Things my host family has yelled about during meals

·         Fútbol

·         Real Madrid

·         Barcelona

·         Messi, who according to my host brother is the most talented player he's even seen play the game

·         Penelope Cruz

·         Penelope Cruz’s sister, who is a ballerina and apparently is much more beautiful than Penelope but is, sadly, underrated

·         The Spanish economy

·         The lack of specialized doctors compared to family practitioners in Spain

·         Salamanca's women's basketball team, which is apparently very good and attracts American players

·          Fútbol

·         Basketball

·         Conflicting advice about everything, from how to stay safe while going out ("¡No entra en un carro con una persona que no conozca si te ofresca un aventón a la casa!") to the cheapest ways to get places ("El autobus a Valladolid, entonces un vuelo a Barcelona." "¡No, mama! El autobus a Madrid, entonces el tren a Barcelona.")

·         The decline of new vocations to the Church in Spain, in Europe and across the world

·         El Camino de Santiago (they were super impressed I knew what this was, but then remembered I was Catholic.)

·         Bread

·         Food in general

·         Unemployment rates

·          Fútbol

·         Hugo Chavez

·         Fidel Castro

·         General Franco

·         Carnival celebrations in Brazil

·          Fútbol

·         Plane ticket prices

·        Fútbol players

Just a sample. Mealtimes, though sometimes ridiculously long, are just as ridiculously great. I've learned more from my 70-something-year-old host mom, Angela, her husband, Augustin, and their adult sons, Cristobal and Juanjo, about Spain than from any of my classes so far. And even though it seems like everyone is arguing all the time, it's really just how they have normal conversations. Loudly. With passion. And hand motions. And constantly interrupting each other. It's the most entertaining way I've ever learned Spanish.

The TV is almost always on in the background while we eat, giving us plenty to discuss: fútbol, politics, how the weathergirl's makeup looks like something from Carnival, and, from what I could gather, a motorcycle gang known as "Los Penguinos." Last night, the American film Shooter was on, and when Mark Wahlberg's character shot his first target, Angela muttered, "¡Adios!" I don't know why this was so funny, but Daniela and I absolutely died laughing.

And on that note...adios! Bedtime for me.