My Second Host Family and Vacation in Aragon

In mid-August, I bid my first host family “adios” and joined their cousins in the Aragon region, south of the Pyrenees, where they spend their summers. In this beautiful area of the country my host family and their friends and cousins have vacation homes close together. The days are spent together full of fun activities and many family dinners.

With my host family, I spent most of the time with Blanca who has seven siblings. There is no need to go to summer camp, for the dozens of cousins and friends here (40+) make their own camp activities. We went swimming, watched the guys play soccer, jumped off cliffs into a lake, played paddle and cards, watched movies, and my favorite - participated in a Paella contest.

Two family outings stood out. Being in a predominantly Catholic country, we went to a Marian shrine (a special place devoted to the Virgin Mary). I am familiar with lighting candles, but at this shrine, the tradition is to tie a knot in a ribbon representing a problem that Mary will resolve and “undo” the knot.

Thirty minutes from where we lived, in a remote area where blackberries grow wild, we picked 10 pounds of blackberries. Unbeknownst to me, blackberry bushes have thorns, and at the end of this adventure, our hands were scraped and covered with what looked like paper cuts. However, later that same day we made 20 jars of the best blackberry jam I have ever tasted, so it was worth it.

Dining with my host family, including grandma

Tying a ribbon at the Marian shrine

Picking blackberries with Blanca

Hanging with the cousins