wait to meet them! Josefina says I can practice my Spanish with them! Ha!


Then she allowed me time to unpack and organize my room while she prepared almuerzo. It felt so good to get settled in!


During this time her neighbors from the floor below, a couple of about 60-65 (Sra is probably late 50s early 60s?) came to visit. They were VERY friendly, instantly hugging me with a kiss for each cheek! I accidently addressed Carlos informally (tu) instead of formally (Usted) and apologized. He laughed and insisted “No TU TU TU!” I love them already. They asked me how well I speak Spanish, Sra told them that I speak it but I just need a little time. Throughout our brief conversation I was able to keep up, make them laugh (not just from my broken Spanish but from telling a joke!),


One of the first things we talked about was me being a vegeteriana. “No comes carne, si?” “Si es una problema?” “Comes pescado? Mariscos? Juevos? Leche?” “Si como todos tambien todos tipos de frutas y verdures” “Vale! No es un problema nada!”


**Dear mother- I would like you to take note of her positive attitude about my lifestyle :)


She made an incredible vegetarian almuerzo! Vegetable paella with rice, cauliflower, peppers, artichoke, and green beans cooked in saffron. We also had tomatoes dressed in olive oil and salt, bread and cheese. After that she brought out sweet cracker/cookies, her own homemade jam, walnuts/hazelnuts (which she cracked herself- and told me I should eat a lot of as a vegetarian! So cute!) to eat with the cheese. Mmm- I thought of you Aunt Cokie! If that wasn’t enough, she brought out a huge bowl of fruit and told me to dig in. I said no thank you “Estoy MUY llena.” When you are used to just an orange for lunch this is a shock to the system!


Throughout lunch we conversed so easily. She told me to call her Josefina (not Sra) and we decided that she would call me MaryPat (MAR- e- POT or sometimes sounds like Muddy Pot).


I realized that I can hold a conversation better than I thought! We talked about the TV program that was on (Spanish E!), famous Spainards, bull fighting, food, family, being Catholic, past students, knitting (she is taking me to the store to get yarn, Karen/Lauren/Emmy!), etc.


I told her how I am really eager to learn, but the first couple days have been difficult to communicate. She assured me that she would help me and “poco a poco” I would be fine! She thinks in a month I will be good to go…sweet Josefina you have so much faith in me!


Josefina is very laid-back and not intimidating to talk to even though she speaks very quickly. You can tell that she has had many students before (she’s had 2 every year for the last 4 years). She has a great sense of humor, a lot of patience, and is very good at communicating directly and honestly. I feel like I know what is expected of me. I asked her if I could help her with anything today, she responded not today but that I would be helping her eventually! I’m relieved to live in such a comfortable environment and with someone as kind as Josefina.


She is somewhere between a grandmotherly figure and a very friendly neighbor. She encouraged me to take a nap today because I told her how much I’ve been sleeping during siesta. She took a rest before she went to work too. Normally she works early in the morning and is home for lunch, but she switched her schedule for me.


It’s almost 10 right now and I am waiting for her to get home, she said she would be home around 8:30. I was able to find a teeny bit of wifi in her sewing room, but it is listed as “Emily Carl’s Macbook” who does not sound like a resident so we will see how long this lasts!