Mi Vida en Tabacundo- en la Mitad del Mundo

Hello everyone!

Well-- I arrived in the city of Tabacundo on saturday and will be living here with a host family for the next 10 weeks. I live with a great family! The dad runs a kind of taxi service and also supervises a rose garden. Roses are one of the main industries here and you can buy 24 rose for only 2 dollars! So there are always flowers here! My mom stays home and works really hard keeping everything clean and preparing all the meals. My host brothers are 16 and 8 years old and really sweet- we play a lot of Uno and the little one and I like to draw pictures and play random games. My host mother loves to try and make me eat lots of food. She laughs about how she will feed me until my clothes don´t fit and since i don´t eat enough she thinks i am anorexic.
It is pretty funny but seriously-- I heard it´s because of the altitude (we are up high in the mountains) but I am just not hungry here.
We are training and learning a lot everyday. It is complete spanish immersion which is overwhelming but exciting. I learn so much everyday... it is crazy. It´s hard too... i feel pretty isolated sometimes... we try to spend most of our time with our families as to better integrate into our community which is great but can be really hard too. It is a challenge to go from living on my own, making my own choices to being a host daughter in a culture that I don´t yet understand. This means--- no going out, no drinking, no skipping meals.... so I started running. Yea- how healthy am i? A couple volunteers and i meet in the mornings at 6 or 6:30 am to go running at a very rundown track. The best part is there are other people in our community who do that too and we are starting to become regulars and accepted in that facet.
Let´s see.... the food is interesting and I really like bizcochos (which is a kind of bread). So good.
All coffee is instant coffee... I learned how to make icecream....
Mostly my host family thinks i am crazy and I just laugh. I am the gringa mas gringa.
I think this training is going to continue to challenge me in new ways... It´s hard for me to give up parts of my old identity ... i am trying to find balance but I am just not sure how yet.
But I saw in a patrick swayze movie- that I have three choices in life...
1. Run
2. Stay on the side-lines and spectate
3. Commit

I am commited. I will speak spanish! I will intergrate into my family and community! I will keep growing, learning and trying new things!

So that is where I am at... I am a bit homesick so if you have time-- drop me an e-mail or something!
>By the way--- Ecuador is gorgeous! okay-- gotta do laundry... handwashing--sweet.

Con Amor,
Hannah P

Staging in Miami

Today is my second day in Miami which is pretty much latin america! Everyone speaks spanish--- it's seriously the best ever. It's been non-stop info and getting to know folks. There are about 35 people heading to Ecuador either working in youth developmet or health--- The people are great- I have been getting to know so many interesting people with big hearts and eager spirits to learn and grow. I think we are all so thrilled to meet each other that making friends is really easy and fun. It was scary at first- no doubt. Tomorrow= Quito, Ecuador. Then off to Cayambe for 3 days and I move in with my host family on saturday in a smaller village outside of Cayambe. Our swearing in ceremony is slated for August 31rst and then we will be assigned to our sites and begin our work. It's incredible to think it is really about to happen! The hotel in Miami is pretty sweet and there is a great pool ( so i think that is my evening plans). Figure i gotta live it up pretty good as during training we work 6 days a week, all day----yikes. But I guess that would be the best way to learn, right? Much love to everyone!!!

The Night Before...

I´ve said most of my good-byes... my bags are packed and my room is empty of my things. I am ready to get on a plane tomorrow morning. I am ready to get to work. I am ready to learn. I am ready to speak Spanish better. I am ready to meet lots of new people. I leave my town, friends and family with a sense of strength and support and I am so grateful for that. There isn't much else to say yet. I am tired and it's humid and right now I feel very small in a very big world.