The worst place to be single

Our Puritan past has left the U.S. awfully uptight about many things, mostly to our disadvantage. Think of the news coverage wasted on Janet Jackson's right boob.

'nough said.

Not so with the Ecuadorians. They are very expressive and affectionate. In some ways, this is great. My host family is incredibly warm and welcoming, as are the administrators and professors at the school. And I love the standard cheek-kiss that accompanies every hello and goodbye. It makes handshakes seem like the impersonal gestures they often are.

In some ways--not so great. There's no mistaking the couples in Ecuador. I will forever catch myself when I joke that a couple in the U.S. is attached at the hip. In Quito, they are draped over each other, intertwined and inseparable. These twosomes make it difficult to navigate the always-packed busses. No use trying to push your way through there; it's best to just go around. Looking at them made me feel clausterphobic ... and very single.

And everyone's a yenta. Do you have a boyfriend? Do you want one? My mother's hairdresser's cousin has an unmarried brother within 10 years of your age. Want to meet him?

At 25, I'm getting into old maid territory. My sister is nearly 29 and Ecadorians are flabbergasted that she isn't married--or hasn't been. The marriage age here is very young and the divorce rate is very high. Could it be that the ooey, gooeyness doesn't last?