SENIOR LIVINE

girls don’t seem to mind the chaos that sometimes drives me crazy.

Little by little, I am learning about their preferences. I made bok choy and tofu, hoping to appeal to their Taiwanese palate. They liked it, but to my surprise, they also like hot dogs, bacon and French fries. I made them tea each morning with the mountain tea leaves that Cynthia brought as a gift until they told me that they like to drink coffee too. My cultural stereotypes are showing.

They had fun eating artichokes for the first time and tasting root beer (which they assumed was beer). They discovered that they love root beer floats.

We enjoy laughing about English idioms and deciphering personalized license plates. They are practicing English and I am using Google translate. (They have been studying English since kindergarten, so they’re way ahead of me in acquiring a new language.)

The girls amuse me with texted gifs and heart emojis throughout the day. For the first time this week, I heard them giggling with one another which assured me they are feeling comfortable.

After so many years of empty nest, it’s nice to have teens in the house again, if only for a few weeks. I know their parents worry about them being so far from home, but I want to reassure them that we are delighted to care for their daughters. It’s been a pleasure to open our home and share knowledge about our culture, and we have been enriched learning about theirs.

Mary Sortino Petersen is a retired COC English instructor, 30-year SCV resident and two-time breast cancer survivor. 