Still truckin'

Hey, it’s me. I’m hanging in here, counting down the days when I will be home for Christmas. Soon! Things are still winding down here with the school year ending. This last week one last push has been made by the teachers to get all their final reports in and give everything squared away, so it’s been pretty hectic. I’m more of an observer, and when I jump in to help, I most type and help fill things in but I don’t really understand what I’m doing.

Last night was a really great experience because I got to go to the graduation dinner of the 6th graders at the elementary school. Since here in Costa Rica there is only elementary school (kindergarten through 6th grade) and high school (7th grade through 11th or 12th, depending on the high school), a big deal is made about graduating from elementary. They get diplomas and have dinners and parties.

I can’t remember if I’ve written much about the lack of separation between church and state here in Costa Rica, but I still find it interesting (and very surprising to someone who grew up in the U.S.) that they pray in the schools and have memos sent from the principal to the parents saying “Bless you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!” I have been to two graduation dinners, and at both we prayed. At the first, they kids lit candles and the principal talked about how it represented the Holy Spirit and how with a little flame a fire can spread and they can spread throughout each other. Pretty intense.

And then you have me sitting there, only used to this kind of stuff at “churchy” functions, looking around waiting for somebody to stand up and start yelling that since they believe that God is a tree or we are God or God doesn’t exist we can’t pray to Jesus. But that I know of, that doesn’t happen here.

Did I ever mention another thing that still startles me, although I am somewhat more use to it? The first week or two I was here in Costa Rica I was standing on the bus (as usual because there were no available seats) and I was enjoying the scenery outside the bus when I looked down at the lady sitting in the seat near me and she was breastfeeding her baby…no towel or shirt covering her up. My face turned red and I wondered if anybody else noticed.

And so, I learned that, for whatever reason, it is fairly normal to breastfeed in public here. Maybe it’s because of the long bus rides since most don’t own cars, or maybe it’s something different, but it’s normal here.

Also they charge in many public places to use the restroom, and they don’t drink beer out of the bottle (only Nicaraguans do that, I’m told) so they pour it into a cup with lots of ice. Who wants watered down beer?

Anyways I am here and living and fairly healthy and waiting, waiting, and waiting to come home. Some big things are going on here, so if you’re ever talking to God and you think of me, maybe throw my name in there.