mccambjd:how is "eŭ" pronounced, as in eŭropo and pseŭdonomo? And I can't even find any examples of "oŭ"...

Here's one way to think about it that you may find useful: think first of all about how you would pronounce av, ev, and ov. That should be easy enough. Now, in the place of v, substitute ŭ (which is the Esperanto consonant w, don't forget), and try the analogues aŭ, eŭ, and oŭ, as if they were aw, ew, and ow, without thinking of the English spelling conventions. This is Esperanto, remember, not English. Easier now?