Gracias por todos los regalos...Estoy muy agradecida!

Thank you so much for all your gifts, everyone! I would take a picture but there was so much and, quite frankly, I've eaten a lot of it. :( But I want you to know what I've done with your gifts:

• Amy: I think you know, but my family is erecting a wall for the laundry wringer. They are so excited because my host mom actually pays someone to do the laundry that she cannot wring by hand.
• Wendy: I am so glad that you sent the Halloween candy. You know how excited I get when I hear of nifty ways to save money! Well, I still have some of the candy left, but it's been a struggle not to eat it all. Everyday I wake up to a Kit Kat bar or Butterfinger. But that'll last for, like, two more days but I savor every bite. As for the Britney CD, I actually take it to the Peruvian gym with me. You'll be happy to know that I go in 10 minutes early each time just so I can dance to "Hit Me, Baby, One More Time!" Gaw, after all these years, I still love that song, and, Britney, if you happen to stumble across this blog, I am still your biggest fan!!! Anyways, moving on...
• Danny: Thank you for indulging in my "Harry Potter" nerdiness still. Really funny, I just started a movie "theater" in my town, so the CD came at the perfect time. You'll be proud to know that in two weeks you will have helped to spread "Harry Potter" nerdiness in the fine town of Cajabamba, Peru!
• Father: Would someone let him know that I am sipping on my cup of Chinese green tea right now even as I'm typing this. Yes, that was one of the things I definitely missed from home. (I'm so protective of it that I actually drink it in secrecy.)
• Becky: Awesome, awesome, awesome! I, of course, have finished my "People" magazine (I so want Taylor Swift's dress just to be able to walk around Cajabamba in it), have become very protective of my granola and 100 calorie bars (You really know me too well...neither of which exist here) and I just washed the socks today. You don't know this, but I was really excited to get socks! Because I wash my own clothes, I've been having trouble getting the dirt stains out. So I soak them, scrub them with soap and then scrub them with a brush, but then that just create holes. So then I leave out the scrubbing, but then my socks just get browner and browner. Ugh. It's either holey socks or dirty-looking socks. So getting new clean socks was like a little piece of sunshine! :)
• Willie: I'm still in awe that your beef jerky made it through Peruvian customs! You know how I've been craving meat (and liver) like a vampire lately, so thank you so much! I know I should be ashamed that I finished both packages in one sitting (while flipping through Becky's "People" magazine, no less), but it was seriously one of my best food memories ever!!!! I am not ashamed to admit that I miss beef jerky so much that I actually licked both bags! Anyways, thank you so much.

So to say thank you to y'all really doesn't express how grateful I am for everything you've done for me. I really wish I had the competency to convey it into words, because little things like getting presents while I'm up in small-sierra-Peru makes me feel so special. It's made me appreciate each and everyone of you in ways that I probably never did before. So, in sum, I am grateful for all your thoughtful gifts in making me feel special. As a Peace Corps volunteer, that's the best gift of all.