As I was preparing to study abroad in Spain for two semesters, one of the things that kept nagging at the back of my mind was my future living situation. I had opted to live with a host family instead of in the student apartments, and most of the days leading up to my move across the Atlantic, I would worry about how I could ever possibly adjust to living with an entire household full of people that I had never met before.

I suppose I had spooked myself a bit by listening to accounts of "homestay horror stories," but aside from my irrational fears, I was still anxious at the possibility of not getting along with my host family.

As with most things in my life, I needn't have worried so much.

I am convinced that my host mother, Antonia, is actually an angel in disguise. From the first emails we exchanged, to our first meeting, to the time I came down with a week-long norovirus, and she stayed up with me every night to make sure I was OK, she might be the biggest reason why my study abroad experience has been so wonderful.

The best way to describe her is a "professional mom." She has been hosting students from all over the world since the 1990's, and its easy to see why my home university has worked with her for as long as they have. Antonia is incredibly attentive, immediately noticing if a headache or homesickness. Most of the time, I wouldn't even have to verbalize that something was wrong, somehow, she always just knew.

She is also one of the best cooks I could have ever hoped to live with. Everything from pasta to paella, she knows how to make it, and makes it well. Even though I'm probably the slowest eater you'll ever meet and was frequently told, "Bella! No comes nada! Come más!" I can honestly say that there was always something on the table that I would enjoy. Once I even tried pig's feet. It was about as enjoyable as it sounds, but hey, now I can say I did it!

I think what I appreciated the most about Antonia was her empathy and willingness to listen. Especially during my first semester when I was having trouble finding my place and wasn't interested in heading to clubs at 2 A.M. every weekend (not to shame those who did, I'm just a bit of a homebody by nature), she was always there to lend an open ear so that I could express how I was feeling to her.

We would sit with our tea after dinner, usually accompanied by whatever Spanish cartoon came on after the news, and just talk. She told me that we were very similar, kind of on the shy side and family-oriented. She understood that I missed my family and my boyfriend, and she would ask to see pictures of them. In turn, I got to hear about her life, all the while practicing my Spanish speaking and listening skills.

She made me feel incredibly welcome and relaxed in my new home and for that, I will be eternally grateful. So grateful, in fact, that I'm not sure there are words nearly adequate enough in the English or Spanish languages combined to tell her how thankful I am for her and all the wonderful ways she has helped me grow, not just in my second language competency, but as a person as well. So for now, I guess I'll just have to say;

Muchas gracias, Antonia. Gracias por todo lo que has hecho por mí y que continúan haciendo para los futuros estudiantes. Eres la mejor madre española que podría haber pedido. Estoy agradecida por ti y te quiero mucho. **besos**