A Week in Review

I am staying with Priscilla. She does not always have internet, so it has been difficult to prepare for classes, let alone blog.

Yet here the three of us (yes - 3! Krystal has finally joined me) sit, each looking at their own computer contentedly. I should be looking up how to teach 6th graders Chemistry, but for now, I will write.

I have had an terrifying, exhilarating, exhausting, lonely, jubilant, patriotic, confusing and amazing week.

Terrifying: Waking up at two in the morning, stumbling out of bed to use the restroom, returning after completing the task and nearly stepping on a three-inch long scorpion. Don't worry, I killed that sucker with my conveniently located shoe; however, I would have wet myself if I had any pee left in me.

Exhilarating: Riding on the back of a motorcycle as I returned from los nubles (literally translated as The Clouds) on Sabbath afternoon. An amazing family - the Barrantes - brought me from church nearly 40 minutes away to their home. They fed me delicious food, consisting of baked spaghetti, some sort of squash, lime tossed salad, beans, and bread.  They spoke to me only in Spanish, but were forgiving, amiable, and slow to talk.  They laughed easy, and I could tell they loved me, too. It was honestly something I have never experienced quite before - being so loved by such perfect strangers.

I played Skip-Bo with the abuelita and her 21 year old grandson while it poured outside. The parents sat on the couch, curled perfectly against each other, content.

As soon as it stopped raining, they insisted that their son take me home, because they did not know when it would start raining again. So, I hopped behind him, held on as tight as I could, and trusted him and God to get me back. He tried to talk to me in Spanish over the sound of the motor, but the only thing I caught was, "La calle es muy fayo porque fue mucho lluvia. Lo siento!" or, "The road is really ugly because there was so much rain. I'm sorry!" The road was, indeed, a bit dangerous. Muddy, slippery. Exhilarating.

Exhausting and Patriotic: The next day was Independence Day here in Costa Rica. What a beautiful thing to have witnessed. We were up early with all of the children from all of the different schools here in Monteverde. Everyone met in the Centro Commercial, and waited for the activities to begin. I had no idea what was happening, really, but was proud to be involved with whatever was starting. Soon, different schools had their opportunity to begin parading down the streets, drumming incredible songs with matching marches, or dancing in full costume typical of Costa Rica.  All of the kids were radiant as they walked, celebrating their independence. I remained beside my school, encouraging them practically every step to be mindful of their line. "Valeria! Donde esta tu fila, chiquita?"

The kids were exhausted by the end, but I had loved it all. After, we all met at one of the hostels for a potluck with the kids and their families. It was wonderful.

The next day was a free day, because all of the children had been so involved during the weekend. It was a lonely day for me. I watched a lot of New Girl on my computer, read a lot, and thought about my friends and family. I also did laundry, which was important.

Jubilant: Tuesday finally arrived. I taught all of my classes in a blur, got into a car, and rode down to Allejuelah with Priscilla and her husband. We were forced to go a back way, because the typical route had been mud-swept thanks to land-slides induced by all of the flooding. The road we took was still narrow, flooded, and muddy. I was grateful to have purchased car-sick medicine before leaving.

We arrived just in time. After stopping at a store that was remarkably similar to Costco, I found myself peering anxiously at the faces of every weary traveler that rounded the corner of the airport. Finally, I heard Priscilla say, "Oh, I think I've found him...!"

Sure enough, clad in a purple shirt, lime green bow-tie, and at least 6 articles of luggage was Kenton in the flesh. Krystal was directly in front of him, smiling. I hugged her tightly before accosting Kenton. I think I knocked the air out of him.

Priscilla and her husband took all three of us to Taco Bell before we went back to Tito's for the evening. Those few waking moments I spent with Kenton were inexplicably buoyant. Krystal, Kenton and I laughed and shared stories and ate our Taco Bell happily.

We returned early this morning, meeting the bus by 6:45.  I slept most of the way back, thankfully, and had to teach when we arrived.

So, I'm about to head to bed. I'll look up Chemistry during my lunch period tomorrow.

Pura Vida. <3