Hi everyone.

I don't have much time to write this because I am at the internet cafe with the girls I work with and they are waiting for me to get done. I will try to come in another day (maybe Monday) and update with all my information and what is going on.

I guess for now I will just say that I am doing well. Mom and dad left on Monday afternoon. That night I felt really sad and lonely but the girls that I work with are really great and I have had a lot of things to do.

The girls that work with the kids are Genoveva, Brigida and Avigail (none pronounced like we would in America, of course). They are all around my age and a lot of fun to be with. Brigida and Genoveva understand my English, and Brigida is really pretty good at interpreting. Avigail doesn't speak any English but I learn the most Spanish when I am in her class helping. She likes to talk and so we rely a lot on my Spanish/Engilsh dictionary.

Tuesday they invited me to the market, Wednesday I went to church with Brigida and Genoveva and this morning we went to a special service at the big church by the orphanage.

Thanks for the e-mails everyone, I'm sorry I can't respond today. Stephanie- Carlos isn't at the center anymore :( but Claudio, the kid with the blue knit cap is, and he is a little smart aleck... a lot of fun to be around.

I heard about all the ice and coldness you guys had last weekend. I'm sorry to tell you all that it has been i nthe 70s and 80s here in Vicente. While it's nice, I don't especially like walking in the sun... on Monday I got a little burned.

In the midst of conversations with Abby (Avigail), she told me she likes (and wants) my white skin (and lets be honest, it's very white). I told her that everyone in America liked dark skin like hers and went to tanning salons and got cancer for it. Such irony that we all want what we don't have. I asked her if whiter skin meant you were more like a spaniard and she said yes. I'll try to remember what she said when I want to wish away my white skin.

I guess that is all for now. Sorry for not giving very much information right now. I'm hungry and I think we are going to the little stand in the park to get food (where we got queso tacos, stephanie!).

Love to everyone. I miss you all a lot.