Time to start yet another new life!

It has been so long since I have blogged that I have yet another new life. I moved to a city in the jungle. Santa Ines is a community near Tena where I am going to be teaching english. I am living with a family in the community and it has been quite the change in my life. I am enjoying it thus far and am excited to see how this streches me. Just for startes...I ate slugs (or at least I think they were slugs) and they were delicious! I should also mention that with my dad and my sister I ate Cuy...for those of you who do not know what that is...it is guinea pig! I am a whole new Julia :)

Report from Santa Ines:

I am getting very used to the living situation. I live in a cinderblock house on the side of a highway. I take a shower with a bucket next to the house, it is covered by a tarp so it is kind of private...that is unless someone else walks around to the side of the house, it is only blocking the view from the street. My bed is pretty much a board and I use my northface for a pillow, but I have been so tired here I just konk out and I cannot even tell the difference, well I can tell the difference obviously haha but I can still sleep. My view on the house has changed an incredible amount, I am noticing how nice and liveable it really is. One does not need much more than this. The one thing is that I have my own room while all 7 of my family members sleep in the same room on 2 beds. I could imagine that getting old fast.

Today something insane happened, one of the most intense experiences I have had I must say. I just got done ´taking a shower´ and was changing in my room when I heard my host mom scream a scream I had never heard before. I knew it was something serious but was hoping it was a snake or something. I thought I should finish putting my clothes on before I go see what was going on. Then wailing from my mom began and frantic comotion. This comotion traveled to my door and she pounded pounded on my door screaming crying. I opened my door (in my bra mind you) for my host mom to tell me that the baby died or was dying. My host brother just staring at me with a lack of hope in his eyes. She was blowing into the baby´s mouth trying to do something to help it. She then thrust the baby into my arms hoping I would know what to do, or just because she could not look at it anymore or something. Thank god the baby began a moment after being in my arms so I knew it was alive. I just rocked the baby and kissed it on the head while my host mom regained sanity. Mental picture: me holding my baby sister, in my bra, my host mom trying to calm down, my 15 year old brother starring at me and my little 3 year old sister (who knocked the baby off the bed) looking so sad and shameful. It was intense. They had me call my parents in the states to see if we should go to the hospital, she keept asking me things like I would know the medical response, I think that has something to do with being from the US. I basically forced us to go the hospital where we went and waited for 2 hours to find out she is fine. When she feel off the bed she turned black and cold and could not breathe. I forgot to mention that before. But, I guess she is okay. Thank god. I stayed in Tena to do some reaseach now...then I will go back home soon. I am glad to have this time to process a bit.

School is going well, I don´t start teaching until Monday so I have just been observing and getting to know the other teachers. Everyone has been very nice and welcoming. I am super nervous to start teaching but I am sure it will be fine, I think it helps that the kids have started to get used to the fact that I am there...although they still take pictures of me and stare haha. It is a strange feeling to be such a minority and be treated as such. But, it will be great, the kids are so cute and curious.

Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope all is well with everyone at home! I will try to keep everyone updated as much as I can with limited internet access.