Family Breakfast

By Amalia Angulo (9th grade)

In Colombia it is customary to have breakfast with the whole family, all together, and by that I mean the WHOLE family. When all of us, including my cousins, aunt, uncle, sister and mom, are at my grandparents’ house, we all have breakfast together. This tradition has also become more of a “rule” because my grandma will open the door and draw the blinds, declaring very loudly that it is noon or 11am when it is in fact 7 or 8 in the morning, making sure everyone is up. This might sound annoying to some, but you get used to it and eventually come to see it as a sweet way of letting all of us know that everyone else is up and we are about to have breakfast. It has become so important for our family to share that space that if someone has to take a flight or go earlier to work, then you are also getting up early in order to eat with them. Even when friends are staying over, whether at my house or at my grandparents’ house they have to wake up early as well. This is a very important part of the day because it is a time in which we can talk, share, catch up, laugh and wish each other a good day. Being able to have breakfast together is a very special and important tradition for me because it brings my family together. Looking back, we've been doing this for as long as I can remember and I can’t think of a better way to start the day than to be surrounded by family and food.