A nutsy couple of weeks to close out PST

Where oh where to begin? It's been an intense couple of weeks, with a ton of roller-coaster emtions, so I'm going to try and catch you up briefly without mentioning each and every little thing... here we go!

First off, I got to do the tourist thing in Quito! We visited several museums, several gorgeous churches, including the Gothic Basilica and La Compania church (reputedly the most beautiful in all of South America). The lovely SJs and I took the tourist-y double-decker bus around Quito on our last weekend in town. Though I usually avoid those types of things, I very much enjoyed being able to see a lot more of the city, including the modern art museum. There was a stupendous alternate-reality exhibit called 'Améxica', which explored what the world would have looked like if manifest destiny had occurred in the opposite direction (ie, Incas and Aztecs conquering Europe). Just well drawn and fun to see.

La Compania church in Quito. Nope, I didn't take this, but isn't it GLORIOUS? Almost anything yellow is gold-leaf.

Among other things that have crossed my path, I've gotten a couple of news-es (just go with it - my language addled brain wants to say it) from home that have just been keeping me on an emotional cliff the past few weeks. My grandfather had a stroke several weeks ago, and is finally home, but due to the severity of the stroke and having rather advanced Parkinsons, he's having a really tough time with recovery. My grandmother is also having a difficult time adjusting to it, so I've been worried about them a lot (thus, to anyone at PST who I snapped at or was just not helpful to, I'm sorry...).
I also found out a couple of hours before leaving for my site that a close family member is probably going to have to have cardiac valve-replacement surgery within the next couple of months. Even if my travel companions could tell something was wrong, I'm pretty sure I kept it together better than I expected I would. So far, it's unclear how this situation will unfold, but we'll find out for sure towards the end of the month exactly what's going to have to happen.Overall, I didn't want something to make me want to go home, so if someone notices me being self-pitying the next few weeks, tell me to buck-up, lock it up, and go for a run. Jogging is better than peanut butter (or so I've been told).
To all of you who have listened to me vent, or have lent me a shoulder to cry on (in person or e-shoulders), you are vastly appreciated. I couldn't have survived the past few weeks without you.

On a brighter note, as many of you have seen, I am officially a PeaceCorps volunteer now! We had our swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, which was fun to attend. A lot of families came out to watch us graduate, and several of my co-volunteers gave absolutely smashing speeches. Overall, after three months of exhausting training, it was really motivating to launch us into our new worlds. I'm still sad about leaving my buddies, but the next two years are going to rock, I'm certain of it!

America and Ecuador - the crossing of my two new worlds!

Though my site is very, very, VERY far away (due to some hiccups, it took over 22 hours to get here), it's gorgeous. The people are a little leery of the strange gringa wandering around, but those to whom I have spoken have been friendly and interested, so I'm hoping my novelty status helps me through the awkward. As soon as I have some time, I'll take pictures. My new host family is lovely, and though it'll take time to get used to one another, I think I'll really enjoy living with them. My counterpart invited me to her coffee shop/plantation last night to have dinner and to see their home - also beautiful! I was unfortunately not able to join her to learn about her roasting process this morning, due to more-serious-than-I-realized dehydration catching me unawares, but she's promised to have me over soon.
The next couple of weeks are jam-packed with work and meetings and learning - I'll be a sleepy Melly, but luckily I live deep in coffee country, so I'll have something to help me combat the weariness!

As far as updates go, I know I've missed a lot of fun things. My fellow trainees and I spent a fair amount of time hanging out before heading to our new sites over the past few weeks, which was delightful. Our training staff spent a lot of time making sure that we knew we were appreciated, as well as mentally preparing us for site, which has been magnificent. My friends and family at home have been spectacularly supportive and encouraging over the past few weeks. It was hard to say goodbye to my host family in Collaqui, but they were also encouraging and made sure to see me off with many warm fuzzies.

All of this combined? I'm ready to launch into an incredibly intimidating (from this end) two years of service with the PeaceCorps. It'll be tough, fun, and life-changing. Let's do this!