hola

Hello! I´ve had to borrow a computer so I´m writing this top haste. Thanks to everyone who has emailed me-Everyone here is so nice to me but I do feel a bit cut off without a phone and comuter. I don´t seem to be able connect with the internet on my laptop at the moment ( slight hitch with security key) so I can´t log on as I wish. I´m hoping to buy a phone card this week so hopefully I´ll be able to ring up home soon!

    Have soo much to tell I don´t know where to start! Mmmm...I guess the begining is a good start :) I´m living with a couple called Bill and Ceci. Bill is American and Ceci is local. Ceci is very sweet and we get on pretty well together, she´s the one who´ll be teaching me Spanish. Their house is next to the Foundacion so I think post might actually arrive since it´s "official". But who knows?! I have my own room and bathroom which is the height of luxury and I´m thoroughly enjoying it. Happy day so far we have sitting toilets which also flush (major bonus!) but the slight hitch is they can´t handle toilet paper. When ´finished´you have to put the paper in a bin next to you. This is still a bit unusual and requires all my focus to remember!!!

Hnag on-quick update. The address does exist but letters don´t make it. The foundacion has a box thing in Quito but they only check it once a month :(

 Foodwise I´ve tried various unknown vegetables and fruit and it´s all been good. I have had to firmly refuse guinea-pig!! I can compromise with chicken but I won´t give in on thegp front. I am millitant on this!!!!!! Diet here is very carb heavy:mash, rice etc for every meal and fried stuff. Keeping vaguely healthy will not be easy. Thank you for British tea bags smuggled in my suitcase! Only uht milk here but even so, my morning cup of tea is real treat.

     I showed Ceci my family pics yesterday. My brother is a giant appaprently ;) 
We have hummingbirds here! 7 different varieites. It´s totaly unbelievable, Bill has put up feeders and every few minutes you get a hummingbird at the widow fluttering away. They are soo beautiful! I feel as if I´m in a tropical zoo or something.

 Had a mad busy day yesterday. Met up with Jill (my misison partner) and went into the centre of Quito to get my visa ratified. Buses are dirt cheap here, the downside is they don´t actually stop. They just slow down and you have to jump on and off. My daily excercise taken care of! The roads and pavements here are abysmal. No proper concrete or slabs. Just gavel in large parts or bits missing. Makes it a bumpy ride and difficult to walk. You have to keep your eyes down on the floor at all times and it is very dusty :( I´m happy to say I did finally get my visa seen to but it took countless requests for help,4 mile walk,3 taxis, 2 buses, 2 goverment buildings and 1 bank deposit before we managed it. Organisational skills are not a strong point here! And apparently I got off lightly!!! They kept my passport, which I don´t like, and I need to return next week.

  By the time we finished out epic marathon Jill and I went straight to a farewell party for a missisoary girl. Met some English speaking people-hurrah! Then a large Arginitian party arrived and I spent the next 5 hours looking blank but poilte. I spend a lot of time standing around with people talking about me while I look gracious. It´s hard to not look bored and brain dead! Did meet a really nice and friendly American girl yesterday, Amy and hopefully we can meet up a bit. Didn´t leave until after 10 which made it 3am my time-I was shattered. Over here people tend to get up very early and go to bed aerly. 8-9 is the usual bed time. This is will take some getting used to I think. Mind you at the moment I´m wide awake at 5am because of time difference, feels totally unnatural but at least I look keen ;)

       How´s life in sunny England? Come on people, I want news, gossip, updates, newspaper headlines etc.