moving in

So I moved in with my family, Luz Maria, David and Francisco and their dogs Item and Niebla. The house is nice and so are they, and the yard (which I will take pictures of today for later posting) is really cool. Orange and lemon trees dripping with fruit and also a big flowering tree the name of which escapes me at the moment. I'll ask Luz Maria again today. Got my first real wave of homesickness yesterday when I was unpacking and discovered a little note and framed pics from Mom and Dad hidden amongst my luggage. It's hard to be away at this point and know that I'm really just at the beginning of a very long period of time away from everything that I know and love (and hate--at least I know those things!). I have to go shopping today for an adapter and some AAA batteries for my alarm clock and a cell phone and a phone card, but right now all I feel like doing is sitting and reading East of Eden. I also need to call Cristhian and KellyAnne and see what's up with them. Annnnd for my final bit of news before I let my computer rest, I think Izaak gets in today. Should email him. Merciful God, I am far from home. And I will be for another, oh, 356 days. Okay, time to go explore. Wait! One more thing: I came to an amazing realization yesterday while on the metro (which is amazing, I'll put pictures up at some point). In this country, I am blond. I might as well be towheaded. Everyone, but everyone here has black or nearly black hair, unless it's died pink like the kid with the 15-inch mohawk we saw last night in Bellavista. Vale, chao amigos y familia.