The past 2 weeks have been a whirl-wind of activities and plenty of coming and going in our house. The house is quiet without the hustle and bustle of a third kid. There's one less girl squeezing in bathroom time, one less lunch to make, one less "good night" to say each night. We miss our guest, our new friend, our third child....Ane.
The Spain exchange program is not about speaking the best Spanish. It's about exchanging cultures with one another and becoming immersed in something new and unfamiliar. It's about sharing pieces of you, your family, and the things that make you who you are. There is a lot to be learned from this experience, both culturally and about your self as you spend 2 weeks with someone who is a complete stranger to you.
On Monday, after we dropped Ane off at the airport, Gabby was exhausted. She was ready to re-claim her bedroom and then retreat to the couch for a little nap.
"Mom, you just don't know how exhausting it is to be responsible for someone else 24 hours a day!"
I give her a sly smile..."Oh yeah, your right...I guess I don't."
She realizes that she has just experienced in 2 weeks, what Eric and I have been experiencing for the past 17 years. She sighs and smiles. "OK, I guess you do know!"
I wonder if this life lesson was part of the "Spanish exchange" curriculum goals?
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