So I´ve officially been in Ecuador for a week and a half...very exciting! I joined a new family last Saturday, and they have been very kind to me. I currently live in Tabacundo, which is a small town of about 5000 people located an hour from Quito. There are 5 other PC people with me in Tabacundo, and 33 total in the surrounding areas. We all get together about 2-3 times per week for group training sessions, and stay with our small groups for the rest of the time.

My spanish is slowly improving...it´s very difficult to switch back and forth frequently, and I´m still not very good at understanding what people say. Some are easier to understand than others, of course, and some try to be more helpful than others. For the most part, though, people are very accommodating to my language lack. I did test in at the avancado bajo (advanced low) level, which means that instead of spending my extra days in language class, I´ll be working in the community to get a taste of what life will be like for the next two years.

My family here has been great...there are 3 teenage daughters, though one is in Quito during the week to attend university. They are 13, 17, and 19, and the two parents also live there. On the weekends, there are about 20-30 family members in town for the festivals that happen every weekend from now until September. There is a lot of dancing in the streets with guitars and singing and plenty of drinking.

The food here is quite good, though LOTS of carbs. It´s not unusual to eat rice, noodles, potatoes, and bananas all in one meal...potentially with some bread, as well. My family has been great about making sure I have vegetables and meat, as well. The fruit here is AMAZING and plentiful, and really cheap. A meal here (soup, juice, rice, meat, and veggie) is about $1.25.

I started malaria meds last night, which supposedly give you CRAZY dreams, so we´ll see how that goes... so far, nothing too out of the ordinary. Next weekend we´re taking cultural field trips to various parts of the coast, so we have to start preventative meds a week early. I´m excited to see another type of culture. There are three distinct cultures here... on the coast it´s more casual, but more fast paced. Here in the sierra (mountains), it´s mostly mestizo (mixed race) and indigenous, but more formal. There´s also the oriente (rain forest), which I don´t know much about. I´m not sure yet where I´d like to be for my two years, though probably not in the Oriente.

Anyway, all is well here. I love to hear from all of you, so keep the letters and emails coming! And, congrats to Kristin and Shawn for getting engaged!! I´m so excited to come home for your wedding and my brother´s graduation!! Ciao!