What a memorable Moment

I must admit I spend sleepless night on Thursday after learning that we would be visiting host families over the weekend.

 

The fear was, what if, I meet COLD people, I mean, I had assumptions like my host not being accommodative. 

I was relieved to learn that I would go in a company of my colleague Rachel; I thought if the host was not responding then we could take our time.

 

 We were dropped at the host family in down town Bangor, actually a walk away to Bangor Daily Newspaper, at around 4pm.

 

At the time our hosts were busy preparing to host a  “food party”, where by family friends brings inn food and eat together.  In this arrangement, they agree   in advance on a particular dish where by every family prepares food and they bring together to eat. They rotate hosting the

 Party.

 

This time it was Malaysian dish.

 

THE HOST

We met Laura and Rodger and their son Micah. Laura is an assistant professor at University of Maine Department of Communication and Journalism.

She is charming, energetic and easy to get along with.  She can laugh… and that’s what attracted me most, because we could laugh   freely. Laughing boost immunity by the way.

Rodger is a scientist. He works in a research centre almost two hours drive away from Bangor. He is undoubtedly a good cook.   He introduced us to varieties of dishes, cookies. I liked his conversations we charted a range of issues American politics, Tanzanian food and wildlife. We share one thing in common. We all love “Injera” Ethiopian dish.

 

Their son Micah is six years old. He is cute. But what attracted me most is his intelligence. He talks much sense   at his age and he has passion for science.  He resembles his dad’s physical features.

 In the backyard there is a big round plastic dish filed with water. Micah and his visiting friend spend their Saturday afternoon playing at the backyard.

 

It was not about splashing water in the dish as one must have expected for six years old boys, But Micah mostly use the dish water for scientific experiments. He would take insects or bugs and deep them to find out if they suffocated or move.

 

For example, I followed him at one point, as he was playing eager to know what he was doing. He deep an ant into the basin still the ant could move under the water. He turned to me and said,   “Isn’t that awesome?” I   did not know how to respond.

 

In the house, there are scattered SHARK doll. The father tells me Micah is fascinated by SHARKS. He said the boy knows everything about Sharks. He reads books and watched documentaries about Sharks.

 

At the corner of the living room he has placed a net (just like a mosquito net) where he is breeding butterflies.

 

He owns a microscope and at one point he demonstrate to us how to use it.

 

 

MANNERS
I joined him as he was playing with toys he had borrowed from a kid next door and accidentally he breaks the handle.  I observe his reaction.

 

Unlike what most children back home would do-hide or throw away

 

Micah rushed for a seal tape repaired it and rushed to the friend in the neighborhood to say SORRY.

I fell in LOVE with Micah.

Thanks to the devotion of Rodger ad Laura in   the upbringing Micah.

 

FOOD

This family cherishes food. The fridge is full of organic products.

 

I like food.  I felt I was at a right place. I adore dinning out, which we did at an elegant restaurant on the banks of river.

 

GIRLS OUT

It was a group of three girls shopaholic. Laura, Monica and Rachel. We moved from one Mall to another.  All this time we could laugh loud.

 

NO WAY

Sorry, I could not cope with the family dog. Her name is

Marley. But I appreciate the way they relate with the dog.   Where I come from we treat dogs differently. I guess with time I could cope but not just in two nights.

What a memorable moment!