TGFA (Thank God for Alberto)

The House

The Back House

My Own Kitchen

On Right: The fan that exploded in my room (notice there are no more blades)

The dragon that guards me above my bed

3D puzzle of Taj Mahal that hangs from my room.
There is a string you can pull to lower and raise it.

I chose a homestay for a few reasons. Firstly, I really wanted to get to know what Azorean people and culture are like. Secondly, I was hoping to meet locals who could show me around the island. Thirdly, it would be cheaper and easier for me because homestays would provide some meals. And lastly, I just came off of my freshmen year of college, followed up by a study abroad program, during both of which I lived in dorms. I missed home, and I wanted to live in a house with family dynamics, a kitchen, a couch, alone time, etc. I was sick of dorm life and just wanted a home. 

When I first arrived to Alberto's house, I knew I got the best deal as far as this program goes. The other fellows are together in this less than nice hotel, and Alberto's house is beautiful. He lives in a house that is the bottom floor, and his sister and her family live in a house that is the top floor. His house leads out to this outdoor patio area, which then leads into a back house. The back house is where I live. I have my own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living area. It is super nice to be there and away at night. Then, during the day, I spend my time in the main house with everyone. Erica's bedroom is in the main house.

The Man

Alberto is probably the nicest man ever. He treats us like his daughters and spoils us. His English isn't great but that's part of what makes it so fun. He has so many quotable lines that make Erica and I laugh until we cry. For instance, he called Erica "Jessica" by accident. When we asked him if he knew a Jessica, he said,"from the television." That probably doesn't sound that funny, but you had to have been there. He also had his dogs chained up and looks at us and goes, "the dogs say, 'LIBERTY me.'"That also doesn't sound that funny, but it really was.

Alberto has two sons, though they are older. We are unsure of what happened to his wife and don't want to ask. One son is 27 and the other is 24. The 27 year old is a physical Ed teacher on another island. He's very talented at swimming. (He has about five drawers full of metals in his room.) The other one is studying for a masters in Lisbon. The older one has come to visit twice, and Erica and I are in love with him! He is so Fine (with a capital F as Erica likes to say.) 

Alberto also has a 23 year old godson named Amadeyeu who speaks no English. He came over for dinner and showed us the weirdest videos he made on YouTube. They put his friend in a garbage can and rolled him down the street, and he slammed into a wall. His friend got out practically dead- no joke. Then at the end, his friend gets up and runs into a wall. This video has 20,000 views on YouTube. I do not understand. Though, Amadeyeu and Alberto found it hysterical. Amadeyeu and Alberto are also super close, and I'm pretty sure they were making uncomfortable comments/jokes about Erica because Amadeyeu is in love with Erica. Alberto seemed totally fine with this. In fact, he helped Amadeyeu send Erica love text messages. Once Amadeyeu left Alberto's presence, the message began to get a little more crude. However, Amadeyeu drives a race car and motorcycle, so Erica is taking advantage of the situation by staying on good terms with him! Can't wait to ride in that race car!

Alberto also has a 10 year old nephew who lives upstairs. He's so cute.

The Food

My new favorite beans. Don't knock 'em til you try 'em.

I know I briefly mentioned this, but the food at Alberto's house is prime. It's like we have the same taste buds because he cooks all of my favorite foods. He's diabetic, so he eats really healthy and says that the golden rule for diabetics is vegetable soup. We therefore eat vegetable soups every night as an appetizer for dinner. Alberto also does things with vegetables I didn't even know was possible. He is the key to getting your kids to eat their veggies. He also cooks tons of beans- also a favorite of mine. Additionally, every night after dinner, we eat fruit. Does life get any better? He hasn't cooked a single meal that I haven't loved. 

The Dogs

The Ghost

The Lady

The Ghost Harassing the Lady when I tried to take a picture of her.
All the girl wanted was a belly rub.

Alberto has two dogs, Lady and Ghost. Though, we have slightly transformed their names into "the lady" and "the ghost" because Alberto will say it like that sometimes. The first time I met the dogs, the lady was absolutely nuts. She was jumping everywhere and was so spirited. The ghost was really calm, cool, and collected. The first morning I was here, Alberto, Erica, and I took the dogs for a walk. Unexpectedly, I was handed the lady's leash. Now don't get me wrong- I have walked tons of dogs before. I've done my fair share of dog sitting Mr. Pluto Ginsberg and Mr. Riley Falvey. But I have not walked a dog like the lady. The lady wanted to sprint and stop and sprint and stop down the street. Under normal situations, I could handle that. Except this time the leash was TWO FEET LONG max. The lady dragged me down the block... and don't even get me started with the stairs- I thought I was going to die on those. I am surprised the lady didn't rip my arm socket out. All of the while, Alberto is walking the ghost obliviously. 

The ghost and the lady live in the outdoor patio area and have a dog house. Since that first day, the lady has calmed down significantly. Now, I actually have a soft spot for the lady, mostly because I'm a feminist though. You see- the ghost harasses the lady badly. I'm pretty sure 90% of the time the ghost is trying to hump the lady. Every time I make the walk from the back house to the main house or vice versa, BEFORE the lady even makes a move to run towards me to say hi and get some love, the ghost runs toward her to immediately start humping her. She'll snarl at him and try to get away. But mostly she looks at me with those sad eyes. All she wanted was some love from me and now she's standing there being humped by the ghost. Alberto does nothing about this! In fact, he blatantly favors the ghost! He's had the ghost for longer and the ghost is a dog native to Sao Miguel. In fact, once the ghost was harassing the lady, and Alberto looks at me and goes, "he is waiting for her desire." Ugh! This is so sexist! 

Anyway-

The Adventures

Alberto loves to show us around the island and take us on adventures. We are really lucky for this, because the other fellows are stuck in marisol hotel, or they have to take an expensive taxi if they ever want to adventure. The adventures are spontaneous. Erica and I will be doing something and then BAM! Out of nowhere, it is adventure time!

The Only Downfalls

As far as this homestay goes, there are really only a few downfalls.

1) Alberto smokes a whole ton (as most Azoreans do.) And he smokes inside the house and car. I am pretty sure I've already had a year taken off of my life from secondhand smoke.

2) Alberto insists on "refreshing" the house every morning (as all Azoreans do.) That means he opens every single window in the place, and I get yelled at if I try to close them. Unfortunately, I have a cold and wake up freezing and sneezy every morning. I don't want to refresh the house!

3) Erica and I have to walk a long distance if we want to visit anyone at the hotel. We also have to walk to the hospital and base5, whereas, the hotel kids (who are closer) are dropped off.