Wow. Lost and Found via the Internet

One day I was poking around the internet and decided again to Google the names of some people I have lost touch with over the years. I do that every so often to see who shows up. You never know.


On this particular search through my list of names, I found a guy who could possibly be Nilo, one of my host brothers from the 4-H exchange trip I took to Spain in 1987, so I emailed him with a link to my Adventures blog. I asked if he might be a member of my host family, and mentioned a couple of details I remember about him.


I put the matter out of my head because I was busy with moving and two road trips down to southern California. Que sera', sera'.


About a month or two after sending out that email to Nilo in Spain, I got this reply with pictures.

It's my "other family!"

The reply is bittersweet, though. When I was in Spain my host sister, Ana, and I did everything together - we were the same age and had a lot of common interests. In the middle of Nilo's letter he simply says that she died in 1996 (approx age 29.) I cried and cried over Ana, partly because I felt so bad for her and her family, and partly because I was disappointed I wouldn't get to reunite with her again. That sad news aside, it looks like everyone is doing very well.


I have translated the letter here: (and am VERY surprised I can still read Spanish this well; I haven't really used it since '87.)




Pam:
We are glad to know you are well. We have looked at many of your photos of your family.
You were in Valladolid and Matadeon (Spain) in 1987? You were 19 years old.
We now live in Leon from July to October and in Matadeon from November to June.
Javier lives in Madrid. Nilo (Jr.) in Leon, although he travels world wide. Ana Maria died in 1996.
We think of you often and continue to be your "Second Family."
Looking forward to more things from your life.
We wish the best to you and your family,
Kisses,
Nilo (father) Chiqui, Javier, and Nilo (son)




PS: You might notice I added a page translation gadget near the top of this page.

"TRADUZCA ESTA PÁGINA" is Spanish for "Translate this page" and the instructions tell you how to read this page in Spanish. I did that to make it easier for my "other family" to read this in Spanish. If you' like to read it in another language, the widget has other language options as well.

I hope the translated page is readable and any grammatical errors are hilariously funny instead of confusing.