Host Family

Hey everyone. It looks like we´ll only have internet access on Fridays for the next couple of months. I´m in an internet cafe right now in the closest city to the small town where Matt and I are living. Our family is super nice and from what we can tell a bit better off than most in the community. We for instance, have a flush toilet, which is a huge deal. Anyway, we live with a Mom, Dad, and their three sons ages 10, 13, and 14. We have our own room with a door that locks, but we don´t need a lock. They´re all so sweet. Our Spanish is really coming along. We have a difficult time understanding our host father because Panamians generally speak really fast and cut off the ends of words. Our host Mom, however is so sweet.

We are eating well. Lots of rich and chicken, and ah, fried items. The family has 20 chickens and a dog named Snoopy, who lives outside. He´s got some serious fleas and howls every night (along with the rest of the dogs in the village) at 1 am. Lovely. The rooster starts his singing routine at 3 am, so we go to bed at 8 or 9 hoping to sleep until 1 or 3. But honestly, that´s my only gripe. Everything else is great. We´re getting a lot of exercise. We live at the top of two steep hills and have to walk all around the village to get to our language and technical classes.

Ah, I feel like there´s so much to share, but I don´t have enough time. I´ll try to post some photos either today (if the computer will accept my camera) or next week. There´s only 1 pay phone in the village and no internet...

Also, this comment is for Dr. Rinella...they´re all freakin´ Yankee fans down here because of Rivera!!!!! Que lastima. And, I can´t say where I am, but that certain someone has a house near where we are...but in a gated, heavily secured area (so I´m told).