Jaime,

I love your pictures! So vivid and exciting looking. Kinda makes me wish I had made the trek out there, but I did make carved watermelon "pumpkins" with my host sisters, and visited the cemetery with my host family. (It was sort of like walking into another world - ground completely covered with pine needles and flowers, air filled with incense smoke, and hundreds of little kites in the air. Pretty magical actually.) Even tried to fly a kite, but I have not flown a kite since I was like 9, and even with help couldn't get it more than like 6 feet off the ground. Oh well. Still glad I tried. I wasn't planning to fly a kite, but I had been talking with my mom on the phone and she said the idea of flying kites to honor the spirits of loved ones was so great, and I should get one and fly it in honor of my grandpa. So I did. =)

Also, I agree that the ambassador's brownies are amazing! He brought a whole plate of them for each of Katie (casi-sitemate) and I when he came to visit our sites a few months ago. We were delighted beyond words. Yummm. And have to say that I really respect him as person as well.

Tim