Here's a funny conversation I had Thurs night with two aunts of the family. It all started because I was telling them that sometimes I say words in Hebrew by accident instead of Spanish.
Aunt: So, what religion are you?
Me: I'm Jewish.
A: Do you believe in God?
Me: I'm not sure.
A: What about Jesus?
Me: No, Jews don't believe in Jesus as God.
A: You don't know who Jesus is?!
Me: Sure, I know who he is-he's just not a part of our religion.
A: But he's our savior!
Me: Well, yes, for some people but not for me.
(The fact that Hebew is the language of the Jews comes up)
A: How do you say Jesus in Hebrew?
Me: Hmmm, I'm not sure. We don't really talk about Jesus in Hebrew!
A: But how do you say the name Jesus in Hebrew?
Me: I don't know! We don't believe in Jesus, so we don't use Jesus' name.
A: But you know who he is, right?
Me: Yes!
A: I saw some people on tv kissing a wall when they pray. Is that what Jews do? (bonus point for her)
Me: Well, there's only one wall like that in the world, and it's in Jerusalem, so we don't kiss the wall when we pray.
A: So what do you do if you're Jewish?
Me: Well, sometimes I go to synagogue, and we have Jewish holidays. In fact, it's the Jewish New Year.
Aunt2: So, it's like you're Christian?
Me: No, I'm Jewish! It's a different religion.
A2: But Christianity is a religion.
Me: But not mine-I'm Jewish.
A2: Ay, dios mio. (roughly translates as 'Oh, god help us' )
More than anything, I found the conversation quite amusing. When people ask me about being Jewish, I know their questions come from curiosity and unfamiliarity, not any kind of mal-intention ("When did you decide to become Jewish?" "How often do you go to church?" "Why don't you believe in Jesus?" ). And of course, some people know more about being Jewish than others. By the way, I looked up the name for Jesus in Hebrew-both Yeshua and Yehoshua are used.
One of the best things about being here is that I am an insider for the most part. I am not treated like a tourist nor someone just traveling through, but more like a member of the family (on Wed I delivered bread with my family's nephew Pablo to some rural areas and went to the dentist with Claudia). I have spoken only Spanish this week (except when I went to a soccer game and met another girl from Minnesota who is doing the same study abroad program I did!), and although it's difficult at times, I like being forced to work through that. It's also nice to immediately have people I'm connected to and people who care about me. I haven't been want for something to do because I keep being invited places! Every day someone asks what my plans are for the next day, and I say I don't have any yet. They say, "Great. Tomorrow at ____ o'clock we're going to go to ____." I love being busy, so I appreciate all their invitations!
Let's see, what have I done this week...Wed I spent the night at Digna's and stayed up until 2am talking with her kids. It's a true honor to be unconditionally welcomed into her home. Thurs afternoon I went to a Colombian restaurant called Cafe Moliendo. When I studied abroad here, some of us from my program ate there every Wed. I was excited to see the owners (a husband and wife) again and tell them that I used to eat there three years ago. I sat down, and right when he came over he said, "Wow! How are you? I haven't seen you in such a long time!" I was pleasantly shocked that he remembered me, as did his wife. 
The food was as great as ever (and you can't beat arepas w/guacamole and freshly-made guava juice for $2). At night I went to see a parade of Colombian performers near my house, which was fabulous (I guess I had a Colombian kind of day). One of the great things about Cuenca is that there are always parades, processions, marches, or demonstrations happening. Yesterday I went to eat at my favorite ice cream place, Tutto Freddo. Unfortunately they didn't have the tiramisu ice cream, but the coffee one was also superb. I ate in the park and ended up talking with some of the shoe-shine boys, one of whom knew Pablo, the shoe-shine kid I used to hang out with 3 1/2 years ago. He said he'd say hi for me. It's interesting to see some of the same shoe-shine people in the park and some of the same people begging in the streets. Some aspects of Cuenca have changed (more traffic, new stores, etc.), but most of it remains the same (in good ways, too!).
I am feeling sad to leave Cuenca but excited/anxious to explore Santiago. I think it will take some time to adapt, not only because Santiago is quite different from Cuenca but also because I won't be living with a family or immediately have people I'm connected with. But it will be an adventure, and that's what I love!
I'm so glad you had such a wonderful time in Cuenca! It is so special that you've developed such close family relationships there. Your pictures are great too. I'm really excited to hear about the next step on your trip.