Cutest Nene Ever

This is Manuel, who would technically be my host nephew. He's 21 months old and absolutely adorable. My host mother watches him on the weekdays, so we've become great buddies. He calls me "nena" because he can't pronounce "Allison" ("nena" meaning "girl"). I love communicating with Manuel. It's refreshing to speak in three-word sentences every once in awhile. His favorite words are "agua" (water) and "colega" (buddy). He has become attached to my teddy bear ("guau guau") and is fascinated by my computer and itunes playlist.

I think my host mother is secretly happy that I love kids and says that she's impressed by my babysitting skills. She's relieved when I get home from classes and has even told me that she'd sometimes prefer cooking and doing housework. Having Manuel, while fun, is also a ton of work. As I mentioned before, he loves water and will wander into the bathroom to play in the toilet, fill the bidet, etc. But I don't mind keeping him preoccupied. It makes my day a little happier.