August 23, 2008

Only a few more days in Cayambe!!! YAYAY!!! I will miss my family here terribly. They are the biggest reason why I have not gotten homesick. They are always patient with me and willing to talk to me. The kids absolutely adore me and have gotten into the habit of hanging of my neck. Juan and I have a love/hate relationship. He is such a little brother! We tease each other mercilessly and are very competitive. He likes to say “la Katie va a perder/ Kaitlyn is going to lose” whenever he sees me. I’m not always sure what I am supposed to lose (I doubt he knows either), however, I always promptly respond that I am going to win, that I always win, and that he, in fact, will lose. I then follow my remarks with an over-exaggerated ‘your going waaaaaaay down’ gesture.

This past week was a little hard for me. A few days after my friend left without explanation (although some nasty rumors have surfaced as to the reason she left) I had an oral language exam and didn’t do as well as I had hoped. I studied really hard and really felt I was improving. So did my instructor. So when I didn’t go up to the next level, I got really frustrated. Spanish just isn’t easy for me. It never has been. I know I shouldn’t really care what some instructor thinks of my Spanish ability after talking to me for 5 minutes. But still...

Then the apartment I was planning on living in after my first three months in la Misma fell through. Even though I wasn’t ecstatic about the apartment, it was better than nothing. Housing that meets Peace Corps budget and safety requirements is hard to find and I know I can’t live with the family longer than the minimum 3 month requirement. I will go insane!

Not much happened today. I went for a long run with Lauren. I am finally getting adjusted to the altitude and I am leaving in a few days. Figures. I also bought a thank-you present for my family. Tomorrow all the trainees are throwing a big thank-you party for the families in Ayora. My family is really excited.

Oh… and there is a dead pig in the kitchen. A HUGE dead pig. I’m not sure how long it is going to be in the kitchen. It is a little/lot strange to look, yet I can’t look away. I’m not sure what to think.