Estoy aqui!!

Hello all!

I have made it and am alive and well (No pops, I have not been abducted)!! If anyone ever needs to leave me a voicemail, just dial the magic jack... (513)334-8852 then dial the account number 0101115569.. otherwise, email works great.

We are in to week one of PST (pre-service training) which consists of lots and lots of language training and culture immersion with our new families. This has all been such a whirlwind of adventures since arriving for staging In Arlington, it was pretty amazing last Saturday to set all of my stuff down (plus the million and one other things Peace Corps gave us, such as my new handy mosquito net!) and look around the house that would my home for the next three months. I am living with a Nicaraguan family in Dolores, a pueblo of the department Corazo. Total immersion is the Peace Corps way of language and culture training, and that definitely what is happening now.

Here is new family! Donna Anita, her daughter Johanna and Johanna's 5 month old baby Hency...

This is only some of them, there is also Fernando, Henry, Fernanda, Gabriella, and the many other family members that are constantly coming by and introducing themselves and staying for some elementary conversations with me, which I greatly appreciate. It is me and two other "esperantes" (hopeful Volunteers) in Dolores, Natalie and Carly. We meet with our language facilitator every day for Spanish classes, where we have some informal classroom time and then explore the community in search of places and people for our health seminars, or "charlas." Training is full, full, full of information, meeting people, and establishing ourselves as part of this community, so I can't wait to get back to you with more to tell! Wish me luck!!