My first bucket bath...

Sunday, the water tank in Tabacundo ruptured (or so said the vecina, how does she know?). Come Monday night we still had no water, and I wasn´t about to get on a bus for Quito dirty (because, let´s be honest friends, we all know that I don´t even bathe every day in the U.S. if I don´t have to). So host mom offered to boil me some water and lend me a tupperware. I hauled my bucket upstairs and got to work. Something about the whole experience was quite humiliating. Standing in a tile shower that is cold and empty is terribly awkward. And then you´re standing there dumping tupperwares full of water on yourself. It´s too quiet- water hits the floor and echoes. I felt like I was scared people would hear me, as if I was doing it incorrectly. How is a bucket bath supposed to sound? How long is a bucket bath supposed to take? Was I supposed to use all the water?

So my advice to you, Lauren, before you go to Africa is...PRACTICE. Because it´s no joke, the bucket bath will happen to you in Peace Corps. Just when you thought your city was developed enough...

We visited Guayaquil about a week ago. It was mucho mucho fun. Guayaquil is a big, fast city. None of us got robbed and we ate ice cream every single day.

Anyway, today I am in QUITO! Lovely Quito with all of its amenities, none of which fit into my $10/day Peace Corps budget. We´re getting cell phones tomorrow, yay! And then Friday we will swear in. Swearing in is a really big deal with the ambassador and everything. I´ll head off to my site on Sat night, get there Sun morning. Really the only thing that makes me nervous at this point is getting all my luggage to site.

Saying goodbye to host family was horrible. We ate dinner last night together, all 15 of us. Host mom made a really good soup that had peanut in it, and then papipollo (chicken, rice, french fries, salad). It´s my favorite- probably because it´s the most normal thing I can get my hands on. Host brother, Pepe, burned me some music for my new house, which has significantly less people in it. It´s going to be sad living so quietly for the next 2 years.

Harry Potter went Disney with that epilogue and I am quite disillusioned.

Ok friends, until I get to my site!!! I´ll post new pictures then.
Love you all mucho!

p.s. Thank you for all the birthday wishes and mail!