I milked a cow

Yeah i really did, i put my hands beneath the cows hind legs and pulled on its nipples in a massaging type stroke until milk came out! WOW! It was frothy and warm and very white... people drink this. The only thing i could think of was who was the first to milk a cow and then consume such frothy white warm liquid. I am betting he was kinda like van gough, not so popular until after he was dead. After this experience we learned how to make fresh cheese and then found out you can also milk a dog. Yeah i actually mean that there was a dog who recently had babies and one of the other volunteers, as a joke, pulled one, of her nipples and milk came out. I guess you can milk anything with nipples.

Before this day filled with milk, three of the ten groups including mine, drove to this small town about 15 km outside of quito called Nono. We went to the local school and talked to some kids, 4 boys asked for my autograph, they were pumped i was in a plane. We then walked around a pretty large farm and then around 7 the town of about 100 houses had this huge parade for us. There was a band that played for 3 straight hours in which we were required to dance the whole time, and when i say band i mean like high school band coinciding with that type of music, kinda of difficult to finda good rythm. They had little kids dressed up in cotumes as potato heads and yoda and militia. While they also passed around spiked tea, quite amusing.

In the past three weeks i have learned to milk a cow, make organic compost, make worm compost, and make manure tea! When i thought i knew a lot i realized people make tea with cow shit to use as a pesticide. Just goes to show you never know enough. I cant wait to see what is next.

On the homefront, my spanish is getting better to the point i have conversations where i ask questions and my family in convinced i am pretty good. I was finally able to take a pretty satisfying poop, small accomplishments are the best. I think from the increase of cheese and stress i was a little blocked up for a few weeks but that has "passed" :) Oh and i think i saw a good looking ecudorian, not tall enough but it is a step. And my sister gives me a big hug every night before i go to sleep.

Finally my language group one first place amungst the others in our level with a presentation where we sang our own rendition of if you are happy and you know it with phrases in spanish about our town and i did the price is right making a complete fool of myself but hey we got free chocolate.

I almost forgot to mention i told a bunch of the other volunteers here after we had milked a cow that i want breast augmentation one day to keep them perky. And if there is a sterotype for volunteers of the peace corps put that in your head right now... i am talking dont shave, only wear REI and worked at a co-op in college. hahahaha i guess i am ok with being jugded and really when have i ever been normal, but it does not matter cause i seem to always fit in.

mucho amor