Chulla Vida!

Hello all! Greetings from Tumbaco, Ecuador!

Thank you for all of your thoughts and good wishes during this past week. While the past six days have exhausted this introvert, everything has gone smoothly and I am so thankful to be here.

In Peace Corps lingo, I am officially part of Omnibus 110. There are thirty of us, and we're evenly split between the Youth & Families and Community Health sectors. We are the 110th group of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Ecuador. Woo!  (Don't ask me what "omnibus" means. I have no idea.)

We spent the past three days living at the training center, attending crash courses on cultural sensitivity, language, and safety. Then yesterday we were introduced to our host families and sent home to live with them. Yes, it was as terrifying as it sounds.

I have a host mom, Blanca, two host brothers, Andres (29) and Esteban (20), and a whole lot of extended host family. They all live in adjoining houses behind the same locked gate. There were at least fifty family members and friends invited over for a celebratory lunch for my arrival. I have never kissed so many cheeks. En serio. Thankfully, some of my host cousins and nieces are young children; they helped this gringa feel less self-conscious.

After the lunch, I went with Blanca and a host of other female relatives to the stadium to watch the men play in their weekly soccer game. Apparently they were not playing as well as they usually do, and the ladies on the bench let them know it.  =) It was definitely the most fun I've ever had watching a soccer game. (No offense, Joel!)

While I'm still getting used to living with a family that's not my own, they've been nothing but welcoming and helpful. It seems, once again, that all of my worrying has been for naught.
And while I washed my clothing by hand this morning, I do have internet in my house. Go figure! But that means I can communicate with you all more frequently =D

Ok, Amelia, Blanca's 5-year-old great-niece, is tugging on my arm to go play. I'll write more soon...and post pictures!

Love!