so things are on the up and up here. I´m starting to really have fun. I just had to readjust and look for new forms of athletic and creative outlets. My preconseived notions of what i would be doing for fun ( ie running and playing a lot of futbol) turned out to be unrealistic. I haven´t played futbol once, and running is a rare treat. I´ve started to read a lot more, and just chill with the family. We have 4 puppies that just started to walk, and there so cute i could just explode...so i end up playing with them a lot. Also, i think im going to start milking cows a lot more. The milking itself isn´t that fun, but the hour walk in the mountains to get to the cows is fantastic. It also offers some one on one time to bond with my host mom. Then, after we finish milking, i find myself a realitively crap free zone to sit and look out over the valley in the the andes mountains. Its phenominal, especially when the sun is setting. Im going to try to get out of (boring, tedious) class early everyday so i can help my host mom milk in the afternoon.

So yeah, good times.

On friday I went on one of the most amazing hikes of my life. My friend´s host dad invited us to take a ride up to the woods in his truck, then walk around a little to experience nature. Sounded cool to us. However, no one was prepared for the 5 hour romp through the andes that ensued. Luckily, i had worn my hiking boots by chance...but others werent so lucky. We´re right at the end of the rainy season here, and the half made trail was about 6 inches deep with mud...which i absulutely loved. Needless to say we got filthy, and one girl who wore tennis shoes was less than a happy camper. I was just high on life though. The forest was dense, and i had to do a lot of scrambling. Every once and a while, the leaves would open up and offer a totally breathtaking view of the valley. Near the summit, i climbed a ´´puma paw´´ tree. Then on the way down, after walking past a billion horses and cows, the guide (a host brother) pointed out a tree with brilliant red and yellow flowers that apparently makes you trip your balls off if ingested. None of us tried it.



On Saturday I went to a surprise birthday party for a fellow volunteer in a nearby town. After defying death to figure out how to light the stove, we made empanadas and cookies. After surprising him and chowing down, we went to another bullfight. I again participated, jumping into the arena and running from the bulls like a drunken campesino. Only this time, there were much less people in the ring, so the only three gringos participating were rather conspicious. I wonder how many people in the crowed were rooted for us to get gored...

After the bullfight, we comenced to dance into the we hours of the morning...9:30 pm to be exact. After that, 4 of us commisioned a camioneta (a dude with a truck that may or may not have been as drunk as we were) to deliver us to our homes a little over an hour away. There was myself, another guy, and two gals. We let the gals ride up front, so we sat in the back and just watched as the mountains zoomed by us as the stars pierced the sky above us.

So that was a pretty amazing experience.

But its not all fun and games folks. There still are trying times. I´ve just learned to except that. Just like anything else, you have to endure a little discomfort to experience some really amazing stuff. It just so happend to be that down here, the two extremes are exagerated a little.