去西班牙Salamanca一間語言學校讀西班牙文，不過是半年前的事，但記憶已經開始模糊，連寄宿家庭的那位host mother，叫什麽名字，已經一時想不起來。但她的善良和勤勞，至今難忘。
(我的房間）
寄宿家庭（host family）是語言學校幫我找的，離學校很近，host mother 很和善，和兩個兒子同住，空出的房間，就用來接待外國學生。當時除了我之外，她還接待兩個來自美國的女孩子，亦是來Salamanca讀西班牙文的，但不似我，她們是要在這裡長期奮戰的，因爲在這邊的學習是她們在美國大學的課程一部分。
她們兩位的三餐都由host mother準備，而我則只吃早餐和午餐。而早餐，因爲一早上學的關係，加上吃的少，我往往飲杯茶，吃塊餅，就算了，到了後來，我乾脆就叫host mother不用早起專門為我準備早餐，我自己用微波爐沖杯茶飲就算了，因爲她實在很辛苦。
host mother除了一周無休照顧學生的三餐，還要洗碗，洗衣服，打掃房子和做清潔的工作。不僅幫學生一星期洗一次衣服，平時兩個兒子的生活，包括洗衣服等，都是由她一手打理。這還不計算她平時要外出購物，為三餐做準備，和買日常用品。
吃完晚飯算是她一日最平和的時間，這時她會把起居室的門半掩，一個人在看電視。她的兩個兒子都已經二十多嵗，各有節目，很少在家，亦很晚才囘家。
她為什麽一個人，是丈夫早逝，還是兩人離異了，我一直不敢打探。在起居室，就只放有她父母的照片，和一個在她的家生活了一整年、她視之如女兒的一個舊時學生的照片。
說起她煮的飯菜，真是分量十足，絕不欺場，而且豐富美味。每餐都有頭盆(沙律或湯) 、主餐和水果，還每日變化菜式，今日吃西班牙炒蛋，明日就吃扒類，再過一日則品嘗西班牙辣腸豆湯。我離開前的午餐，她就特別為我炮製了西班牙著名的海鮮飯(paella)，落料十足，香噴噴的。
我沒有付錢包晚餐，但host mother 有時還是會主動邀請我和那兩個美國女孩子一同吃晚飯；我周末去了別的地方玩，很晚才回來，她會問我餓不餓，招呼我吃點什麽來填肚。
有時下雨囘家，把溼了的鞋隨便放在地上，到了外出再囘來的時候，會發覺host mother已將我的鞋斜斜地放在桌子下的橫木上，好讓鞋子快乾些。
這些和那些的一些細節，是我對host mother 的一點回憶。沒有名字的回憶。也是致敬。
7 comments ↓
You have learned spanish for a period of time and thank you for sharing your experience of it. I would like to give me the price, the duration for learning spanish in Salamanca and Barcelona. Thanks! I am looking forward to your reply by e-mail.
just got back from Salamanca, I think there’s a good place to stay, the school is good, things are cheaper than other cities. I am thinking to go back there next year.
Hello, I’d like to learn Spanish in Salamanca for half year next year, could you please advise me which school is better and what’s the useful information? Thanks for your help!
您好， 我想請問一下你可以告知你在Salamanca學校名字嗎?謝謝
Isla. /Anna
Hawk,
Hope that it’s not too late to share my experience with you. I have been to Barcelona to study Spanish for 2 weeks(due to work so can’t stay longer) in mid of July this year. My school is EF. It’s a summer package: HK$17,000 with tuition fee, accomodation (host family), air tickets, insurance, airport pick up
and school registration fee included. They also gave me a IDD calling card (HKD100) and a 1-year international student card which you can pay student prices for nearly all museums. Barcelona and Madrid are the most expensive places to learn Spanish in Spain. So I think study in Salamanca should cost less than this amount. But the arrangements made by EF is excellent. My host family is not only located near the school (just 15-20 min walk), but also located in the center of Barcelona (Gracia). All touristic places and the famous beach, Barceloneta are just within 5 metro stations from my home. Very convenient! EF has its HK office in TimeSquare in Causeway Bay. They have schools in Barcelona and Malaga in Spain. Hope this can help :)
Kate, thank you for sharing your experience. appreciate it!
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