Under Oath

Reading: Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

Omnibus 105 officially sworn-in

As of today, Omnibus 105 is officially sworn in a Peace Corps Volunteers, which means we are all now defenders of the United States of America. You can take that as sarcastically as you see fit. I'm leaving for Guayas tonight and will officially start as a volunteer in my site tomorrow. That being said, leaving my host family here in Tumbaco as well as the rest of the group is going to be much harder then it was leaving the states. Welcome round two of culture shock.

Livin' in the 'burbs

Reading: Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath

Alright, so here’s the first actual posting from south of the equator… I’ve been here for a little over two weeks now and am finally starting to settle in. The training center is just outside of Tumbaco, a suburb of Quito. My host family has been nothing but exceptional, especially when it comes to dealing with my pitiful use of Spanish and my fickle eating preferences. I’m living with a young married couple and their two daughters in a lovely apartment that includes a hot shower. The mother and younger brother of the wife live in the apartment above us and are hosting another trainee and we usually have family meals together and what not – an added luxury during these last few weeks.