Here, have a photo! That's me in the brown and the hat on the left, hoeing away, at one of the farms we visited. I stole this photo off of Rosa's camera.

I’m writing this in my room, with the rain pounding overhead in a soothing rhythm. It’s been raining a lot lately, so hard that in class yesterday that the sound was too loud to hear anyone speak. I like the rain, but the bad news is I washed some of my clothing four days ago and it’s still wet. Sopping wet. I don’t know how on earth anything dries around here.

So so SO much has been going on, I don’t even know where to begin.

Oh! I finally ate cuy (guinea pig) last night. I have a great photo of it, cooked head and all, but it’s on my camera and I still don’t have the stuff I need to get the photos off of it. It’s really good! I enjoyed it, though it was weird to gnaw on something that still looked like an animal, paws and all.

Last weekend we went on a “cultural trip” to Cotacachi, the “leather making capital of the world.” It has some beautiful stuff for very cheap, but being a Peace Corps Trainee I don’t really need a gorgeous leather bag or high boots. But I did buy a scarf and a big leather bracelet with a sun on it. I know, not exciting to read about, but I’m excited about it. And awe man, some neat stuff happened but I can’t really write about it, so call me. I have a phone now! Ask, amigas, and I’ll give the number.

Note: Go to callingcards.com and you can call me for very cheap. Think about it. I can’t call any of you, my phone doesn’t make international calls, but I can receive them for free.
While in Cotacachi, we visited the site of a volunteer, and her house was nice. I mean Peace Corps-nice, obviously, not normal-nice. She said that it’s an unusually nice house, cement floor, sagging roof, and outside bathroom included. Her garden was beautiful, and it made me excited to start my own.

While in Cotacachi I had a sore throat, which continued into Sunday, but I decided to go on a hike to some mythical hot springs anyway with the people from two different towns. I say mythical because we never found them. It was still a fantastic day, hiking through forests, across a large stream (where I fell in, soaking my sneakers and pants), and up a mountain. I mean UP A MOUNTAIN. All together we walked six and a half hours, and three and a half of those were straight up. The whole time this scrappy little dog named Lassie followed right by our sides. I was dead by the time we stopped; I’ve never exercised that hard in my life. We started at a point where we were sweating in t-shirts, and after 3.5 hours were above the clouds, to a point where it was freezing cold and I was bundled up in my winter hat. When we were up there, past any road or path, just in wilderness, the ground dropped away so sharply right beyond where we were walking into the clouds of a valley. Don’t worry, we were safe; it was mostly the beautiful illusion of loneliness up there, only a few minutes walk from farmer’s fields. Eventually we gave up on finding the hot springs and went back down again. It was AWESOME, even as I was gasping pathetically for breath. I love the people in my group; they cheered me on every step of the way.

Needless to say, my sore throat turned into an irritating, but not too terrible, cold that is still lingering. The continuous rain and cold isn’t helping much, either, and for several days after the hike my legs were very unhappy when walking.

This week we went to Rosa’s (our facilitator) house to cook Ecuadorian food. Mmm, empanadas with cheese and crispy chifles, and more. Cooking is such a bonding experience, everyone helping everyone else; everyone crowded together working with the smells of food and the sound of Spanish music hanging in the air. It was pretty damn impressive, and we all ate our fill. I had even haggled with the woman selling the bananas, and brought her price down over a dollar. Hell no, I’m not paying the gringa price! My Spanish is worlds better than it was three weeks ago.

That day was Saint Patty’s day, and after cooking our delicious food we all made our way back to Cayambe to meet with other trainees for some green beer.

The day before, in the same town, we had inadvertently caught an annual parade that the local elementary school was putting on to celebrate the creation of the school. Tons of little kids in elaborate costumes dancing, with music blaring out of speakers roped to the back of pick-up trucks. It was a total immersion into the culture, and I felt very privileged to be able to see such a thing that usually only the people in this small town in Ecuador get to see.

On a final note: Yesterday we played a quick game of “rock, paper, scissors” to get everyone’s energy level up after a long day of sitting. It was played with the 45 of us, and everyone had to play with someone, and whoever lost, the other person became their “fan”, cheering them on. If they had fans, once you beat them, their fans became yours. In the end there were only two of us left, so I had over twenty people behind me chanting “Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!” as I battle rock-paper-scissors to the death. I lost, but it was surprisingly thrilling, and a great boost of energy.

I find out my site in four days. I’m so excited I can’t even express it. Next time I post, I’ll know where I’m going to spend the next two years of my life. It’s a wonderful thought.

Now I open it to you, friends and family: How are you? What are you all up to during my absence? Tell me! I’m serious about this. You read, you tell. That’s the deal.

Love, Sarah