Feliz Domingo

Hola amigos...
I have not been writing much because I don´t have much new to say as of yet. I will write today to say that all is well, I am surviving, and every day is getting easier and easier. Although I am amidst barking dogs, scurrying guinnea pigs, and I am the whitest person in this town, I am starting to feel like this is ¨home.¨
Lets see...this past week has been really busy. We have Spanish class from 8am to 5pm every day. Although I am in a pretty easy Spanish class, it is helpful because I am realizing how much I have forgotten. Two days a week we take a bus to a town called Ayora (16 cents each way..) where we meet up with the other 60 Peace Corps volunteers for technical training. I never knew seeing fellow Americans could feel so good. We pretty much laugh all day about the crazy things that our families do/weird food we have been eating, etc. I think I got pretty lucky, some friends of mine have been eating pig intenstines, waking up at 5am to milk cows, and are so high up in the mountains that they literally freeze every night. As for me- I am a city girl, and am quite content with it!
This whole month is a month of parties in Cayambe. They are celebrating ¨San Pedro,¨which I have yet to figure out what it is. But- every day is a party, parade, killing of the bulls, or some other celebration.
Yesterday was quite a day. I went with my family to a RODEO. Now, I have never been to a rodeo...and I was really shocked. We arrived at a stadium full of 200 or more horses, with their cowboys, ready to begin the show. After about an hour, they let out the first bull (el toro). Two cowboys began chasing the toro around the rink. Every now and then the bull would stop, and face the horse. Then it would charge at the horse and cowboy, who would then proceed to run as fast as they could away from the bull. My whole body was shaking watching this, because these bulls were SO STRONG and fast, and just one hit from the horns of the bull could kill both the horse and cowboy (gaucho). And, to our luck, that happened! I watched a huge bull strike a horse from the side, and all of the intestines of the horse fell out. The horse continued to run, with its intenstines falling out. The horse ended up dying. I was really sad..
After the show, I went with a bunch of other Peace Corps volunteers to a bar to watch the World Cup (la copa mundial). After a couple beers, I looked out the window and saw two bicyclists approaching the bar. I did a double take and turns out it was Seth and his brother! Randomly, they happened to be in the same town, at the same bar, on the same day as I was. (for Jeanie and Eliza).
Anyway- today I am supposed to be playing in a soccer game with some local girls in town. They invited me to join their team...I am a bit scared because I have a feeling they play really well! I´ll let you know how that goes.
Thats all for now. I miss everyone mucho mucho and love you!
Mia