The first foray into my life in Ecuador

Well, I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one reading this who spent her Saturday evening dancing to a Mariachi Band in Ecuador.
Alright, maybe that's a little out of context, so let's back up a step.

Saturday, all of the PeaceCorps Ecuador trainees met their host families, with whom we'll be living for the next three months. Needless to say, we'd all been a bit nervous about leaving the country, but I am pretty sure that all of the volunteers would agree that the most nerve-wracking thought thus far has been meeting our host families. This is a short-term family, so it's perhaps a little less intimidating than the next leg (which will be six months to two years, depending on the situation), but nonetheless, it was arrhythmia inducing.

After giving us an incredibly in-depth rundown of what to expect, all of the volunteers were lined up on one side of the courtyard, and the families on the other. Our intrepid leader then began to call out names: first the 'Aspirante', as the volunteers are called, and then the host families' names. We'd meet in the middle, and then go grab our luggage.
I was called towards the beginning of the roster, so I didn't see most of the families meet their volunteers.

The lovely ladies who brought me home, Ms.Victoria and her sister(in-law?), live very close to the training center. I'll get to walk about 1/2 mile each morning and evening - I'm excited. I think I'm probably living closer than anyone else, so maybe less time for socializing, but I need to dive into this immersion thing.

Anyway, they live in a charming house within a compound - I can't quite figure out what the exact family situation is, but from what I understand, the following is the setup:
Victoria, Husband, Son, myself - 1 house
Victoria's Sister(in-law), Husband, Daughter, and Son - 1 house
Victoria's Mother and Husband - 1 house

All of the casitas are in a little compound, with several chickens, a piedra de lavar (hand-washing stone), a pig-pen, garden, and lots of room for the resident stray dogs and cats to roam.

I'm absolutely stoked - we have a hot-water shower, a hand-washing stone basin, wifi, and generally super-friendly folks. Pretty much everything a girl could want - and exactly what I was (selfishly) praying for. Seriously, spoiled with wifi. I know there are going to be hiccups and miscommunications, and several more-than-awkward moments, but I want to learn!


Upon my arrival, my lovely hostess informed me that it's her mother's birthday today, so they were grilling a HUGE dinner for the 12 of us (including some out-of-town relatives). Victoria's husband and son were still working, or working out of town (also unclear to this Gringa), but it was fun to have a bunch of out-of-town family to meet.

Lots of grilling (both of chicken and the Gringa about her lack-of-boyfriend situation), followed by soup with chicken (enough to be more than a full meal for me). Once they'd cleared away the soup and given speeches thanking the mother for being such a wonderful lady, a mariachi band came in and sang several songs for them. The first one was just for the guests of honor, but then they were insistent that everyone dance, so ... long-story short, I was dancing to mariachi. To those who have known me for a while, breathe normally - it's still me, but new continents demand a change in being mortifyingly shy.

After the band left, another course was served, which was about 3 times as much as I usually can get down in a meal... I've got leftovers for Monday lunch! They were very gracious about me not being able to cram down as much as I was offered. I am going to *have* to take up jogging as soon as it is physically possible. I should see if any other volunteers would be down for joining me, so as not to run alone and break all of the rules.

For the final result of the evening, I've been informed that I need to learn to dance more, drink more, and eat more.
Cultural immerson, y'all.

As I'm writing this, the party is still going on out there with a lot of raucous dancing and laughter.
It's been a tough three days, and I have this feeling that the next three months are going to be really, really challenging, but I'm looking forward to it.

I still have no idea why life has funneled me in this direction, but I hope that my learning will be good for me, and will equip me to help someone out, no matter who that is.